Suitable Gravel

[ronanphilip]

this is the gravel we will prob put in new tank which will have some bronze and peppered corys in it

we currently have a few of them in a rekord 70 with this gravel. it looks a bit more rounded but is larger.

which do you think is more suitable. we intend to put panda corys in the record 70. if the smaler gravel is more suitable should i change the reckord 70 to that sort too.

thanks for your help

 

[Lizzie71]

I have the same gravel as the top picture, and I will be very interested in the answer to this

 

[jollysue]

Ian Fuller and Inchworm both posted a response in another thread that address this question with information:

Gravell OK?

 

[ronanphilip]

Ian Fuller and Inchworm both posted a response in another thread that address this question with information:

Gravell OK?

had a look at that topic but just wanted a definate answer on this exact gravel before i set up the tank. dont want to put it in to find out its not rounded enough or whatever

 

[jollysue]

The answer is that Corys prefer sand and that is their natural environment. They can make do with gravel but it can and does cause them problems and often wears down their barbells moving it around to find food. It can also harbor decaying food etc and be the source of infecton to their barbells. Every Cory hobbiest with experience will tell you the same.

I did not reread the other thread carefully but Ian posted recently that Corys sift the water and sand through their mouths filtering out tidbits of food. With gravel they must move it around with their barbells. The sharper the gravel the more damage. Fine sand is the appropriate substrate, if you want something else, then you can make the determination as to what you want to do. Larger and heavier or smaller and sharper: neither is the best. I don't know which actually would be preferred.

 

[ronanphilip]

which do you think is more suitable

I don't know which actually would be preferred.

fair enough jollysue. i understand that sand is the ideal substrate but my reason for choosing gravel is to keep the tank as low maintanance as possible. food may get stuck in the gravel but with weekly gravel vac this shouldnt be a prob. i feel that a gravel tank is prob easier to keep clean than a sand one in my situation and a clean tank will benefit all my fish.

was just looking for advice over which of the above are most suitable after sand.

 

[jollysue]

I am going to guess that the more rounded gravel would be preferred, if the new is very much more angled. I am not thoroughly convinced that the angles do them damage more than any gravel that they have to move around (if you had ever seen them plow through sand to find blackworms you would have a better understanding of their natural behavior in their natural environment) unless the angles are very sharp and jagged.

My peppers are in a planted tank with EcoComplete substrate. It has small rocks like flourite pieces. My Big Mama Pepper often wears her barbells out moving things around, then they grow back and she has never had an infection. But her barbells are never as long as they would be in a sand tank.

I really can't give a diffenative answer to your question. Perhaps someone else could. I would have to take everything into account and then make a judgement. I think it depends on how rough the new gravel is.

Thanks for your good nature!

 

[ICEEGRL]

Put some of the smaller stuff in your hands and rub them together hard. If nothing sticks you or cuts you then it should work fine. If it isn't smooth enough for you to rub your hands together hard without a problem... then it could be a problem for them.
The smaller the better. They don't like to smell food and not be able to move things out of the way to get to it.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi ronanphilip

Please don't be put off by a member's testy answer. We are not one of those forums where a member is expected to search high and low for an answer before posting. Everyone is entitled to ask reasonable questions here, and in fact, I encourage it.

In general, finer substrate is better than coarser when it comes to corys. Rounded edges are a must. The gravel in the first picture looks smaller than the second and that's better, but I can't really judge its size from the picture. If you have any doubts about it's edges, it might be best if you look for something else.

I've found that sand is actually easier to keep clean than gravel. The waste products and other debris do not sink into it and are more likely to be filtered out. If any do accumulate, they can be easily removed by a quick pass with a gravel vac in the middle of the week.

If the substrate you use ever seems to cause wear and tear on your cory's barbels, please plan to remove it immediately. It is critical to their well being and life expectancy.

 

[ronanphilip]

thanks everyone.
think ill give the small stuff a go.think it should be ok. we have two peppers and two bronze on the larger gravel at the min and there barbles look fine. the bronze guys really dig into it too. guess they'll be a lot happier when we get them 4 or five more friends in our new tank. 6 or 7 of each type will be nice.

lizzie71 you said you have the same gravel. how do your corys find it?

if it dont work out we can always change it.