New Fish!

[Nina7777]

Hi All-
Well this weekend was very productive, fish wise! I added 2 more labidochromis caeruleus to my 30 gallon which already had 2 of them and 1 Pseudotropheus estherae. I also finally made the switch to sand!

I went to my lfs and saw a sand which was called African Cichlid Mix, after reading the bag and talking to the store owner, I decided to buy it. It was quit more expensive than playsand at 16.00 us dollars for 20 pounds but its sooooo nice looking. its tan and black and looks great in the tank. The only problem right now is that its a bit cloudy in there, but is getting clearer each hour.

When I move these guys to my 55 gallon, I am definately moving the sand and getting some more.

Has anyone else ever tried this type of sand....and if so does it really do what it says it does?

 

[Exiled]

Is it crushed aragonite, or coral? If so, it buffers the water to an extent.

 

[vantgE]

I have boughten african cichlid gravel it's sorta whitish and really fine for a gravel i mixed it in with my playsand and think it looks neat but i don't know if it'll help much but it was really expensive too 40 dollars for 20 lbs i think i have a lot left over so might stick int in my canister filter, but i don't know how well it works sorry

 

[Snuff]

I just finished (about 2 hours ago) setting up my new 55g tank. I used play sand and just made sure I washed it real good. It looks wonderful and I'm sure my mbunas will love it when I get them! And the best part was the price: $2.95.

 

[Nina7777]

Hi everyone-
I was going to use play sand also, but decided against it, since all the play sand I could find had bits and peices of twigs and sticks in it. Believe me I would have gladly used it if I could find some good stuff.

Thats why I opted for the african cichlid mix.

No it doesn't have crushed coral in it. I asked the owner of the lfs if it was better than crushed coral and he said yes, because it was an exact replica of the sand on the bottom of lake malawi.

I believed him because the crushed coral was twice as much as this sand so I knew he wasn't just trying to sell the product that cost more.

as far as buffering the water goes, I also have tuffa rock in the tank, so between the two the levels are right on. and the water is now crystal clear.

 

[thecichlidaddict]

I believed him because the crushed coral was twice as much as this sand so I knew he wasn't just trying to sell the product that cost more.

I just want to tell you from my experience that it isn't final cost that determines what retailers wish to sell, but the profit margins. When I worked at Pet Valu, a succesfful pet supply chain here, I was encouraged to promote a local brand of food that, while costing 1/3 less then typical competing brands, had a 50% higher profit margin.

I'm not saying that this is the case in your situation, just a warning that sometimes it seems retailers have your interests in mind, but still may not.

Your retailer mislead you on one thing - the sand you have bought has nothing to do with the sand in the lake. The parameters of the lake water have nothing to do with the sand. He has basically provided you with a sand that provides some buffering capabilities. Still fine to use, but hardly a replica.

It doesn't matter, the important thing is that you like it. Enjoy!