Keeping corys with no substrate?
- Thread starter RanchuRick
- Start date
Yeah. Generally there are only 4 reasons to have a substrate. 1. It makes the tank look finished. 2. It prevents light/reflections from the glass scaring/stressing the fish. 3. It gives you something to put your fake plants in. 4. It gives you something to plant your real plants in and feed them.
Plenty of people chose not to have a substrate. Especially with bottom dwellers, since gravel and sometimes even sand can damage sensitive barbels or bellies. Plus, it makes it easier to vacuum up fishy poo.
It's more of a personal choice really. If you want to minimize the reflection/glare of the glass but don't want a real substrate, you could either paint the bottom outside of the glass a darker color. Or you could have just a small layer of sand or gravel.
Plenty of people chose not to have a substrate. Especially with bottom dwellers, since gravel and sometimes even sand can damage sensitive barbels or bellies. Plus, it makes it easier to vacuum up fishy poo.
It's more of a personal choice really. If you want to minimize the reflection/glare of the glass but don't want a real substrate, you could either paint the bottom outside of the glass a darker color. Or you could have just a small layer of sand or gravel.
Someone on this forum made a mosaic on the bottom and back of his tank and it looks gorgeous! His name is euglossa if you want to search for his thread.
Last edited:
I suppose. They like to snuffle around in sand, though, and I'm sure they'd be happier with some there. It'd also prevent you from using most live plants, and you wouldn't be able to hold as many nitrifying bacteria, at least I wouldn't think so.
I vote at least a thin (1/4"-1/2") layer of sand on the bottom.
I vote at least a thin (1/4"-1/2") layer of sand on the bottom.
that is true, having a substrate gives you more surface area and therefore gives you more beneficial bacteria.
I've got a 40 gal breeder tank with a bare bottom. It's bare because I have zebra plecos in it that I hope to one day breed. There are also 8 sterbai cories in the tank as well as some pygmy cories. i have quite a bit of current and aeration, and the cories seem to love it! They are constantly swimming from one end of the tank to the other, thru the stream of bubbles. They are the most active cories I've ever seen. I also have them in my 10 and my 46BF, but they are no where near as active as in the 40. I say whatever you like better, go for it. Here is my 40 bare bottom breeder, and except for the plant in the middle, rear, the plants are all live:
bacteria will grow all throughout the tank even if there is no substrate. every solid surface is eligible for bacteria growth as long as it receives a steady supply of water.
corydoras will be fine without a substrate on the bottom of the tank. having a barebottom tank just makes cleaning the tank easier though.
corydoras will be fine without a substrate on the bottom of the tank. having a barebottom tank just makes cleaning the tank easier though.
Ditto what jm1212 said. Especially if you have a good filter with plenty of biomedia, such as what you get with canister filters. Substrates are really more of an aesthetic choice, unless you're planning on plants. And even then you can just pot them or have plants like anubias that you just tie to driftwood or whatever. Yeah, they might like to sift sand, but they can look for food just as easily with a bare bottom, perhaps even easier.
Btw, vanillarum that's a lovely tank! I didn't even notice that there wasn't a substrate until I actually read your post and looked at it again. Great setup.
Btw, vanillarum that's a lovely tank! I didn't even notice that there wasn't a substrate until I actually read your post and looked at it again. Great setup.