Substrate question...

[Umbra]

Hi again.

I just read that it is possible for a fish to ingest a small stone and that it can impact their health negatively if it is too big. currently I have a few corydoras (pandas, will replace them with 4 albino cories in a week or so) and some (6) neon tetras. I plan on getting some dwarf neon rainbowfish (4 of them) later though too.

I currently also have very coarse gravel in my tank and I want to replace it with a smaller, finer gravel or sand, about a millimeter across per sand "pebble" and I was wondering if it would be a good idea for my tetras or the rainbowfish I plan on getting later.

It is a 120 liter (29 Gallon?) planted tank.

Thanks for the help in advance!

 

[Tyler_Fishman]

Play sand best for any tank, I currently have my plants in Nat geo substrate which is horrid my cories hate it, I'm going to the local pond where they filled the beach with free play sand for the taking, it's fine and promotes healthy, natural Cory behavior, although play sand does build up hydrogen sulfide if cleaning is neglected so make sure you either have Malaysian trumpet snails for added aretion, or a any object to poke the substrate with

 

[StandbySetting]

Anaerobic pockets are harmless, they can be beneficial as they can harbour nitrogen fixing bacteria which will go towards reducing levels of nitrate within the aquarium. It is true that hydrogen sulfide is one of the most toxic gases on earth, but it is oxidised to water and sulphur dioxide in contact with oxygen, which there is plenty of in our aquariums as our fish inhabit them. The only real risk would be oxygen depletion but even then it would be incredibly unlikely given the small amount of gas that would be released in relation to the water in the tank. I've had sand for years and I've never made any effort to stir it up with no issues.

 

[Purple Spotted Gudgeon]

In over 30 yrs. of fish keeping i never knowingly saw that happen, although possible i suppose. I never ate a basketball, but i have considered it

Sand will be a better situation for you and your cory's anyway.

 

[Byron]

I agree that sand is the way to go, and for cories, the only way actually. Cories do take up mouthfuls of substrate, sifting out food bits, and then expelling the sand via the gills. They cannot do this with gravel, and it is an inherent aspect of cory behaviour. There are other fish that do something similar, cichlids for example.

I changed my fine gravel substrates to sand over a couple of years, and now have play sand in all 8 tanks. I've never had issues due to sand.

Byron.

 

[Umbra]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the help