What fish play and dig in sand?

by **UnderWaterKitten** » Wed Jul 20, 2011 5:34 pm

I have pool filter sand about 4" thick in a 4ft aquarium and I would love to get some freshwater fish that play and dig, basically use the sand for their entertainment and to help make my tank look more natural. Any suggestions of what fish do this?

by **LUVMUFF9326** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 4:09 am

i have aqua quartz pool filter sand in all my tanks ( I work in a pool & hottub supply warehouse so i get 50 pound bags 4 $3 a bag :) my community tank (many diff species) none play with it, my pirhana tank, same thing, on the other hand my african cichlids rearrange the sand so much its fkn annoying , i re rearrange every 3 days or so .....,so there u go african cichlids sound like just the fish u need and as a bonus they eat there own $#!T so it requires a lil less vacuuming then say community or pirhana hope this helps n they r beautiful fish but b careful they can have lotsa babies which is y i now have a pirhana tank, BUT B4 THE HATING STARTS about me feeding them to my pirhana , just keep in mind if i didnt strip the fry the cichlids would eat m up n e ways.......n well........ my pirhana is VERY WELL FED N VERY HEALTHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by **Skye01** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 12:43 pm

Hi,

I can't really remember how coarse the granules are, but I have fairly fine gravel in my tank and my Kooli Loaches and my Corys enjoy digging around in the gravel. Another fish you can get that buries itself in the sand is an Eel, but be careful they do tend to get really big. Yes certain types of Rift Valley Cichlids do tend to re-model your tank for you, moving gravel, decor, rocks and wood as well as eating any growing plants, so it all depends on what type of fish you are keen on and what type of setup you are looking at doing.

Hope this helps.
Kim

by **esparzar1** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 6:12 pm

African Cichlids would be the way to go. They always dig in the sand :)

by **2rentalskates** » Wed Sep 14, 2011 4:31 am

I have found that dragon wrasse love to dig and rearrange small rocks, also I have a double damsel that digs all the time.

by **DanDman18** » Wed Sep 14, 2011 10:56 pm

I don't think they are talking saltwater

by **Okiimiru** » Thu Sep 15, 2011 1:15 pm

Neolamprologus multifasciatus love playing in sand. They live in shells, so they'll half-bury their shell one day to feel more protected and hide in it for a while, then swim over to a love rival the next day and bury their shell completely.

You can see the fish digging in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4auOxHLEOXM

by **vanwykb** » Tue Feb 14, 2012 11:50 am

Convicts! They build nests, change their mind and build somewhere else. These guys love fine sand. Allows them to move easily. Eels also dig as they search for morsels etc. Basically any African cichlid does this. I found that Convicts are the most anoying. If you want plants in your tank, don't bother...

What fish play and dig in sand?

8 posts