SammyJ

I am in the process of planning out a 36 gallon setup (tax season and MTS are not a good combination) and was wondering what to do for a substrate that would be good for kuhlis and yet not get all stirred up into the water and get sucked into the filter, also good for plants. I plan on using a c220 canister that has a decent flow through. I was thinking either a coarse sand or a fine gravel.

I had this http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/198742/product.web in mind or something similar. Any other suggestions from experienced kohli keepers?

Iron waffle

I would recommend very fine gravel or pea gravel. I don't think they necessaily need sand.

agabr123

i'd go with sand honestly, they dig around a lot and the gravel probably wouldn't be the best for them. i'd definitely recommend getting pool filter sand though, i've never had any problems whatsoever getting the pool filter sand clogged in my filter

krismoore888

sand is definetly the safest, they can damage themselves on gravel, and I am the same as alex in that I have never had an issue with sand clogging my filter

SammyJ

Gonna go with sand. Brown sand prolly as its cheap and 35 pounds will only run me around 25 bucks. I will try find some pool filter sand though as I am guessing it may be cheaper, and come in larger bags than 5 pounds.

There is something satisfying about hand picking every piece that goes into a setup.

sirdarksol

EcoComplete is a good choice. Sand (make sure it's rounded, like pool filter sand, not sharp-edged like Caribbean Moon sand) is also pretty good. Small, rounded gravel can work, but it's not ideal.

mathas

Pool filter sand should be cheaper. While I realize prices vary based on location and possibly even season, I paid $9 per 50lb bag for it over the summer.

krismoore888

so true, im now starting my next tank, so excited. keep us updated with photos etc. love to see before and afters

agabr123

yep, i got a 50 lb bag of pool filter sand for about $10. i also live very close to the beach and just about everyone around here has a pool, so our pool stores are open year round

Butterfly

I have kept Kuhlis in fine gravel , play sand, and Pool filter sand. Pool filter sand is by far the best. It's also cheap My Kuhlis sift sand out through their gills to get all the yummies out of the sand and it is so cool to watch.
Carol

SammyJ

Well I cant argue with 10 bucks for a 50 pound bag of sand. I could even redo my 10 gallon community tank with sand once the new build cycles and my fish are set up in their new home in around a month or however long it takes to get stable.