Wrong Gravel ?

[m00ms]

hi there can i please have some advice as to if i have used wrong gravel in my 120lt tank.

the gravel stones are 2-3mm each.

my concern is for my bottom feeders which are 2 small cory cats which i breed in another tank, 1x bull dog plec, 1x L141 plec, 2x panda garra and a full size female bristle nose catfish.

if i have used to coarse gravel can i simply add a finer layer or will i need to remove all gravel and start again?

many thanks.

 

[BethK]

Bottom feeders, you should have sand substrate and not gravel x

 

[shelaghfishface]

hi
ive had similar sized gravel with cories, and had no issues. tho it is said that they prefer sand, maybe you can push the gravel over and add some sand to a large area of the tank ? it will get mixed up so if you are really concerned i would change it, but like i said i had no issues
shelagh xx

 

[hamfist]

Cories, and other bottom feeders may well have a preference for sand, but they can also be very happy with a gravel substrate. 2-3 mm is fine. A reasonably sized cory can still get his nose well into gravel of that size.

The key question is whether the gravel is smooth or sharp. The majority of natural gravels one sees in LFS these days are actually very sharp, and can damage cory's barbels as they root around in it. If you have got a smooth pea gravel then that is a very good substrate and will be just fine.
If you have bought a sharp gravel, then my advice would be to change it, although it is not really urgent, just have it on your list of things to do.

 

[m00ms]

thanks for all your advice,when i set up my 120 lt tank i transfered fish from my old 30 lt tank which now is a cory breeding tank i accidently bagged a very small cory and released into 120 lt tank.i am suprised the little fella survived but he has and the other cory in with is a deformed with next to no tail cory.

5 months on and both seam well,they are forever rumaging around in the gravel,eating and swimming fast as they can to the surface.sadly though neither have barbels were as there brothers and sisters in the 30 lt tank do have barbels.

the gravel is smooth round 2-3mm peddle like.

if i do change gravel will they re grow barbels

 

[meguro]

how frequently do they rush to the surface?

 

[fluvial]

I have two Corry Sterbai on a fairly smooth gravel base.
They spend quite abit of time picking around on the floor,
and I haven't noticed any damage to their barbels.
I think sand would make a better substrate for them, but gravel
is a possibility

 

[m00ms]

how frequently do they rush to the surface?

they only rush to the surface the same amount of times as there parents and brothers and sisters in the 30 lt tank.what does the amount of times they do that say about them ?

 

[hamfist]

thanks for all your advice,when i set up my 120 lt tank i transfered fish from my old 30 lt tank which now is a cory breeding tank i accidently bagged a very small cory and released into 120 lt tank.i am suprised the little fella survived but he has and the other cory in with is a deformed with next to no tail cory.

5 months on and both seam well,they are forever rumaging around in the gravel,eating and swimming fast as they can to the surface.sadly though neither have barbels were as there brothers and sisters in the 30 lt tank do have barbels.

the gravel is smooth round 2-3mm peddle like.

if i do change gravel will they re grow barbels

Not quite sure if you are saying the tank with the barbel-less cories has smooth gravel in, or the other tank.
If your barbel-less cories are currently with sharp gravel, then they may well re-grow their barbels with a change to a smooth substrate.

 

[emmettbaby]

I've been told that their barbels DO regrow. I changed from large, smooth gravel to sand about two weeks ago and haven't seen any improvement, but I'm also not sure how long it takes. If they go to the surface frequently or swim near the top/middle of the tank, there may be something lacking (not enough O2 maybe?) I solved that problem by adding an air stone.

Your cories should also be in a larger shoal. 4+ of the same species makes them feel more secure in their tank since shoaling is their natural behavior. This could be stressing your fish, maybe that's why they surface a lot...

Maybe you should consider returning them to the their original tank? If the cories in your 30L still have their barbels and have been in there for several months, then you may not need to change the gravel in your larger tank. Just move the two cories back and see if their barbels regrow.

 

[Harlequins]

I would opt for sand over gravel for cories everytime now,i changed my gravel to sand for my cories and they act totally different,its fancinating to watch them has they sift sand through their gills looking for food,which obviously they can't do with gravel.

Also the barbel issue,barbels do grow back but you need good water quality has well has good substrate.

 

[kaivalagi]

I second Harlequins advice, I recently switched from gravel to sand and although my peppered cory were fine with the gravel (no sharp edges) their behaviour with sand is great to watch, it's obvious they prefer it and it's natural for them. They're like little hoovers, they can move quite fast whilst sucking all the sand through. They also even out the sand after from Tapajos have put pits in it all