rebuilding tank, mostly cories

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yodafett

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Oct 15, 2005
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Ryan
Hi all. I've only posted here a few times, and once again, I'm needing a bit of advice. My wife and I are purchasing a home, and we've decided that once we've settled, we're upsizing out 20 gallon to a 55 gallon tank. She like the idea of having mostly neon and glo-lite tetras and cories. With a 55 gallon, i know we could have a decent school of each. Now, onto the questions, which I don't think should be too difficult. :)

I know that cories are happier in groups of 3 or more. Is that species specific, or would they be happy if we got 1-2 each of 4 different kinds? Or is that an individual personality thing?

I've often thought that sand bottom tanks are much more attractive than gravel, but how are they for cleaning? I'll have a canister filter on the tank, probably not a underground filter.

Are cories and tetras both ok with a sand bottom?

We currently have some spotted cories in our 20 that will be moving with us, and they're bred twice, (which I hear isn't common in captivity?), so we're pretty happy with them, and they seem happy with us.
 
yodafett said:
I know that cories are happier in groups of 3 or more. Is that species specific, or would they be happy if we got 1-2 each of 4 different kinds? Or is that an individual personality thing?
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Its species specific. I wouldn't have less than 4 of a species IMO. Large groups of the same cory species are really fun to watch. Alot of times (not always though), if you only have 3 or so of one cory species, they tend to hide and aren't as active. In a 55g, it would be really nice to have 2 or 3 species in large groups. You could have 2 groups of 8-10 or 3 groups of 6.

yodafett said:
I've often thought that sand bottom tanks are much more attractive than gravel, but how are they for cleaning? I'll have a canister filter on the tank, probably not a underground filter.

Are cories and tetras both ok with a sand bottom?

We currently have some spotted cories in our 20 that will be moving with us, and they're bred twice, (which I hear isn't common in captivity?), so we're pretty happy with them, and they seem happy with us.
Click to expand...
The only thing with sand is if you get a light color, you can see the nasties on it. That can be a good thing when it comes to cleaning though. To clean the sand with a siphon, you want to hover above it to pick up the poop and old food and such. If you can find black sand, you won't be able to see the nasties as much. ;) (But depending on which cories you choose, you may not be able to see them as well)
You'll only want about an inch to an inch and a half of sand, because it can compact and cause anaerobic pockets....but you'll have the cories rooting around in the sand, so you really don't have to worry about it. I'd go with around an inch and a half layer.
Cories love sand...and the tetras could care less what substrate they have. :rolleyes:

If you know what species your spotted cories are, by all means add to the group when you upgrade. :) They'll be even happier.
 
Thanks for the quick reply! :) I'll make sure to post pics when we get it done.
 
Awesome! I love pictures....especially of cories. ;)
 
Any advice on brand or types of sand? Most I've seen are for Saltwater tanks. Does that really make a difference, or will the sand react differently? I know some substrates talke about managing the pH and whatnot, based on the type of material it's made of, so I don't want to get the wrong kind of sand and kill my wife's favorite fish, lol.
 
You don't want to have sand with lots of calcium carbonate in it (from shells, corals, etc.), because this might dissolve and increase the pH of your water if you have a pH of 7.8 or below. You might try pool filter sand, which is usually inert and doesn't have to be washed extensively. The sand should not be too abrasive, because this might damage the barbels of your cories. The particle size should not be too small in order to prevent gas pockets from building up below the surface. So try to get some coarse sand.

Some specialized aquarium sands come with statements about the suitability of the sand for freshwater tanks, like these CaribSea products.
 
You could use Pool Filter Sand....but I have heard it gets nasty pretty quick, though I've never used it myself. I think algae and such can change the color of it. You may want some feedback from someone who's used it personally though.

Fish/Pet stores should sell Tahitian Moon Sand which is black in color.
 
I love 'Black Onyx Sand' by SeaChem -- got mine at PetSmart -- and I have bronze corys in one tank -- spotted in another -- and pandas and albinos in a third -- all with the black onyx sand -- they love digging through it -- and the bronze ones have produced two babies.
 
How much does the Tahitian Moon Sand or the Black Onyx Sand run? I can't find either through their website... The move fell through, but I'm thinking of converting the 20 gallon we currently have to a cory predominant tank... Unless i can talk my wife into getting a 55 anyways. ;)


Thank you all SO MUCH for your help and advice!
 
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