Corydoras Substrate?

[montyII]

I'm thinking of adding a few Corydoras now that my tank has fully cycled.... Can anyone tell me if it's essential to have a sandy substate to keep them? Or does it vary from species to species? My tank has the usual gravel substrate. Ta.

 

[faithless1294]

gravel is fine for them

 

[TerraDreamer]

I have three peppered cories with gravel; they're extremely happy, very active and growing. Some claim gravel will wear off their barbells, but it hasn't happend to mine, and least not yet, and they've been in there for quite a while.

 

[MadMan-JaMeS]

I have been enquiring about keeping corydoras and people say sand is best because gravel lets food throught which rots and can start diseases and cories are very prone to diseases !

IMHO Sand is best that from asking around !

 

[mommyof2bettas]

sand is better but gravel is ok as well.

 

[doresy]

Hi, there is a guy on these forums whom I am guessing is some sort of professor in fish, especially corys. His name escapes me but he sure knows his corys.

In his replies to cory substrate requirements (it does come up quite often) he posted a picture of a typical, natural cory habitat. Amazing!!
He states that corys indeed do prefer, no require, sandy substrates. They suck it up and filter for food particals, expelling through the gills. This they cannot do with gravel.

To say they are perfectly happy on gravel is really just our justification to ourselves for keeping a creature out of its natural enviroment (I know, an aquarium its self isn't exactly a natural enviroment either)

Anyway, I don't want to turn this thread into an argument as I have had my corys for years on BLACK QUARTZ which is TOTALLY unsuitable but they are showing no ill effects. Also, if it were possible to ask my corys if they prefer my tank set-up to that of the tank they came from in the LFS then it would be a no brainer!!!!

Let your conscious be your guide

 

[fishboy619]

sharp gravel is a no-no.
smooth round gravel is fine if there is no other option,
but sand is the best IMO.
sand mimicks the natural enviroment and helps them to feed. they is no danger if barbles becomming infected or waring away.

 

[smooth_bourbon]

I had my cories with gravel for their first five or so years. Mine to where fine. I have for the last about 2 years had them with just a few large rocks, with no substrate and my cories seem to love it. They keep my tank super super clean, lay eggs all the time and swim like little crazy fishies. I mean some day to add some sand but so far am intimidated . What kind of cories are you thinking of getting, what size tank, and how many?

 

[MHunt]

I have used both, and to be honest the cory's in my community tank with gravel are doing better they are growing well, and have spawned many times, but that's probably due to it being a good mature tank with good water conditions. My tank with sand has had a bacterial infection, i couldn't attribute it to the sand alone, so those fish haven't done so well till recently after copious amounts of myxazyn and melafix. I have seen the cory's do the suck the sand through their gills thing in the sand tank, but they appear to enjoy foraging between the gravel in my community tank. I don't think sand is essential so after a very long winded post, they should be fine on gravel.

 

[wayne_stone]

I use coral sand in my tank and my four peppered corry's and four coolie loaches love it, the coolie's love burrying

themselves in it, helping to keep it turned over and the corrys love to hoover it.....

 

[montyII]

I had my cories with gravel for their first five or so years. Mine to where fine. I have for the last about 2 years had them with just a few large rocks, with no substrate and my cories seem to love it. They keep my tank super super clean, lay eggs all the time and swim like little crazy fishies. I mean some day to add some sand but so far am intimidated . What kind of cories are you thinking of getting, what size tank, and how many?

Thanks for your replies. Not sure what kind yet, I'll have to see what's available. My tank is std 3ft, 36g. I'd probably get 3 or 4, I read they like to be in groups.... I'm still debating what kind of fish to add next, I want to provide a happy home for whoever goes in there. Any suggestions? (My tank is well planted, has rocks and driftwood, some good caves but is fairly bright when the lights are on).

 

[*Fishkies*]

I use gravel for my corydoras also, and I have not had any problems since I have had them. I have 3 bronze cories, a peppered cory, and 6 pygmy cories.

For fish ideas you could have Cherry barbs, or cardinals in your tank. They are nice and brightly colored and cherry barbs are very hardy.

 

[vinylman]

My LFS, whose advice I trust completely, has told me that any smooth gravel is fine for Corys. And I'm very tempted.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

so long as it's not sharp gravel is fine for cories so long as you keep it nice and clean. i've kept them on sand and gravel and never seen any difference, only time we had problems was in Ian's planted tank where he couldn't keep the substrate clean and then they had some barbel deterioration so we re-homed them.

 

[mlawson]

I believe it was andywg who said there was an experiment where this guy kept cories in a tank containing sintered glass, and it did not affect the cory at all. The reason their barbels wear off in gravel could be to do with the organic materials which break down in gravel and then pollute the bottom of the water.

Anyhow, they prefer sand, I keep mine in a thin layer of Eco-complete, which is even finer than sand.