Can I keep Cory with small gravel?

[Colin_T]

How about a compromise. Have smooth gravel in the tank but put a sand pit in for the catfish. Use a plastic container about 2 inches high and half fill it with sand. Push it into the gravel so the gravel is an inch below the top of the container. The catfish can play and feed in the sand.

 

[Byron]

View attachment 138825
I'm going to go out here on a limb and say, those look like pretty healthy barbels to me. And oh my!! On Eco-Complete substrate no less!!

There is more to this than barbels. And cories should never be housed over any of the so-called plant substrates.

 

[Avel1896]

Their barbels look healthy I agree.
I didn't say Eco-Complete substrate is bad. I'm surprised it's suitable for Cories as it seems sharp, rough and "big".

 

[Byron]

This is a good example to note yhat Cories don't filter eat (nothing go through gills) and don't dig using their barbels.

You need to look more closely. There is sand being filtered through the mouth/gill cover by most of those fish in the video.

 

[Avel1896]

put a sand pit in for the catfish.

That's how my Dad had set his Cories tank : a dedicated sand beach for them.

 

[Byron]

Furthermore after a little more clarification, Cory's preferred food is worms and small Crustaceans nothing that needs filtering.

This is not accurate. Examination of the contents of the stomachs of cories has revealed their primary food to be insects/insect larvae, which is why the "Bug Bites" are such ideal foods. The presence of grains of sand suggests that since they lack teeth, they use the sand as "grit" in much the same manner as birds, to help break down the often hard-bodied insects.

 

[Byron]

I thought of doing another google search for "Filter feeding Freshwater Fish" . Nowhere are Cory's mentioned. In fact filter feeders are an interesting group of fish, sponges etc. I still believe that Cory's on take the sand into their mouths because their think it is food and then spits it out through their gills when they realize it isn't. We are most probably annoying them more than pleasing them by keeping them on sand.

You're confusing the terminology. "Filter feeders" is a specific group of primarily marine organisms that exclusively filter feed.

All species of Corydoras use a type of filter feeding, and this is natural; it is programmed into their DNA. "Filter feeder" is obviously not the best term, but to most of us it gets across the message.

 

[Avel1896]

"Filter feeder" is obviously not the best term

How about "through gill feeder" ?

 

[itiwhetu]

Thank you everyone who contributed to this for the way that you have all replied. I think it has bee one of the more civilized and informative threads on here since I have been an active member.

 

[DoubleDutch]

This particular video has been pointed out to me previously, and it most assuredly does not support what is being alleged by some in this discussion. There is sand throughout that substrate, along with pebbles, but there is still sand.

You are not going to find videos of natural habitats where cories live over a substrate that is not sand, or includes sand, or is mud. Because they do not exist.

Or leaflitter

 

[Spyro]

This particular video has been pointed out to me previously, and it most assuredly does not support what is being alleged by some in this discussion. There is sand throughout that substrate, along with pebbles, but there is still sand.

You are not going to find videos of natural habitats where cories live over a substrate that is not sand, or includes sand, or is mud. Because they do not exist.

I just posted video a video where cories live over a substrate that is not sand.
Video evidence 1 - Ian from some website 0
That's what I see, I don't know what you see.

Maybe cories prefer send, I don't know. But they live over various surfaces and not exclusively over sand in nature, so the evidence points too.

Then you have people on this thread that kept and breed corries on gravel and many more in the wide world.
Maybe if they feed them live bugs and they couldn't digest them because they needed sand it wouldn't be possible.

But as it stands:
overwhelming evidence in favor:
-Yes you can keep corries on small gravel surface in aquarium successfully.
-You cannot keep corries on anything other than fine sand: fish keeping myth (one of many many myths)

That's what I see

 

[itiwhetu]

This is the substrate I use for Cory's

 

[Byron]

The inaccuracies in the statements in post # 56 have already been responded to and proven to be false.

As for the gravel in post # 57, subjecting cories to this has inherent problems on every front. This is a case of ignoring what the fish require, and that I believe inches toward cruelty.

 

[coriesinhawaii]

I’m pretty sure this is going to have to be an agree to disagree issue

 

[Spyro]

The inaccuracies in the statements in post # 56 have already been responded to and proven to be false.

As for the gravel in post # 57, subjecting cories to this has inherent problems on every front. This is a case of ignoring what the fish require, and that I believe inches toward cruelty.

People also 'prove' that Earth is flat despite overwhelming evidence on the contrary.

Generally speaking: when people ban evidence that their theory is wrong (like Ian): it's because they defend their belief to the grave; not because they are right.

It's common thing in scientific world: People defend their debunked theories and go to their grave fighting against what challenges their beliefs. Because they lose their status as foremost expert on something and become someone who was wrong for long time. A lot of people can't handle it.

I think we have the same case here.
People telling people that do it; that it can't be done and ignoring evidence that it can be done to maintain their held belief.