Best Substrate For Corys

[zain611]

for my future tank if i get it ,the big doubt i have is the substrate im going to use. the top substrate i am thinking of getting is dorset pea as fish waste or other materials wouldn't sink through the gaps like big sized gravel. i am thinking of getting corys but if their barbs get broken this could lead to problems so would this substrate be good? i was thinking about sand but since that time i last used sand it ended up making the water cloudy and maintanance was a little hard. i was thinking of ways to stop the cloudy look to the water like: putting the water in the tank first and put the sand down to the ground in a bowl

 

[JenCliBee]

For cory's, sand really is the only option imo.... no other substrate will allow them to act as natural as they would do in sand.

If the sand is cleaned well enough, there shouldn't be to many problems with the water being cloudy... yes at first it might be a little but adding some fine filter floss to the filter and it shouldn't take long to clear up.

I find sand so much easier to clean than gravels, most of the debris stays on the surface..granted you suck a little up everytime you do a vacuum but the sand is that cheap, adding a few cupfuls back every couple of months will never caused any problems.

You can even add some MTS to the sand aswell, while sifting for food, they do a great job and stirring it up to avoid any gas build ups.

 

[Rob5]

I have Panda corys and i use sand

I spent a few hours cleaning the sand before putting it in the tank, the water was cloudy for a few hours and settled

As JenCliBee said, the sand is really easy to clean

The sand is perfect for my Assassin snails too as they bury themselves and hide

 

[Jay-93]

I have Agazzizi Corys, they love sand!

Agree with JenCliBee, really, it's the only option, same goes with loaches.

 

[zain611]

Okay if i ever go with pea size gravel and not get corys what size would the gravel be be? can i get plecostomas in this substrate

 

[JenCliBee]

Okay

if i ever go with pea size gravel and not get corys what size would the gravel be be? can i get plecostomas in this substrate

Well, they are slightly better suited but sand is still a better option for plecs...but then you have the problem of choosing a species of plec lol... there are literally hundreds

 

[Jay-93]

Plecs act like a hoover.

So for example, is it easier hoovering the dust off a sheepskin rug, or off laminate flooring?

The flatter your substrate is, the easier it is for these guys, haha