question regarding gravel/sand

[beaglesaroo]

Hello!

I'm not a total novice - we have a 46 gallon that's been going for two years, but.....

I've just today bought myself a 20 gallon high. I will do the fishless cycling, don't worry.

My question has to do with the base that I'll be using. I would like to get 5-6 corys once the tank is up and running and wonder:

Should I use small, rounded gravel? (pea size)

Small, rounded gravel AND some sand?

I don't much care for the idea of sand only as I'd like to try my hand with live plants - our 46 has plastic:rolleyes: .

Any suggestions/comments?

[pinballqueen]

I don't think sand is absolutely necessary for plants or for cory cats, however, I'm pretty sure that both like it pretty well. I've got a 10 gallon with an all-sand substrate, and my cories love it. Then, I've also had cories and plants in just gravel with success.

I think it's a personal preference thing. Unless you plan on having fish that dig, that is. Diggers like goldfish, cichlids, etc. will make a mess of both your plants and your sand/gravel mix or just sand substrate.

Heck, I had a couple of blood parrots that dug very deep holes in my large-size gravel bed in my big tank. I've considered going to massive river rocks to fix that problem...

I do suggest that you post any questions regarding plants in the plant forum. You'll get better answers regarding lighting and preferred substrates for different plant types there.

Good luck! HTH.

[beaglesaroo]

Thanks for the reply......I kind of like the idea of some areas of sand...I think it would look pretty.

For some reason I wasn't sure if corys would enjoy it more -- I know they're always scooting around on the bottom.

[pinballqueen]

What do you plan to use to separate your gravel and your sand? I personally think a row of big rocks would look nice as a "wall" between the two. I've always wanted to try that sort of system, where it's half-and-half...

Also, just so there's no confusion later on, you do know that if you are planning on using a ugf, that you can't, right?

You'll need to be very sure that your sandy area is on the opposite end of the tank from your filter return/powerhead. I've got a massive bare-glass area in my tank where the filter cascades into the tank. Not exactly the most attractive thing in the world, but nothing other than putting a decoration there would fix it, and my tank is purposefully bare in the deco department.

Just some things to keep in mind...

[beaglesaroo]

I don't much care for the ugf - I plan on buying a biowheel - that's what we have on the big tank.

I've only bought the stand, the gravel, the tank and hood today. I have to wait for payday for the wheel and the heater and some decorations.

Rocks sound like a good idea - Can I get some from the local creek and just boil them? I would imagine boiling them would kill just about anything.....But any reason not to use local rocks?

[pinballqueen]

If you take the time to properly clean them, I see no problem in using river rocks. Just dunk them into some bleachwater for a few minutes, and then boil them to remove any unhealthy bacteria. Before you put them into the tank, rinse them very, very thoroughly in water with a megadose of dechlorinator to get rid of any traces of the bleach.

I've used native materials in many of my tanks, I've even done a 29 gallon with nothing but items found in my local creek before. (In doing that, I didn't even bother with the boiling process because I didn't care if the native algae was in the tank, it just adds to the authenticity...) I used branch mint and other native plants, river rocks for the substrate, and even went so far as to have native critters, such as crayfish and minnows in there. (Biotopes are my favorite type of tank, and what can be more cost-efficient than catching your pets straight out of the wild? All it cost was 30 bucks for a fishing license...)

You do want to make sure that your native rocks that you plan to use aren't calcium based, like limestone. They will alter the ph of your water. If you're unsure if the stuff you choose is good for your tank, a good test is to take some of your water from your tank, plop the questionable item into a bucket with it, and after a few days check to see if any of your water parameters have changed, such as ph or hardness. If it causes a change, don't use it. Otherwise, go right ahead! Who said you had to spend all kinds of money on special "aquaria only" deco?


EDIT: on heaters, if your house stays a pretty constant temperature that is anywhere over 72-75, a heater isn't absolutely necessary if you keep fish that are okay with the cooler temps. My cories have always been in room-temp tanks with no obvious problem...

[OrionGirl]

Something else to consider--there are many kinds of rocks that will alter the pH, GH and KH of your water. Test the rocks before putting them in with the vineger test--if they don't fizzle, they should be okay. Depending on your water type, you may WANT the changes, but check it out first. I have sandstone in my tank, and it keeps my GH from nose diving. Just not something you want to do unknowingly.

As an aside, I know of a guy who decided to put stalactites in his tank--you know, the formations made from minerals precipitating out of water? Huge mistake. Killed all the fish, made the tank a lovely snow white cloud.

[RTR]

Also you should know that most planted tank folks consider biowheels incompatable with live plants due to blowing off the CO2 which plants require.

[beaglesaroo]

Thanks for the advice all......And RTR, that was an item I neglected to mention over on the plant board, thank you.

[Mantis_22]

corys prefer smaller gravel so they can move them to get to food sources on the ground. My old ones hated sand and couldent stand large gravel so I switched the small gravels like pebbles.