Need sand sifter with cichlids??

[conserve101]

I'm cycling a 55gal tank which has lots of drift wood, rocks, homemade hiding places, and sand as a substrate.

The fish going in are my old friends which are one 13" pleco, and 2 iridescent sharks 9 & 5". I'm also going to be adding 2 cichlids later.

Was wondering what fish, if needed, would shift thru the sand to get rid of possible trapped food/dookey, and withstand the raft of the cichlids?

[lloyd berg]

not too many fish scavenge for dookey. that's your job. lol.
i wouldn't worry too much. with big fish in a 55 the sand will move about plenty without any extra help (if you see it in your filter system you need to redesign or risk impeller damage). if i see sand piling up in an unwanted corner i just use my hand to redistribute it during water changes. but i keep my sand shallow (under an inch). if you keep it deeper then you will need to stir it once a month yourself. there's not enough room in a 55 for fish big enough to dig deeper than an inch or so anyway.IMO
i keep and breed geophagus (south american) and lethrinop (african) varieties. both are sifters, but some will outgrow your 55, and certainly not leave any room for other fish. and don't forget-lots of cichlid choices will pit and dig in your substrate naturally. so...again, you may not need to worry about it unless it's too deep.
loaches are another option. yo-yo's are nosey enough to be good at sifting. HTH.

[conserve101]

The sand is about an inch deep, thats what i needed to know, thanks