Sand for Malawi Tank...

In the near future I will be upgrading my Malawi tank to a larger size. I am going to do a more traditional Malawi aquascape. I don't think I will use any plant in this tank. However, I will be using a ton of rock. My question for all of you is this...

What kind of sand substrate should I use?


BTW - I know a lot of you would say all-purpose sand form Home Depot, but I've also seen some ultra fine white sand being used in other tanks that I am fond of. Does anyone know what kind of sand I'm talking about?


Thank you in advance.

Sugar sand all white. I am selling enough yo fill a 46 gal bow with 1.5" for 30 lmk if you need some. Its very fine and very white. Just breaking down tank and downsizing

I'm talking BLACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!GO TO HAWAII and see,but really does seem to bring out the colors of the fish.Frontosas have beautiful blue accents,but alot of people are disappointed when they see then in person,because they think the fish is stressd or they got the wrong kind,but i added some black sand and voila,all kind of blue showin on 'em.Also,every one who has seen the tank says it looks better,as well as the fish.You can tell when the fish swims in front of a white rock,you can barely see the blue. :beer

Okay, I was trolling the net looking for answers and now I have a few questions...

You mentioned the "sugar sand", does your filter system suck a lot of it in? Have you noticed that you need to clean your filters\tank more often? Does it make your tank cloudy? And finally, does it change your pH at all?

.....also,slate rock looks nice and is also black-good luck!

.... oh btw,sugar sand may not be too good.Didn't someone say its too fine,something like pool filter sand would be better.

jake wrote:

I'm talking BLACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!GO TO HAWAII and see,but really does seem to bring out the colors of the fish.Frontosas have beautiful blue accents,but alot of people are disappointed when they see then in person,because they think the fish is stressd or they got the wrong kind,but i added some black sand and voila,all kind of blue showin on 'em.Also,every one who has seen the tank says it looks better,as well as the fish.You can tell when the fish swims in front of a white rock,you can barely see the blue.

Yeah, I currently have a planted tank with the eco-complete plant substrate (black) and the contrast really shows off their colors, but I'm wanting to go with a white sand with a dark background for the bigger tank.

The sugar sand doesn't stir at all and I use a sheik 2217 and never have to clean it but like every 4 months if I really want to but hardly any sand gets in the filter at all

Filter sand worked well for me.

That black sand would look so nice for many of the blue tinted fish. Would draw out some of the subtle shades for sure.

I use regular pool sand. It is light and won't compact. Since these fish are avid diggers they love the easy to move sand. I have to push sand back all the time during water changes. (I believe it keeps fish from getting to ingrained in territories)

I have always used the $5-$6 bags of pool filter and from Home Depot and my filters have always been fine. It really doesn't kick up at all during water changes or in general. I love it. Love the price too.

eco-cichlid sand from my lfs (black/white)(brown/white) some kind expensvie but is what i use in all the tanks
HRT have sand dor sale and comes in differents colors

all gravels are nice its all how you present it with decorations and stuff and what you prefer.
I have white playground sand with my fronts and they are so purple its ridiculous.
which ever way you go hope to see pics.

just do regular play sand and wash it real good i use that in all my tanks

I use crushed coral.. You can buy it in all sizes from real large chunks to almost like sand.Its great for keeping ph levels stable without using chemicals..and it also is easy to clean because it is heavier than sand and sand tends to get sucked up alot more than crushed coral. I do like sand as well it makes the tank look nice..crushed coral is also more money than just regular sand.. the cost for fine white aquarium sand is about the same as crushed coral ...

Check out http://www.caribsea.com/pages/products/cichlid.html. I have their reef sand for salt water in a few tanks and it works very well. I think the real fine sands are hard to siphon. You can suck a lot of it out when you do a water change. I had one tank I had the Sahara sand in and I could not get it to clear up.

IMO, CaribSea Eco-Complete Cichlid Zack Black is amazing! No rinse required and cleared up almost immediately , I was impressed.

This link will show you a comparison to sand, not as fine, and looks great. My Cichlids love it. http://www.caribsea.com/pages/products/cichlid_eco-complete.html

Here is a PIC of my recent 90G set up:




Hope this Helps,
Zuly

Pool Filter Sand from Home Depot. Cost $5 for a 50LB bag. Rinse it 4-5 times (takes about 10-15 mins) and then your good.

I also say PFS. Look around, though - there are various colors out there.