Gravel Hurting Bottom Feeders

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snake007

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Would small to medium sized gravel hurt bottom feeders such as corys or kuhli's?
 
The best way to test it is to grab a handful and rub it between your hands, if it doesn't feel smooth and scratches you its not good :good:
 
I always found gravel wore the whiskers down on cories. Sand is probably best.
 
I wouldn't keep cories on anything other than sand now; they do love snuffling about in it so much, it seems a shame to deny them the opportunity to express their natural behaviour.
 
I currently have gravel (its very smooth) in my tank that my cories are in. Its cute how they move the gravel around and stuff. I am getting ready to break down that tank and do a complete rescape. Fully planted with driftwood decor, and I plan on switching to sand. I have 100lbs of playsand (obviously this is not all going in the 40g aquarium). It seems to be really smooth. Am I correct that this sand is safe? I thought I had heard other talking about using play sand in the aquarium.
 
Yes, it's quite safe; I have it most of my tanks. Just make sure you wash it really, really well or it'll cloud your tank for days!
 
Yes, it's quite safe; I have it most of my tanks. Just make sure you wash it really, really well or it'll cloud your tank for days!
I'll be sure to do that. I haven't used sand in any of my aquariums. What is the best way to wash it? I can't use a strainer like I can with gravel lol.

The other problem I have is that in order to remove the gravel, I am going to have to completely empty my tank....waht shall I do with my fishies?! I don't have another tank big enough to hold all of them. Reckon a 40g tub will suffice for a few hours provided its heated and being filtered?
 
Yes, it's quite safe; I have it most of my tanks. Just make sure you wash it really, really well or it'll cloud your tank for days!
I'll be sure to do that. I haven't used sand in any of my aquariums. What is the best way to wash it? I can't use a strainer like I can with gravel lol.
Put some (about a third full) in a bucket and run it under a tap or hose. Stir it up and pour off everything that doesn't sink with in a couple of seconds. You'll have to do this lots times. Be really ruthless about chucking the lighter particles out, even if it mean you lose a bit of the 'good' sand along with it.

The other problem I have is that in order to remove the gravel, I am going to have to completely empty my tank....waht shall I do with my fishies?! I don't have another tank big enough to hold all of them. Reckon a 40g tub will suffice for a few hours provided its heated and being filtered?
Yes, they'll be fine. Cover the top with a blanket to keep them in the dark (helps to keep them from getting stressed). You shouldn't have to worry about heating and filtering it for that short amount of time. You'll be shocked at how much mulm there is trapped under the gravel!
 
Yes, it's quite safe; I have it most of my tanks. Just make sure you wash it really, really well or it'll cloud your tank for days!
I'll be sure to do that. I haven't used sand in any of my aquariums. What is the best way to wash it? I can't use a strainer like I can with gravel lol.
Put some (about a third full) in a bucket and run it under a tap or hose. Stir it up and pour off everything that doesn't sink with in a couple of seconds. You'll have to do this lots times. Be really ruthless about chucking the lighter particles out, even if it mean you lose a bit of the 'good' sand along with it.

The other problem I have is that in order to remove the gravel, I am going to have to completely empty my tank....waht shall I do with my fishies?! I don't have another tank big enough to hold all of them. Reckon a 40g tub will suffice for a few hours provided its heated and being filtered?
Yes, they'll be fine. Cover the top with a blanket to keep them in the dark (helps to keep them from getting stressed). You shouldn't have to worry about heating and filtering it for that short amount of time. You'll be shocked at how much mulm there is trapped under the gravel!
I know there is a LOT under there and I do gravel vacs every week! It's so gross lol. I am pretty ruthless about keeping it as clean as humanly possible but it is difficult, as I have a hexagon tank that is tall lol. I am ready for a change. I found a really good piece of branched driftood that almost goes from top to bottom. Once I get it good and waterlogged, it is going to look neat with plants and java moss attached. I love my livebearer tank, but man a hex is hard to scape! It will be nice though as the drifwook will leave the whole bottom open for my cories.
 
Sounds lovely :)
 
Yes, it's quite safe; I have it most of my tanks. Just make sure you wash it really, really well or it'll cloud your tank for days!
I'll be sure to do that. I haven't used sand in any of my aquariums. What is the best way to wash it? I can't use a strainer like I can with gravel lol.

The other problem I have is that in order to remove the gravel, I am going to have to completely empty my tank....waht shall I do with my fishies?! I don't have another tank big enough to hold all of them. Reckon a 40g tub will suffice for a few hours provided its heated and being filtered?


You can get 5 gallon clean buckets at Walmart for about $2.50 in the paint section. I have used them before for temporary 'holding pen'. If you are really concerned about them you could run an air pump and air stone in bucket which you are changing over your tank. In the fishing dept of many stores they sell insulated bait buckets with battery powered air pump already attached to keep minnows in and it would be safe to use for tropical fish.
 
Yes, it's quite safe; I have it most of my tanks. Just make sure you wash it really, really well or it'll cloud your tank for days!
I'll be sure to do that. I haven't used sand in any of my aquariums. What is the best way to wash it? I can't use a strainer like I can with gravel lol.

The other problem I have is that in order to remove the gravel, I am going to have to completely empty my tank....waht shall I do with my fishies?! I don't have another tank big enough to hold all of them. Reckon a 40g tub will suffice for a few hours provided its heated and being filtered?


You can get 5 gallon clean buckets at Walmart for about $2.50 in the paint section. I have used them before for temporary 'holding pen'. If you are really concerned about them you could run an air pump and air stone in bucket which you are changing over your tank. In the fishing dept of many stores they sell insulated bait buckets with battery powered air pump already attached to keep minnows in and it would be safe to use for tropical fish.
Yeah but i would have to get quite a few 5 gallon buckets for that. This is what I will be holding while rescaping:
4 x albino cories
1 x Albino BN2
2 x adult swordtails
7 x adult platys
12+ x juvenile platy/swords

I have a clean 40g plastic bin that is only used to that tank. So i figured that using that would be easier, as all the fish can be together, and they wont be in close quarters.
 
Would small to medium sized gravel hurt bottom feeders such as corys or kuhli's?

No, it won't hurt them to answer your question. I use a combination of 3-5mm river rock in all my tanks and have done so for over 15 years with no negative effect. The issue with gravel comes in when you over feed, don't gravel vac or don't have enough of a planted tank to use up nutrients in the gravel. Cories lose barbels because of poor water quality which can cause bacterial/fungal infections. So unless your substrate is made up of sand paper or shards of glass or something very extremely sharp, substrate won't cause them harm. Lack of tank maintenance causes them harm. If you like to see them sift sand through their gills, then get sand. If you're worried that you cannot take care of cleaning the gravel efficiently, then get sand, or if you just happen to like sand better, get sand.
 

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