Best sand for Julii Corydoras / shrimp question

[Alice B]

Must be light colored. Their current sand is black and I can barely see the fish. I have a bag of pavestone play sand I got for something else but it is very very fine.

I did their second "ph adjustment" water change today, so they should be close to a normal pH. That will let me move the bronze to the 29, and while I am at it, I can put the juliis in a bucket and get the black sand out.

Also, can I keep crystal red shrimp with julii corydoras?

 

[Byron]

Must be light colored. Their current sand is black and I can barely see the fish. I have a bag of pavestone play sand I got for something else but it is very very fine.

I did their second "ph adjustment" water change today, so they should be close to a normal pH. That will let me move the bronze to the 29, and while I am at it, I can put the juliis in a bucket and get the black sand out.

You want to avoid white sand, white meaning pure white. Black is actually not good for cories either, it causes them to adjust their body colouration which is best avoided. Buff sand, like what most of us think of on beaches, is fine, and you can get this colour in an aquarium sand or some quality play sand. I have a dark grey play sand which worked for years. You are in NA so look for Quikrete Play Sand in places like Home Depot or Lowe's. This will be buff or the dark grey.

 

[Rocky998]

I don't have cories but a mix of pool filter sand and black sand looks very appealing to me! When combined it looks very natural

 

[Alice B]

I have exactly Quikrete Play Sand in Buff right now, in a bag, it's not too fine?

 

[Sgooosh]

I have exactly Quikrete Play Sand in Buff right now, in a bag, it's not too fine?

i have some of that, and i think it's pretty nice

I will think about mixing in some of that with my pure black sand... the cories may stress about the sand

 

[Slaphppy7]

I have exactly Quikrete Play Sand in Buff right now, in a bag, it's not too fine?

I prefer the same brand PFS (pool filter sand).

Pretty clean straight from the bag, inexpensive, nice grain size, looks nice, easy to find...

 

[Byron]

I have exactly Quikrete Play Sand in Buff right now, in a bag, it's not too fine?

No, it works extremely well. I changed all my tanks over some 10-11years ago, and never had issues. There is a lot of dust in it, but I rinsed it 4-5 times and used it. It settles in a day or so. My rooted plants thrived in this, as did the substrate fish (cories, loaches).

 

[Slaphppy7]

I've never rinsed PFS, water clears on it's on in a day, two days tops.

 

[Alice B]

I prefer the same brand PFS (pool filter sand).

Pretty clean straight from the bag, inexpensive, nice grain size, looks nice, easy to find...

Would I have to go to a pool store?

 

[Sgooosh]

Would I have to go to a pool store?

stores like home-depot and lowes have it

 

[Byron]

Not everyone will agree, but Ian Fuller says no to pool filter sand because it is rough. I don't argue with wisdom. Also, the pool filter sand I believe is white, and that should never be put in an aquarium with fish.

I had a discussion with Quikrete a few years ago on their play sand. It is highly processed, the most processing of their sands, simply to ensure it is smooth and not rough. The individual I spoke with said they know that kids in a sand box may toss the sand into eyes, mouth, etc. It is safe for cories, whereas pfs is not.

 

[Alice B]

Play sand it shall be. What about Crystal Red Shrimp with cories.

 

[Alice B]

it is play sand, but to be honest I think particles got in some of their gills, at least on one julii. All are eating well and alive, no nitrite, no ammonia, almost no nitrate but one has pink gills. Hopefully it will pass with time?

 

[DoubleDutch]

Not everyone will agree, but Ian Fuller says no to pool filter sand because it is rough. I don't argue with wisdom. Also, the pool filter sand I believe is white, and that should never be put in an aquarium with fish.

I had a discussion with Quikrete a few years ago on their play sand. It is highly processed, the most processing of their sands, simply to ensure it is smooth and not rough. The individual I spoke with said they know that kids in a sand box may toss the sand into eyes, mouth, etc. It is safe for cories, whereas pfs is not.

That's a pretty weird conclusion to me.
PFS is as smooth as sand could be.
The use in filtersystems implies the grains are more or less.the same size and are "polished" / "rounded" so there will always be spaces between the grains.
Other kinds of sands lack these properties cause of the different use.

So I don't understand it to be rough.

 

[kiko]

I use white gravel on about 30% on the floor space and fluval stratum on the rest with some cholla wood and lotssss of plants
reason for the white gravel is so that I can cull the shrimp that are more sensitive to color changes...so if they get a white stripe on their backs they got their days counted ^^
and yes they do fine with them..I myself have habrosus c. / otos and they do fine