Albino Cories - Suitable Gravel?

[James007]

I am currently in my second week cycling a new Fluval 600 tank.

I have 2 platys. a male fighter and 2 amano shrimps in my old beginner tank that will be my new tanks first occupants in a week or so.

As future inmates I would like to get 3 albino Corys. My tank has some ornamements to provide cover and is well planted with a mixture of plastic and real plants.

Clearly the best thing to have in the tank is a lining of sand or similar. I have some small black gravel (called funky gravel from Pets at Home if you know of it). Will this be ok with the Corys sensitive snouts?

 

[emma12321]

Hi,

If it's smooth with rounded edges it will be fine, if it has sharp corners it will wear away at their barbles. I have ordinary play sand in with mine £2.odd from Argos and they love it.

Emma

 

[Inchworm]

Hi James007

I'm not familiar with the gravel you mentioned, but if it is fine textured, and you vacuum it regularly, they will be OK in it.

However, I think sand is best and is the least expensive substrate. Play sand, which costs about $3 for 50 pounds, is ideal for corys. You will only need about 1" of it on the bottom of the tank.

Here's a picture I took yesterday which shows how active the corys are. If you look at the reflection on the back of the tank you can more easily see the grooves they've made in the sand. They cannot do this in heavier gravel.

 

[Barracuda518]

Mine looks that way too. If I open the window in the room and let the sun shine in, you can see little divets all over the sand where they have been digging. I have a different kind of sand in my other tanks and I dont like it too much. Im considering changing it to the same sand I have in my 55 gallon.

 

[James007]

Thanks Guys.

The more I think about it and see others tank pictures, the more I want at least some sand substrate even though the black gravel also looks quite good. I am also concerned about whether the gravel is rounded off enough.

However the tank is fully set up and well into its cycling period so don't want to start from scratch.

Does the sand not keep getting distrubed and clouding up the tank and filter? Is is suitable for a 63 litre tank?

Is it feasible to add some patches of sand and would this keep the albino corys satisfied? How would I get the sand into the already filled tank and would this affect the progress of my cycle?

On another note - I put a bamboo shrimp in on his own a few days after setting up the tank thinking that this would aid the cycling of the tank. Is he likely to get killed off by the nitrate/nitrate/ammonia peaking over the coming week?

Sorry for all the questions but want to get it right.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi James007

As a rule the sand will stay at the bottom. If you are concerned about this during water changes, you can always turn your filter off while you are working in the tank. The actions of the fish are not that strong and will not cause it to clog the filter.

The problem with having both sand and gravel in the same tank is that it tends to get mixed in with the sand sinking to the bottom of the gravel. One additional benefit of having sand is that it's a lot easier to keep clean than the gravel is. All the fish wastes just stay on the top where they get picked up in the filter or you can just siphon them off. Sand should only be about 1" deep.

As far as the cycling questions go, it would be best if you ask them in the Beginners section. Quite a few members who really know about the process look for and answer questions there. But, I was wondering how you are cycling your new tank. If you are just moving your fish up to a bigger tank, have you thought about cloning it?

 

[DoyouWantsum]

Inchworm i love, and i do mean love your cory's.

I need a bigger house so i can get a huge tank, and have a herd of cory's like that.

I always new how amzing cory's where, but the first time i saw them in a group of about 30 i then realized that i had no idea of there real potential.

 

[James007]

Thanks Inchworm,

I will pop a posting under the Beginners Section re: my cycling.

 

[stegoodall]

I want at least some sand substrate even though the black gravel also looks quite good

have you thought about black sand, i think theres one called tahitian moon sand, other people will probably know more about it