Substrate for Pleco and Cory

[salexjared]

I am a bit confused after talking to some of the LFS people.

What is the substrate that i should use ?

Some say bare tank would do fine
Some say put fine sand is good for cory but not good for pleco
Some say pleco need big grains sand and pebbles to be fine
Some say using normal planted ADA/GeX is ok
- But pleco should need more netural water ?

Some advise is appreciated.

Also for food variety...

Would blood worms, BS and frozen shrimps (for marine) be ok for them as well ?

Trying to setup a new tank in China and would want to do a catfish tank.

[Quixotic]

It's a matter of preferance really, as long as the substrate does not injure the barbels of Corydoras.

Some say bare tank would do fine
Bare tank is fine, as long as there is nothing that can injure the barbels of Corydoras. Cleaning is easier. However, some Corydoras often dig the substrate looking for food. So you will miss seeing some of these interesting behaviours.

Some say put fine sand is good for cory but not good for pleco
Plecos, generally the larger ones, will kick up a storm as fine sand is too light. The sand may in turn get sucked up into your filter. Mileage will vary with smaller plecos.

Some say pleco need big grains sand and pebbles to be fine
Larger grain sand is heavier and plecos will have a more difficult time stirring them up. Again, as long as they aren't sharp, it will be okay for Corydoras.

Some say using normal planted ADA/GeX is ok
They can stir the substrate and make the water cloudy. But the cloudiness would come and go, so if you aren't too particular, there shouldn't be any problems.

But pleco should need more netural water ?
All of them will do okay in water close to neutral. In fact, many fishes do. Some plecos can be housed in alkaline water, but mostly, acidic water is closer to their requirements.

Would blood worms, BS and frozen shrimps (for marine) be ok for them as well?
Not all plecos are carnivorous. You will need to identify the pleco species and their specific requirements. Corydoras would probably eat just about anything.

[Freshman]

Hi,

I believe this article from Scotcat written by Ian Fuller will help with your catfish tank setup.

Here's an extract

All of my breeding and rearing tanks have a ten to fifteen millimetre layer of either river sand or fine smooth gravel in them. I have in the past and do still occasionally use tanks without any substrate at all in, these are mainly for quarantining or raising delicate fry in where uneaten food and waste matter can be seen and removed easily with the minimum of disturbance to fish or fry concerned.

[salexjared]

Thanks for the advise.

Interesting read.

Hmmmm...

So fine or big grain is ok for Pleco. I assume then Gex or ADA is ok as well.
Need to make sure that it is not too acidic. Need to be close to neutral around 6.5 and up ?

For ease of maintenance, bigger grain (no sharp edges) will be ok for cory and pleco.

hmmmm...

Maybe I will try a mix.
Some areas with GeX for some planting. Some I would put fine sand (far away from the inlet (I intend to setup a 3ft tank)....some pebbles for asthestic purposes and then some lapis type (or volcanic maybe) together.

Let see how it works out. Oh... still need to buy some homes for the pleco.

[aquanatix]

On a sidenote, my 10 pgmy corys do pretty well with the Gex brand of soil.
As quoted by quixotic,you might miss the interesting foraging behaviour should you go bare tank. For me driftwood is the main concern when it comes to plecos as i find most of them are pretty nocturnal preferring to stay either hidden in driftwood crevices or attaching themselves somewhere dark? The only exception for me being feeding time when they do stay visible when i do feedings in the night?
Not sure if it helps but good luck for your setup!

[salexjared]

Ah... that is a good input.

I intend to keep with Cory as well and as you say, if the substrate is too heavy they may not be able to dig their food out.

I think I have a better idea now. Since fine substrate is not a big issue with them, I would give it a mix and see how it goes.

Already started one as a planted tank (with Gex) and then trying to convert it to a pleco and cory tank by adding some finer grain substrate on top.

But my cory and pleco is flipping the Gex up to the top... well, as long as they are happy and feeding.... I am ok.

[barmby]

Substrate requires more maintenance as you need to make sure the dirts are siphoned during water change. Hence, bare tank is easier to keep pleco. Make sure you have enough caves. And have good sight with all the plecos, in case they died and you can scoop the dead up before it decays and pollute the water.

Dead pleco decays fast

[salexjared]

Yeap, I would like the tank to look more natural.

Do like to still have some plants in the tank, though the theme would be catfish (cory and pleco).

I guess, I would have some ADA/GeX in the tank for some plants (not fully covering the tank.

Was thinking of putting it at the back of the tank and covering maybe the left half.

Than, will have fine sand for the front part of the tank for the pleco and cory.

Would add some volcanic, pebbles and some coral bits to bring PH up a bit at the 2 corners of the tank.

Still setting up. I guess Pleco likes some wood, so still sourcing. Got only 1 piece so far for the 3 feet tank (about 30cm long and 10 cm high one with grooves for the plecos)

Still working on it. Guess it would take me a month to scape it base on my current schedule. Any suggestions would be welcome as I have time to consider and upgrade my plans.