River Sand For Cories?

[Gurglar]

The only sand my lfs sells is river sand is this alright for cories?

 

[Darkmoon Bettas]

The only sand my lfs sells is river sand is this alright for cories?

The first thing to do is look at it, and find out what "kind" of sand it is. The most common sands are calcium-type (limestone or coral, usually for saltwater tanks or cichlid tanks), quartz or silica type (this is also the most common sandbox/pool filter sand). A calcium-type sand is totally inappropriate for a community tank, as it has a heavy influence on Ph and dissolved minerals in the water, so skip that. If it's a silica-type sand, it may be OK.

If it is silica/quartz, ask if they have an open bag (like they'd sell out of by the pound) or even one that spilled a little bit, or a tank in the store that has it in it that you can FEEL and roll between your fingers. The most important thing for cories is that the sand grains be individually smooth. Rough sand can cut their barbels and do some real damage. If it's soft and smooth enough you can roll it between your fingers comfortably and it kind of "glides" it's probably fine for cories. If it feels sharp or rough or like it might leave a cut or a scrape, it's not going to work well.

 

[jollysue]

You can get good quality clean steralized sand at the hardware for a couple of bucks--hmm--or pounds.

Get play box sand or Quik-Rite, concrete steralized sand--medium or heavier weight. Its been a long time since I bought any. I can't remember the grain--30 grain?. But you shouldn't have a problem figuring it out.