Sand or gravel?

Question
Hi, I currently have a 55 gallon tank with about 10 african cichlids in there and I have gravel in it right now I was thinking about switching to sand specifically silica sand..my first question is how would I clean the sand and second would silica sand work for a cichlid tank and would it mess with any of the ph levels?

Answer
Hello,
You can clean any type of sand or gravel with a "gravel van" type syphon system. Let me know if you need more info on the product or how to use it.

I always use washed aragonite for african cichlids because it is very similar to their natural bottom, looks good, and maintains pH and water hardness right where they like it.

As for the silica; I have never tried it myself so I won't say yes or no yet. It's pretty much S3O3(OH)3 from a chemical standpoint. The Hydroxide ions will likely decompose into the water giving it the nice basic quality, however it will not be as effective due to the electronegativity vs bond polarity of the existing water and hydrogen ions.
Aragonite is nice because both the OH- and CaCO3 readily decompose into the water giving it the hard, basic parameters those cichlids like.

When it comes down to it, you can use any sand, gravel, or bare bottom you'd like if you're willing to watch the parameters and use buffers as needed. I prefer to pick a good sand/gravel because it can largely do that job for you very well while minimizing other compounds to block up you carbon filter.

Let me know if you have any more questions or I was unclear about something.