Any Catfish That Would Be Happy On Gravel?

[TropiZo]

Hi, I'm Zoe, fairly new here, been keeping tropical fish for 4 years and have just recently upgraded to a 165 litre tank from a 60 litre.  I have medium fairly smooth gravel (it doesn't scratch my hands if I grab a handful and rub my hands together - to give an idea!).  Are there any catfish or loaches that aren't bothered by gravel?  I recently had a disaster with some very pretty and cute trilineatus cories who all lost their barbels and got mouth rot They were on gravel in the shop so it didn't cross my mind at the time and was a bit of an impulse buy (not like me, I'm the Queen of research and reading reviews!).  Now worried to try anything else so would like some advice.
 
Many thanks 

 

[guppy2002]

so sorry you have not gotten a reply yet. 
if you have not gotten anything yet, get some otos! (or otocinclus catfish) they are great and are not bothered by gravel 

 

[SarahR]

I'm not certain gravel texture is always the reason for barbel loss or mouth issues in cory cats. It's likely bacterial infection causing the loss, and what exactly precipitates it seems unclear. I've seen cories kept in bare bottom tanks develop the same issues, so bacteria alone may sonetimes be the problem.. However, if you had trouble with one species of cory on a particular substrate, I would avoid putting any cory on it.
Plecos seem generally tolerant of most substrates, a small species like Bristlenose would probably do well in your tank. Otos are definitely nice little cats, but you might want to let the tank mature before introducing any- they are best in groups and in more mature tanks since they are rather dedicated algae and biofilm feeders. With loaches, many of the most common species get too big for the average tank (and also enjoy group living). For better info on some smaller species, try asking in that category- I have a group of zebras loaches (botia striata) and they are indeed interesting and amusing fish. They might fit the bill, but my loach knowledge and experience is limited to just them- you should ask others if your tank is suited. (I still can't do the litre to gallon calculation in my head- backward American that I am.)

Oops... now I see this is a fairly old post, you probably already went elsewhere! Oh well, for what it's worth.

 

[Tongue_Flicker]

Welcome aboard zoe!