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I've searched for some threads on changing substrates, but I only found one or two.

I've had my 38g up and running for about two weeks, so it hasn't cycled yet. Without really thinking about it, I bought black gravel, cleaned it, and put it in. Two weeks in, I'm tired of the gravel. I'm thinking about going to Home Depot today and buying play sand. I've also heard that pool filter sand is all right for aquariums, too. I know that if I get sand, I need to get quartz or silica.

In my 38g, I have nine mollies and four platies. After it cycles, I'd like to add a few cories (probably a school of c. aeneus). I've read some conflicting opinions on whether or not cories prefer sand or pebbles. I'm hoping that they'll be content with sand, because the gravel in my 38g doesn't bring out the colors of its inhabitants. I have plastic plants, so I'm not worried about plants. Will cories be happy with a sand substrate? I figured I should change it now, so I don't have to recycle my tank once I change the substrate.

So, questions: Does anyone have any experience with changing the substrate from gravel to sand? Are there any specific types or brands of sand that I should get? Anything I need to worry about?

Last edited by Koi Keeper at 03-Jun-2005 18:17

corys like gravel better than sand (I remember reading something about it)

Not necessarily true. In the wild, many Corydoras live with a sand bottom (or a sand/mud mix), and obviously don't have problems with it. If they did, they'd either pack up and move or die. In aquaria, cories for the most part will live happily with either substrate, so long as it is vacuumed up regularly, and as long as hydrogen sulfide isn't allowed to build up in the sand. I know that aeneus cories are fine with sand.

I've never actually changed out substrate before, so I can't really help you there. I do know that you're definitely going to want to turn off your filter when you do it! Otherwise, sand will go into your intake and mess up your impeller.

If you do get the silica-based play sand, you do need to do some intense cleaning before you add it to the tank. That stuff comes with sticks, dust, small pebbles, etc. You may need to strain it first, and then rinse it intensely. You'll have to rinse it many times to get most of the debris out, and even then you might not get all of it. That's about all I know about the stuff, I try to avoid it. Hope that helps you a little bit, though.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Remember to rinse the the sand as much as you can. The more you rinse it, the better.
IMO, Corydoras like sand better then gravel & they just love to swallow sand & spit it out from their gills.



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I have to step in with a warning here.

While quite a few Corydoras species will be happy with sand, not all of them will.

Cory_Di had big issues with Corydoras habrosus and flourite, and sand substrates have been documented in the Lambourne book as being incompatible with habrosus, epsecially with the fry. Some other Corydoras species, in the light of this, could also manifest a substrate sensitivity.

If you're thinking of keeping Bronze Corys, this should not matter, as Bronze Corys are nice and adaptable, but it is worth bearing in mind the above caveat should you branch out and start becoming one of the "Corydoras MTS Brigade". I would not recommend a sand substrate for habrosus, and would think twice before experimenting with Pandas and a sand substrate unless you have a second aquarium containing a rounded natural gravel substrate to rehouse them in if the sand experiment doesn't work. Likewise, I would exercise caution with any Corydoras exotica unless you acquire the facilities to rectify any mistakes.

As for 'mainstream' species, particularly the larger ones such as Bronze and Peppered Corys, sand should pose no problems with them. However, a sand substrate will make it difficult, if not impossible, to use an undergravel filter, and controlling nitrates in such an environment will prove an interesting technical exercise if the substrate is too deep. Keeping the substrate free of anaerobic 'dead spots' will also be more difficult than in the case of a gravel substrate and a UGF.


Last edited by Calilasseia at 04-Jun-2005 12:40

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

I use sand in my cory tank, and they love it. They're always schnuffling () around in it. I'd feel bad moving them to a gravel substrate, since they obviously enjoy sand more.

If you maintain it properly, I think that the cories would like sand much more.

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They shade the glow of it with their mossy-misty costumes,
They wear masks of silk, porcelain, brass, and silver,
So as not to mislead with their own, ordinary faces.

Why dnt u have a mix, gravel and sand with random rocks around, so it will be more like the wild. Where they come from, it will be cool !!

The problem with those mixes is that they don't stay mixed. The sand will fall through to the bottom, so you'll just have a layer of gravel on top. It also presents a problem with cleaning. You can't really just hover like with sand, but you can't stick it in there like with gravel.

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They shade the glow of it with their mossy-misty costumes,
They wear masks of silk, porcelain, brass, and silver,
So as not to mislead with their own, ordinary faces.

At work we have cory tanks that are a mix of sand and gravel. The trick is to keep it mostly sand, because the gravel "overpowers" the sand if you have too much. It also helps if you get sand that is just course enough to be gravel-vac'd, because then (since it falls out of the vacuum slower than the gravel) you can move it where it is needed. It is also best if the gravel is large, about 1cm in diameter.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

I have a community tank with gravel and some cories and a species only tank (sterbais) with sand. It seems that cories prefer the sand substrate over the gravel.

But, I would be hesitant changing over a tank to sand with fish in it already. The tanks I set up with sand were empty and I even gave it about 2 weeks before I added fish to let the sand settle.

Thanks for all of the advice. Over the weekend, I switched from gravel to sandblasting sand (quartz!) and everything looks great. I couldn't find play sand anywhere, so I went to Aquariums Live and bought 50lbs of sandblasting sand for $25. After spending the entire weekend searching for play sand, I was happy to settle for this. Anyway, thanks again.

Isn't sandblasting sand sharp edged to serve its original purpose? If so, your cories may suffer, as this will promote barbell wear. Many people are proponents of pool filter sand for its smooth edges and low price.

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http://justanothertank.com

I talked to the pet shop owner, as well as examined the sand uner the magnifying glass, and the sand is really smooth. I told him that my main concern was that cories would be all right with whichever substrate I chose, and he showed me the tanks that he had using the same type of sand that I bought.