Sand Vs Gravel? Yes, this conversation again. Lol

[betta4ever!]

I like both sand and substrate- but probably sand a bit more. But it really comes down to your personal preference!

Why is black sand bad?
I like it in certain set ups

Read Byron's reply. (woops fishjoe and byron replied first....!)

Having said that, the black would work better for some fish, but not for substrate fish which will attempt to darked in order to blend in, and that is stressful.

 

[FishyJoe]

Black sand is not advisable with Corydoras, because they do not "expect" this and they become stressed by having to darken their pigmentation in order to blend in, which is their primary defense reaction--remain motionless and blend in with the substrate and the overhead predator will not see me! It is no coincidence that the basic body tone of so many cory species is buff/taupe...it is exactly the same tone as the sand these species live above. There is no other issue other than the above that I am aware of, and this would have much less impact on upper fish like guppies (I think white would be more likely to stress upper fish because it reflects light unnaturally).

Having said that, to your questions. Do you just have one cory? This is a very social fish and it needs a group around 10 (or more), so this needs to be thought through. As for changing the sand, if it is smooth fine sand I would probably leave it. You can add hardscape to break up the sand, chunks of wood, smooth rocks for example. Leave some open sand as this is where cories feed.

I would never mix different sands, this in my view never looks good, it is certainly unnatural, and it visually draws attention to the small space. The uniform substrate whatever it is will do the opposite, make the space seem larger. And, if the two types are sized differently, the smaller will drop to the bottom with the larger on top.

We have one cory yes. And that was a rookie mistake we will have to live with for now. The black sand is incredibly fine. I wish I would have never purchased it, but again, rookie mistake. We do have live plants and hiding places for the fish, a few small rocks, but since it is a 5g, we can't add much.

I can say ONE thing though about THIS cory (it may be all cories... but I have experience only with this one), he is a hearty fish. He's lived through the deaths of quite a few other fish in a tank that was all jacked up. He survived a lonely hospital tank for 2 weeks, when I didn't know what was going on, and basically had to dump the old tank to start over. He's been transferred now again. This little dude is a fighter.

 

[Byron]

On the buff tone sand and cories blending in...an article by David Sands in the October 1995 issue of FAMA dealt with colour patterns in Corydoras as "Evolutionary Secrets." Dr. Sands spent four years researching the development of pigment patterns as camouflage alongside antipredator freeze of cryptic behaviour. dealt with the issue of how the cories responded to overhead threats, and he explained along with photos that when the fish remained motionless, they could not be seen clearly. Their buff tone blended in with the sand, and the vivid black dorsolateral stripe looked like the twigs that litter the sand, and even the orange post-orbital "V" blended in with the habitat substrate. Observations like these are how we learn what is and is not best for our fish.

 

[Byron]

We have one cory yes. And that was a rookie mistake we will have to live with for now. The black sand is incredibly fine. I wish I would have never purchased it, but again, rookie mistake. We do have live plants and hiding places for the fish, a few small rocks, but since it is a 5g, we can't add much.

I can say ONE thing though about THIS cory (it may be all cories... but I have experience only with this one), he is a hearty fish. He's lived through the deaths of quite a few other fish in a tank that was all jacked up. He survived a lonely hospital tank for 2 weeks, when I didn't know what was going on, and basically had to dump the old tank to start over. He's been transferred now again. This little dude is a fighter.

In my view, the lone cory is much more of an issue than the black sand. These are social fish. A 5g is rather problematic for increasing the group...do you have space in the "main" tank?

 

[FishyJoe]

In my view, the lone cory is much more of an issue than the black sand. These are social fish. A 5g is rather problematic for increasing the group...do you have space in the "main" tank?

The main tank is also a 5g. Looong story. But it is what it is for right now.
Again. We're new(ish). Since last December. Made every mistake in the book. Plus more.
We are currently investigating upgrading to a 20g tank. But I'm not jumping right in so to speak. Before I do jack or squat, I want to understand what products to buy, filters, lighting, etc., as these will be important. In this hobby, it seems like one overlooked or minor mistake or misjudgment can completely ruin everything.

 

[Byron]

The main tank is also a 5g. Looong story. But it is what it is for right now.
Again. We're new(ish). Since last December. Made every mistake in the book. Plus more.
We are currently investigating upgrading to a 20g tank. But I'm not jumping right in so to speak. Before I do jack or squat, I want to understand what products to buy, filters, lighting, etc., as these will be important. In this hobby, it seems like one overlooked or minor mistake or misjudgment can completely ruin everything.

This is understandable. As for the hobby observation, very true. I have had criticism from some members when I say it, but it is a fact nonetheless--this is a scientific hobby, governed by the rules of biology, chemistry, botany. We have living creatures confined to an artificial "home" and mistakes can be fatal. Very few are trained biologists or microbiologists, so diagnosing specific problems is not easy, and often not even possible.

 

[MarsFlower819]

Thank you everyone!! I appreciate all your advice. It's been very helpful.

I have decided to go with the play sand, which is a light brown, for my new tank.

I love cory's too much to not put them in my tank, and while they can live in gravel, they love sand too much for me not to choose sand.

I had no idea about the black sand would stress them out. I have black sand in my 55 gallon tank, should I change it to a different color?

Once again thank you everyone!

 

[Byron]

I have black sand in my 55 gallon tank, should I change it to a different color?

What fish do you have in that tank? And can you post a photo so we can see the extent of the substrate?

 

[FishandBirdLover]

I hate having to vacuum sand.

 

[Rocky998]

I hate having to vacuum sand.

Why? I really like it... Just feels satisfying to clean the sand up nicely. And after I do it, the tank doesn't cloud up a bunch with mulm.

 

[FishandBirdLover]

Why? I really like it... Just feels satisfying to clean the sand up nicely. And after I do it, the tank doesn't cloud up a bunch with mulm.

Because I have it. And it comes up the vacuum. And gets in the bucket.

 

[JuiceBox52]

Because I have it. And it comes up the vacuum. And gets in the bucket.

Hover it over the sand rather than actually vacuuming it, it doesn’t suck the actually sand up, only the gunk. I actually prefer sand

 

[Rocky998]

Because I have it. And it comes up the vacuum. And gets in the bucket.

What I do is have my hand on the hose and clamp it lightly when sand goes up. This usually causes the light debris to go out while the sand stays. Try to switch between pressure on the hose to see what works well for your sand. You constantly have to release a bit or squeeze but you get accustomed to it after a while.

 

[Rocky998]

Hover it over the sand rather than actually vacuuming it, it doesn’t suck the actually sand up, only the gunk. I actually prefer sand

Yes this is another way but for me I find it messier. Works for some though...
But my hands are always shaky so maybe that's why.

I prefer sand as it gives you more fish options for the tank and it usually looks more natural

 

[itiwhetu]

I prefer gravel and will never change to sand, the big advantage with gravel is that you get water movement through your substrate, which doesn't happen as easily with sand. I also like the fact that if your fish spawn the fry have somewhere to hide, so the chances of raising a few youngsters is increased. You are not interested in plants but live plants do better with gravel than sand.