Sand Vs Gravel

[Fisses]

i have 3 Peppered Corydoras, but ive read looked up on internet that gravel is bad for the fish as it scrapes against their barbels and their bellys causing infection.

problem is, i want a few more (maybe something a little different) and im tempted to put sand in, but im not sure if my gravel is actually ok for them, here is a close up of some of my Corys with a blue and white gravel:

do you think that gravel is ok?

 

[nudzy]

I have gravel in both my tanks with my corries and they are fine. But in one tank its very rounded gravel like realy small pebbles and in the other its the roman gravel that you can buy in the fish store which is almost like sand, but larger bits.

Keep an eye on the corries and if you notice their barbels looking shorter or disappearing then I would change it as yours does look quite course. they can damage them as they like to route around in the substrate, but looking at the pictures they seem fine at the moment.

 

[Fisses]

Thankyou.

i want to change to sand but ive got to pursuade her to let me(its my bloody tank anyway) but she keeps saying im doing it for aestehtic reasons

ive had 2 cat fish randomly die with red bellies but im not sure if that was down to bad water or gravel

 

[SuperColey1]

That gravel looks far too coarse!!!

I always use sand or very small rounded gravel (1-3mm) Probs better to use small gravel than sand if you aren't planted.

AC

 

[mcgrimes]

My peppered cories like to rummage around in the sand by sticking their barbells and mouths in. With the way they do it i could see gravel hurting them as i hear they are very sensitive!

 

[SuperColey1]

Gravel is fine for corys as long as it is rounded and not coarse.

AC

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Fisses

That gravel is very rough looking. I've also seen similar gravel break down over time, or have the paint flake off. It's not the best environment for corys.

A finer gravel (or sand, of course) is better for corys. It's easier to keep clean because dirt is easier to remove and uneaten food will be found by the corys instead of settling into it.

This kind of natural gravel is safer for them:

i want to change to sand but ive got to pursuade her to let me(its my bloody tank anyway) but she keeps saying im doing it for aestehtic reasons

That's a good reason too.

 

[Fisses]

lol ive just got to pursuade her now, but shes adamant the gravel is staying because ive just got the water levels under control

 

[Water]

I use white quartz sand that you can get at a hardware store. 6 dollars for 50 pound bag. They love it and dig in it all the time.

 

[Inchworm]

lol ive just got to pursuade her now, but shes adamant the gravel is staying because ive just got the water levels under control

Hi Fisses

Just explain to her that the beneficial bacteria is almost all in the filter. While there is some in the gravel, it's loss shouldn't effect the water quality. If you have your new substrate washed and ready to go when you make the transition, there should be little or no problem. Keep the filter running in the container you move the fish into and the renovation will go smoothly.

 

[Fisses]

Well at the moment shes coming round to the idea but now just got to decide on what sand i want....

i was going to get play sand from argos but think it might be a bit bright and too clean looking, but i dont want to spend over the odds on getting sand neither....

has anyone got pictures of different sands that would suit my tank?

im going to pop into pets at home tonight and see what they have

 

[Fisses]

One more quick question, but is argos play sand classed as sharp sand or smooth sand?

i wanna get this changing from garvel to sand right because getting sand out of a tnak will be much more difficult than getting gravel out

 

[SuperColey1]

One more quick question, but is argos play sand classed as sharp sand or smooth sand?

i wanna get this changing from garvel to sand right because getting sand out of a tnak will be much more difficult than getting gravel out

Neither

Sharp Sand is a building sand and may have contaminants in it. Play/Dry/Silver Sand is fine for fish tanks. It is what my corys currently play on.

AC

 

[Fisses]

One more quick question, but is argos play sand classed as sharp sand or smooth sand?

i wanna get this changing from garvel to sand right because getting sand out of a tnak will be much more difficult than getting gravel out

Neither

Sharp Sand is a building sand and may have contaminants in it. Play/Dry/Silver Sand is fine for fish tanks. It is what my corys currently play on.

AC

i thought it might be smooth sand but wasnt sure

Any chance you can post some pictures up as i think thats what im gonna go for, and for £3 from argos its worth the time cleaning it beforehand, im just worried about the colour??

 

[SuperColey1]

It'll be very light when you get it for the first week or so, then it will go a yellow colour for the next couple of weeks as it settles in and then it will mellow out to a nice subtle sand colour:

This is minutes after going in the tank:

This is the same sand in the same tank 18 months later (as in at the moment. lol)

The sand used above is J Arthur Bowers Silver Sand from most Garden Centres.

AC