Tropical Fish Forums

[monstrosity]

I'm just curious. Wouldn't pea gravel be better than sand for cories? It's definitley smoother.
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Breckenridge, CO- Dec 18-20
Ogden, UT- Jan 15-17
West Dover, VT- Feb 5-7

[Maestro]

Sand is definitely the better option compare to gravel. Although smooth gravel such as Pea Gravel is acceptable, it is not ideal. Keep in mind that not ALL sand is sharp. There are several different sands that are Cory friendly (smooth), one from personal experience is Play Sand from Home Depot.
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2500 gallon (9,450 L) Koi Pond
6 gallon (23 L) low light planted with RCS

[monstrosity]

Yeah, my grandmother's tank has play sand with cories in it. K thanks I was just curious. Lol it bothered me.
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Breckenridge, CO- Dec 18-20
Ogden, UT- Jan 15-17
West Dover, VT- Feb 5-7

[nikelodeon79]

You must first understand the corydoras' natural behavior to understand why sand is a better option.

When searching for microscopic food, corydoras actually pick up the sand with their mouths and sift it through their gills. They simply cannot do this with gravel.

Additionally, gravel may seem small to us, but to a corydora moving it around with sensitive barbels, it is large and heavy. Food particles also tend to get trapped between the cracks in gravel, and the corydora may have difficulty getting to it. It can rot and the cory may get hit with a face full of poisonous gas (from the rotting food) when they do finally reach it.
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Cory Tank
Sorority Tank
Mbuna Tanks

[monstrosity]

interesting...
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Breckenridge, CO- Dec 18-20
Ogden, UT- Jan 15-17
West Dover, VT- Feb 5-7