RSteckhahn
- #1
After much reading on this forum, I decided to update the look of my tank for both aesthetic purposes as well as the overall benefit to the fish. The inhabitants are South American cichlids (red severum, scalare angel, bolivian rams, and red head tapajos geos) and a school of Cory cats. I really wanted a planted cichlid tank, although this was proving a little challenging as the acceptable plant list for my fish was limited. This led me to stick with simple rhizome plants (java fern and anubias) as well as water column feeders (hornwort and water sprite).
For the sake of the fish I decided to switch to sand. I personally liked my gravel, but my cories and geos would much prefer sand. I am hoping an additional benefit will be even lower itrates (I am currently around 20 pre water change, although it seems to head towards 30??). From reading, cleaning sand it very similar to that of a glass bottom tank and the detritus should remain on the surface so that vacuuming is very straightforward. I decided to go with pool filter sand for look, price, and convenience. It is very natural looking and cost $10 for 50lbs (all I needed for my 90 gallon) at Leslie's Pool Supply. The brand of sand was "Lighthouse". I rinsed the sand using the bucket method 4 times, although it probably only needed one rinse! To remove the gravel from the tank, I used a red solo cup and bare hands. I made sure to vacuum thoroughly before beginning, but a lot of waste was still left behind when I was done removing the gravel. I of course vacuumed this all up and I am sure that the tank is now cleaner than ever! The sand was placed in the tank using the same solo cup. There was no floating sand or cloudiness in the tank. This wasall done with the fish in. The only issue was that the fish preferred to stay on top of the gravel, even though I provided some shelter on the glass bottom portion of the tank. I was hoping they would just steer clear of my hands, but they really found comfort in having substrate beneath them, even if I was scooping it!
To help fill up the tank and provide more of a natural habitat, I decided to lose my previous decor of clay pots. They were large and provided nice simple homes for the tanks two previous inhabitants - a couple of oscars. I started looking around for driftwood, but was either turned off by the price or had trouble finding what I wanted. I was extremely wary of ordering online, sight unseen. Then I found that some forum members used Blooms and Branches (and other similar craft type stores). I ordered two of the 30" manzanita branches, soaked them in the bathtub for 4 days (until my wife noticed that a stained ring was left!!) and then popped them in the tank! 1 day later, there is nomore tannins that are staining the tank water and they sink easily. On top of that, they look awesome!
I wanted to post this thread as additional reading for the many that seemed interested in both craft store manzanita as well as pool filter sand (and the process of making the swap). I didn't find any part of this process to be tedious and the reward and cost is great! Below is a before and after shot of my tank. Now I just need the plants to get growing more!
For the sake of the fish I decided to switch to sand. I personally liked my gravel, but my cories and geos would much prefer sand. I am hoping an additional benefit will be even lower itrates (I am currently around 20 pre water change, although it seems to head towards 30??). From reading, cleaning sand it very similar to that of a glass bottom tank and the detritus should remain on the surface so that vacuuming is very straightforward. I decided to go with pool filter sand for look, price, and convenience. It is very natural looking and cost $10 for 50lbs (all I needed for my 90 gallon) at Leslie's Pool Supply. The brand of sand was "Lighthouse". I rinsed the sand using the bucket method 4 times, although it probably only needed one rinse! To remove the gravel from the tank, I used a red solo cup and bare hands. I made sure to vacuum thoroughly before beginning, but a lot of waste was still left behind when I was done removing the gravel. I of course vacuumed this all up and I am sure that the tank is now cleaner than ever! The sand was placed in the tank using the same solo cup. There was no floating sand or cloudiness in the tank. This wasall done with the fish in. The only issue was that the fish preferred to stay on top of the gravel, even though I provided some shelter on the glass bottom portion of the tank. I was hoping they would just steer clear of my hands, but they really found comfort in having substrate beneath them, even if I was scooping it!
To help fill up the tank and provide more of a natural habitat, I decided to lose my previous decor of clay pots. They were large and provided nice simple homes for the tanks two previous inhabitants - a couple of oscars. I started looking around for driftwood, but was either turned off by the price or had trouble finding what I wanted. I was extremely wary of ordering online, sight unseen. Then I found that some forum members used Blooms and Branches (and other similar craft type stores). I ordered two of the 30" manzanita branches, soaked them in the bathtub for 4 days (until my wife noticed that a stained ring was left!!) and then popped them in the tank! 1 day later, there is nomore tannins that are staining the tank water and they sink easily. On top of that, they look awesome!
I wanted to post this thread as additional reading for the many that seemed interested in both craft store manzanita as well as pool filter sand (and the process of making the swap). I didn't find any part of this process to be tedious and the reward and cost is great! Below is a before and after shot of my tank. Now I just need the plants to get growing more!