# cory catfish friendly substrate



## gr8nguyen1 (May 18, 2009)

hi all, i'm in the process of changing the top layer of my substrate bc my cories just had a bunch of fry. i need to know whats a safe substrate that wont harm their bellies or barbels. i would like something preferably black, i was going to buy Carib Sea Black Tahitian moon sand. but their websites says its now good for cories...so any suggestions?


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi gr8nguyen1,

I'm raising my cory babies in a 10 gallon with Turface Pro League Grey with no whisker or belly problems.


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## Veloth (Jun 25, 2008)

How are your eggs coming along? I use Eco Complete and flourite and I haven't had any problems with the Corys.


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## gr8nguyen1 (May 18, 2009)

hi seattle aquarist and veloth, its good to hear from you guys. i've never heard of that pro turf stuff you're talking about. where do you get it. and as far as eco-complete i've used it in the past and the stuff is good. but there tends to be some big rough pieces and i think i one of my big peppered cories died bc it lost its barbels. the lfs guy told me that sometimes i will be unlucky and get a bag thats like that bc not all bags have the same grain size. so now i'm switching to organic soil with a soft top layer. veloth, as for the panda cories 3 hatched and i lost 3 due to fungus even with mythelene blue. but 3 is better than nothing. i just love cories after a long hard day i work i will just go home sit in front of the tank and watch them for a while. just looking at them playing and chasing each other like little kids reminds me of childhood. when life was simple when all we had to do was eat, sleep, and play...before all the responsibilties of adulthood tied us down


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi gr8nguyen1,

Turface Pro League Grey is made by Profile Products, here is a link: http://www.profileproducts.com/en/sports_fields/category/item/38 It is available through John Deere Landscaping Dealers and some landscaping supply companies.


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## Veloth (Jun 25, 2008)

gr8nguyen1 that is a great definition of what a Cory acts like.


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## nokturnalkid (Feb 27, 2007)

I've used 3m colorquartz, I believe it was T grade, for a few years now with no cory losses so far. I've had them lay eggs a few times but have never had them last more than a day before being eaten.


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## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

Keep the nitrates low, too. The only time I have seen barbel erosion on my Cories was when the nitrates crept up over 20 ppm. 
I have Cories with
Pool Filter Sand (_C. paleatus_)
Soil Master Select (about the same as Turface) several tanks, several species. 
Turface (_Brochis splendens_)
SMS + Eco Complete (and yes, one batch had quite some lumps in it!) (one of the spotted species)
I have Tahitian Moon Sand, but do not remember if I had Cories in there. Probably not; small tank.
I have 3M Colorquartz (sorry, do not remember which grade) (_C. trilineatus_). 
Coral sand (_C. aeneus_)
Fine gravel (1/8-3/16" dia) One of the dwarf species. 
Medium gravel (1/4" -3/8" dia) (_C. panda_)


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## gr8nguyen1 (May 18, 2009)

thanks everybody, all this info is very useful for a rookie like me. i'm just trying to soak up as much knowledge as possible.


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