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I am very new to fish keeping and was wondering what is the best gravel/sand for cichlids i am planning to keep some Pseudotropheus Lombardio and Auratus along with some Red Zebra (IS THIS A GOOD MIX OR SHOULD I KEEP ONE SPEICES PER TANK?)

i don't really have a good idea but i think most people that keep african ciclids use sand for substrate. auratus is very aggresive btw.

If I were you I would stick to a small gravel. Sand does nothing but cause problems in the long run.

thanx for the replies

think gravel is the best option then

Hi,
This fish is from one of the African Rift lakes, Lake
Mawi in particular. The pH & hardness of the water should
be high for them to flourish. Usually Rift Fish keepers
will use something other than regular aquarium gravel for
the substrate.

The problem is that the fish want the hardness and pH
up at 8.0 or higher. With tap water running around 7
you have to find a way to increase the values.
If you use a carbonate substrate, 100%, then the tap
water will shift up to a pH of 8.0 and so will
the hardness, all automatically.

The recommended substrates are crushed
dolomite, crushed limestone, crushed oyster shells, or
crushed coral. I put them in the order of preference.

A tank with crushed oyster shells, IMO, looks like the
base of a reef that is ravaged by waves and looks like
the rubble at the bottom of the reef. I would not use
it 100%. But, if you use crushed coral and mix in some
crushed oyster shells, then it can take on an interesting
appearance. Crushed dolomite or limestone is easily
obtainable from large hardware stores or a LFS that
has a sizable saltwater setup. Crushed oyster shells is
easily obtained at any "Feed & Seed" store as it is fed
to fowl as grist for their gizzards.

For decoration, use pieces of limestone to arrange caves.

Frank


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