How Much Sand?

[Floyds mum]

Ive got about 2 to 2 1/2 inches of sand in my tank atm, is there anything wrong with this?

 

[fish_tank0311]

Nope thats plenty.

 

[Twinklecaz]

Can you have live plants with sand?

 

[PDSimon]

Can you have live plants with sand?

yup - i'm doing it. Loads of members have argos play sand

I've always been recommended to use 1 and a half inches of depth - enough for a tank with plants and not so much that its a bit too deep

 

[Twinklecaz]

Oh good. I'm really thinking I should change seeing as I want Corys. Plus my tank looks so gloomy and dark with black gravel and bogwood.

Is it easier or harder to clean?

 

[walkers101]

easier to clean but run your finger through it a few times a week also after a while it knackers your filter by the way corys dont need sand they never see it in the wild

 

[PDSimon]

sand isn't easier to clean nor is it harder..just a different technique - so i've read

 

[Twinklecaz]

Yeah the knackering filter thing doesn't fill me with joy

My gravel is very smooth, I just don't have enough of it right now.

 

[karin]

I switched to sand awhile ago, and I have to say my Corys LOVE IT. They dig and mess around in it constantly. They seem much more active and I have one really old one too. AND their barbels/whiskers have grown since switching them to sand. So whether or not they "never" see it in the wild, they do seem to react very positively to it. My sand varies in depth but probably averages 1 and 1/2 inches and I have lots of live plants. And agree with the post above, not easier to clean necessarily but different.

P.S. Just did a search and Cory wild habitat is variable but includes sand and silt and fine gravel of the rivers of South America. Not fair to say "never" see sand, often do, but it is true that they are not exclusively in sand habitat.

 

[PDSimon]

Yeah the knackering filter thing doesn't fill me with joy

My gravel is very smooth, I just don't have enough of it right now.

Hmm I've never actually seen that happen to anyone, just heard about it.

I think it depends on how cheap your filter is and what its made off and plus most people here say if its 4 inches above level it won't matter anyway.

To be safe I used filter floss which is just like a cm mesh of thin fibres. needs changing a lot though as other gunk gets stuck in it, I didn't even see any sand in it.

 

[waterdrop]

In most of the things I've read and all of the videos of catching cories I've seen they were living on mud, mud and sticks, as the surface. And I expect the thing Karin found is true, that it varies throughout the south american river areas. I had the pleasure of attending a wonderful talk by one of the top US cory breeders and he said that he likes to take some buckets occasionally on weekend picnics and go way up in the woods following a stream and just get a bunch of bottom sand/gravel mix that has been smoothed by being in the stream a long time. You can feel it with your hands when its smooth. You have to get away from where people would have disturbed it, at least that's the best.

WD

 

[Floyds mum]

So it doesnt matter really how much sand i have?
Ive previously posted a thread with pics in, does that level look ok? Its not my tank but it is the same depth as mine, some have said something about the water not being able to clean the sand thoroughly?
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=328549&st=0