It was suggested I post them from "Member Introductions, Social Announcements & Good Wishes" to a different forum. Please feel free to let me know if this isn't the appropriate board, I'm new here.

Hi, I'm new to the hobby. I have a 55-gal tank that I'm in the process of fishless cycling. I don't know if it's best to ask a question here or elsewhere. Anyhow, my better half and I are having a discussion about the type of aquarium to set up. She's talking about the peacefulness of angels and I was thinking more on the line of more active fish like tigers. (Actually the aquarium is in the room that I tend to be in a lot more than she is, but she seems to win a lot of our discussions.

I do know I'd like to get some dwarf neon rainbowfish and probably some corries. My questions are mostly about substrate. I'm thinking about having live plants, so with live plants and corries what would be the best substrate to use? I went with the suggestion of the LFS and have smooth, smaller gravel in it right now. I'd be more than happy to change, particularly as I'm just beginning. I also read an article that was talking about loachs and they suggested using sand in the front and gravel in the back so encourage the loaches to be more visible. Is this possible? Would plants stay anchored better in gravel than in sand?

Sorry about all of the questions, and thanks for having this site and the warm welcome I already got from the email when I registered.

PKSD

You will have to use sand, laterite, florite for plants, I have one tank with that then gravel on top and one that has just the sand, laterite, and florite. It is your choice.

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Gold Coast Aquarium Society South Florida
www.goldcoastaquarium.org

Thanks for the advice. I'm rather torn which I think looks better. So the sand can hold the plants ok? And the gravel doesn't affect corys?

Someone on another forum suggested eco-complete (I just changed my gravel this week in my 55 gallon so I too can have live plants). It works great, looks fantastic, and doesn't cloud up the water when you put it in!

Also, set aside a lot of time to change the gravel. I had two fish in my tank when I changed it, so I drained 75% of the water, scooped out all the gravel, added 65 lbs of new gravel (enough to cover the bottom of my tank 3"), and then put new water in... I started at 10 pm (when I got home from work) thinking it would take me about two hours. I didn't finish until 3 am. So yeah, plan ahead and save yourself from going to bed way too late when you have work in the morning

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~Oddi~

Just remember about eco-complete that after a year or so you will be back to adding ferts and trace elelmnts back to the tank. Thats the thing about planted tanks, they all end up needing weekly ferts no matter what you use. with the layering of different materials it hard to vacume the the tank because then it all just becomes mixed.

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Gold Coast Aquarium Society South Florida
www.goldcoastaquarium.org

The sand will go down in about 3 days then you will need to go through the nitrogen cycle and youre ready to go. Gravel will not affect corys.

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Gold Coast Aquarium Society South Florida
www.goldcoastaquarium.org

Actuall if you get crushed gravel that has sharp edges it can harm the cory and any other barb fish (the litlle feels looking things around their mouths)... so make sure the gravel is round with no sharp edges.

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Gold Coast Aquarium Society South Florida
www.goldcoastaquarium.org

Where would you get crushed gravel? Ive never seen it and why would you possibly put that in your tank?

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Gold Coast Aquarium Society South Florida
www.goldcoastaquarium.org

you never know what people with use to try and save a couple of dollars. You can get crushed gravel at most hardware stores. I seen and have rescused corys that have had there barb worn completely off because the wrong gravel was used.

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Gold Coast Aquarium Society South Florida
www.goldcoastaquarium.org

Ouch thats just cruel. a bag of gravel is normally only like 10 bucks is that really worth ur pets care? Seems kinda ridiculous.

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Gold Coast Aquarium Society South Florida
www.goldcoastaquarium.org

Will 10 bucks for 5lbs of a gravel is expensive when you just spent 600.00 on a large tank,filter airpumps and everything else an unexperiece fish hobbist. I had one friend use chatihoochie gravel in his tank because he could get it for free and then wanted to know why all his fish kept dieing,,,,,,, The fact that all the treatments that that gravel went thur to make it able to bond with the other stuff they use to pour the stuff on, and the fact that it was covered with a plastic coating that would come of in the tank, he didn't know. What he did know was that he paid nothing for it up front, but the cost of replacing fish and eventually having to redo the tank completely cost him more. So I never assume what some might put in there tanks....as safe

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Gold Coast Aquarium Society South Florida
www.goldcoastaquarium.org

I have cory fish and switched from gravel to sand and my cory fish seem to be more active and they don't have to push the gravel to get bits of food. I also love the look of sand... just my .02cent

rinishing the sand before putting it in the tank.... was not so fun

IMO 3mm gravel is what you want to use, it's small, easy to vacume. and plants will root nicely in it. I perfer black or browns, just becuase the dasrk color brings the fish color out more.....

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Gold Coast Aquarium Society South Florida
www.goldcoastaquarium.org