Black Sand Suitable For Cory's

[ghettofarmulous]

Hey guys,
 
I am looking for advice on type of Black sand that others are using for cory tanks. I have read up on black Diamond sand but this seems to be available in the US and not UK. I live in scotland and have used play sand with great sucess but i want to change to a black sand that is cory friendly, I.e. Smooth and doesnt cause lacerations or sores to the corys barbels. Anybody who has tried and tested any product could help me out here greatly.
happy days

 

[techen]

www.aquaessentials.co.uk/seachem-flourite-black-sand-7kg-p-1737.html

That's the stuff I use, if you can pay the price it's well worth it and promotes plant growth as well

 

[ghettofarmulous]

great dtuff my man. This is what i will go with. I dont need plant promoting substrate as i will be going with java fern and anubias but as long as the corrys can go knee deep in the stuff and not get hurt im happy

 

[frapadoodle]

Which corys? I have seen tanks with black sand and albinos and they really pop.

 

[ghettofarmulous]

Which corys? I have seen tanks with black sand and albinos and they really pop.

Bronze Corys and now that you have put this exquisite idea forward i will be adding albinos in the mix!
Thanks for that. They will really pop with a black background.
 
I was also going to add two Bolivian rams with a school of corys and thats it. i was hoping to achieve a playful look with striking colours without over stocking. its a 70L but its 15 inch bact to front rather then tall as i wanted more surface area for the ground dwellers!

 

[snazy]

Seachem flourite sand is not sand. Its fracted baked black clay of small but sharpish particles and if it was so suitable for corys, it would have been advertised as such. Its good for plants though due to its high CEC.

 

[misterpro]

I'm using JBL Sansibar Black in my new tank.  It was however a complete pain in the backside to wash

(but then again I believe most (black) sand is)

 

[snazy]

I used the JBL sansibar black. It's no sand, just some volcanic dust. My corys didn't like it although I can't directly blame it for them becoming sick afterwards.

 

[RCA]

I use the Unipac Sand, the Senegal, but the black version is cool as it has different sorts of black in it so it sort of glistens.  If you search the forum for Unipac you may find others discussing it.  I find my Corys are very happy on this.

 

[snazy]

Sorry if I sound rude but these are all bad suggestions. I bought Unipac sand only recently myself. This is how the fine version looks on a macro shot.
 

Here, this article is written by a person that collected corys from the wild and discoverd many species. The topic is what is best sand for corys. He mentions that any coloured sand is no good for them.
 
http/www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=2687

 

[aaronc]

Hey All
 
I am having the same dilemma at the moment.
 
The author of that article makes no argument for why other colours of sand should not be used.
 
I don't really understand what difference the colour would make - as long as the colour was natural and not added artificially

Aaron

Sorry if I sound rude but these are all bad suggestions. I bought Unipac sand only recently myself. This is how the fine version looks on a macro shot.
 

That shot does not look great! Which product was this? 
 
I really want fine black sand to enhance colours of fish 

 

[snazy]

There are no naturally coloured silica sands. That's the difference. The dark sands on the market are either coloured stuff or are from volcanic origin, which isn't sand really.

 

[aaronc]

Makes sense, the one I was looking at was Granite Sand.
 
Doh! Looks like I might need to stick to standard sand - don't want to sacrifice their barbels just for a colour

Aaron

 

[And76reW]

I've got the 'Pettex Roman Gravel black sand' in my aquarium & my 5 Cory Sterbai's can't get enough of it, really happy with it they are & forever burying their heads in it. I recommend it.

 

[fluttermoth]

^ I have this, and it's fine, although more dark grey than black.
 
I wouldn't go near anything volcanic, if I were you; I've just had to remove kilos of the stuff after it killed two BNs and a cory in one of my tanks. I might just have been unlucky, but better to be be on the safe side