substrate for cory cats?

[Rosso1011]

Originally Posted by djembekah

i think i'll do sand or fine gravel then. probably sand, but i have a question about sand- i read somewhere that it can store toxins that can release and kill everything in their path. do i need to stir sand on a regular basis? or would my corys take care of that?


i am thinking panda or pepper or the albino corys. i think steurbai are gorgeous but they get big, and i'd worry they'd get cramped up in my 18x12x30 tank

I'm not sure about storing toxins, but most sands, you'll want to rinse it first to get rid of the toxins. I have heard of someone (can't remember who) using sandbox sand and saying it didn't need rinsing? You probably won't want to stir sand as it will cloud up your water really badly. Most sands, you have to wait about 48hrs for it to settle.

As for the ammonia problem, I have not heard of that before. I would research that first.

[djembekah]

i will definitely be doing more research on the corys then. i dont want any problems.

[jeaninel]

Cories emit too much ammonia for bettas to handle??? LOL...No, that's not true. If it was a tank that was still cycling then adding more fish (of any kind) will cause an ammonia spike. That may have been what happened.

I have play sand in 4 of my tanks. Make sure you rinse it very well. Don't make it too deep and you won't have any problem with anerobic pockets. About 1-2" is fine unless you have rooted live plants, then you may need it a little deeper so the plants can take hold. At water change time turn your filter off and run your fingers through it if you want to stir it. It will settle quickly.

[djembekah]

awesome, thank you!!!

[Bombalurina]

Originally Posted by dmuddle

I kept a cory with two bettas and both bettas died. the corys omit too much ammonia for fighters to handle. If this is incorrect and anyone has any ideas why they died let me know but when i took one away from the cory it got better.

That is false. I suspect your tank was simply too small to cope with the bioload of two fish.

Originally Posted by djembekah

i think i'll do sand or fine gravel then. probably sand, but i have a question about sand- i read somewhere that it can store toxins that can release and kill everything in their path. do i need to stir sand on a regular basis? or would my corys take care of that?

i am thinking panda or pepper or the albino corys. i think steurbai are gorgeous but they get big, and i'd worry they'd get cramped up in my 18x12x30 tank

I loved peppered! So pretty. :) My albino is super cute, too. :) You do indeed need to stir the sand - the cories will disturb the surface but will not get deep enough. It's not really difficult, though. Just rifle your fingers through it once a week with your water change and you won't have any problems.

[djembekah]

awesome :) i'm more and more excited for this tank everyday. and sand is pretty! even play sand will be neat.

what is the best way to rinse sand? i feel like i'd end up losing a lot of sand xD should i buy cheesecloth or something? or could i swish it around a bowl of water?

[Bombalurina]

I just swished mine in a big bowl. Most of the crud just floats to the top and you can gently tip the water away without losing much sand.

[djembekah]

good deal. ahhhh im so excited i want to start cycling noooow. but i dont have anything to cycle with.

[kfryman]

Cories like sand MUCH better, that is what they have in the wild. Sand also looks good. If you get play sand from like Home Depot, it is a 50 lb bag for like $5. Sand is much cheaper if you do decide with the play sand.

[djembekah]

i'm thinking i'll do play sand :3