Thickness of substrate level in African cichlid tank

[ah_hup]

how thick should the substrate level (from base to height) be in a typical african cichlid aquarium??

[|squee|]

Well you don't want too thick a substrate... about 2cm will do imho unless you're keeping shellies.

[ah_hup]

omg 2 cm.. what if my substrate level is not even a centimeter? i was wondering if the thickness of the substrate level has an effect on the tank.. i don't think so right..

[black17]

Hi Ah Hup. Maybe I can help (into Tanganyikan cichlids myself). The answer to your question, depends on a few things. If for looks, IMO, 2cm would look nicer than say 0.5cm thickness. In what way do you mean affect the tank? Cichlids like to dig. Of course the thicker the sand, the less likely to have exposed tank bottom.

[ah_hup]

i made a mistake.. anyway now my substrate level is at elast 2 - 3 cm thick..
what i mean by affecting the tank .. because i heard that the substrate that form the base of your tank add as some sort of bio filter also? can someone explain this to me?

[|squee|]

I'll move this to Cichlids since it's more relevant there

The substrate provides surface area for beneficial bacterial (BB) to grow on, same concept as ceramic rings in our filters.

2-3cm thick is fine imho.

[black17]

I think the bio filter reason came about when some people used under gravel filters. But it wasn't practical because of the fine sand in cichlid biotopes.

[bay4215]

So long as you have substrate in your tank, beneficial bacteria can grow on them and they help with bio-filtration.
Under gravel filters maximise the full substrate for both mechanical and bio filtration, running the water through the substrate to filter. IMO, best and most effective filtration but the maintenance is an issue, especially the poo that builds up in the UGF plates over time. This is why its seldom used.

Oh, do be mindful of having too thick a substrate. Toxic gas can build up inside and if your unknowing fish were to dig that area and release them into the tank...

[black17]

Toxic gas build-up happens when air pockets are formed. To avoid this, fill tank with water first - not all the way but say quarter or half way, then pour in the sand. This prevents air pockets. Downside is, if the sand is not properly washed, the water will be cloudy for a couple of days. Alternatively, for a running tank, stir the sand with chopstick once a month or something.

Toxic gas trapped in sand turns the sand to black colour and is kinda smelly. This will disappear after stirring the sand. HTH:

[Justikanz]

Black17, toxic gas buildup is not caused by the air pockets formed when setting up the aquarium. The proper step in setting up the aquarium is to actually lay the substrate (pre-washed for non-soil substrates) BEFORE adding the water.

Toxic gas buildup is usually casued by one of the following factors:
1) Substrate too thick.
2) No gas exchange mechanism (water flow) exists through (up and down) the substrate
3) No rooted plants in the substrate

Actually, all 3 points work together. Minimal gas exchange is caused by the substarte being too thick and many a times, not having the healthu growing plant roots to aerate and bring water past the substrate.

In this case, with the cichlids, there should not be a problem with gas buildup. Most of the African lake cichlids will dig.

In fact, it is often recommended to have 2 layers of substrate, separated by a mesh of some sort to prevent the cichlids digging all the way and toppling the rocks and breaking the tank.

[black17]

Thanks for the feedback really appreciate it. IME, I have tried both methods and for me, adding sand to water worked better. With my earlier attempt, the sand turned black even with my Tanganyikans digging, which was why I came to this conclusion. I guess the difference is my collection of Tanganyikans are not good diggers.