Corys And Gravel Choice

[Sharpy1987]

I have black and white gravel from pets at home thats about average in size.

Do Corys need smaller gravel or sand as i've seen a few posts about them 'turning' it over

 

[willowstwin]

I want pygmy corys, and from all the research I've done and advice from people on here, they need sand to "snuffle" around in. It also doesn't damage their barbs like gravel. The only advice on gravel I've had is to have very small VERY smooth gravel, so minimal damage is done. But their natural behaviour is to dig around in the sand, so it's only fair to give them a natural environment.

I'm personally thinking about having smooth gravel on one half and sand on the other half when I upgrade.

 

[chokko]

if you have sand sand (i.e. like playground sand), they will bury their face right into it searching for food. Sometimes they even dive bomb from the top of the tank down into the sand face first. they love it. and i love watching them do it.
(my pygmies however seem to be a bit more fussy...just peck on the surface)

they'll suck up the sand in their mouth, and chuck out the stuff they dont want through the gills.

so i think smaller the gravel, the better.

even the fry do it (so it must be natural)...panda only 2 weeks old:

it looks big and smooth in the picture, but it's just playground sand that the kiddies play in

 

[Sharpy1987]

i've been thinking about changing to sand for a while now.

it would be a massive task to swap the gravel for sand

one of my concerns is how to clean the sand though. At the moment i can vacuum my gravel and the 'rubbish' flows up the tube and the gravel hovers near the bottom of the spout then falls back into the tank again. Id be worried that the sand would get sucked up

 

[chokko]

i've been thinking about changing to sand for a while now.

it would be a massive task to swap the gravel for sand

one of my concerns is how to clean the sand though. At the moment i can vacuum my gravel and the 'rubbish' flows up the tube and the gravel hovers near the bottom of the spout then falls back into the tank again. Id be worried that the sand would get sucked up

its a doddle.

wash the sand in a small bucket with your hand, about 5-6 times so the water in the bucket looks clear, then put the sand in a big bucket...repeat until u have enough sand.
drain 1/2 the tank into another new (i.e. no chemicals have been used in it) big plastic tub
scoop the fish out into the tub
scoop out the gravel from aquarium
chuck the sand into the tank. if its washed proper, will only take 10-20mins to be clear
make sure the filter intake is not resting near the sand though, as sand sucked up could cause problems with impeller.
chuck fish back into tank
should be an hours job.

yes sand gets sucked up by the gravel vac, but not as much as you would think. typically i hold it 5mm above the sand.
and the sand end up in the bucket..so once you drain the water n poop out...u can get the sand and put it back in the tank if you want.

 

[LucyB]

i've been thinking about changing to sand for a while now.

it would be a massive task to swap the gravel for sand

one of my concerns is how to clean the sand though. At the moment i can vacuum my gravel and the 'rubbish' flows up the tube and the gravel hovers near the bottom of the spout then falls back into the tank again. Id be worried that the sand would get sucked up

I changed to sand a few months back, and I used Argos playsand (Cheap and looks great!) And I don't regret it one bit. My Cories are especially in love with it!