Hey everybody!

Sounds like I might get a trip uptown again finally next week sometime. For my new 20 gallon, I thought I would get the trio of cories and I'm still not sure on the schooling fish...

Anyways, I need to slowly buy stuff for the tank still, and I wanted to figure out what kind of gravel would be best, if I can find it around here -_-, for Cories. I prefer to use smaller gravel or I cannot use a gravel vac very well. If anybody can give me a name(s) of products to look for, or even a closeup picture of something good, that would greatly help!! I don't want the poor cories getting their little bodies all scratched up on the gravel and such -_-

- Jen

Hey Jen

You are in luck because cories like small, lightweight, smooth gravel Make sure you get the smooth round pebbles so they don't hurt their little whiskers.

Hmm, I don't know if they have any smooth round ones around here -_- I might have skipped over them while I was looking for some for my froggies over the summer, but I don't remember. I'll have to check. I don't think I'll buy next week, just want to get an idea of things

Grr, I better be able to go up next week -_- My mom is complaining now about how she's tired of going uptown to work all the time. *sniff* I want to go uptown Last time I got to go was before xmas and that was just one store for xmas shopping

This is the best I could find online, and I'm pretty sure it's basicly the same thing I have in my other tank. It's smooth for the most part, but most pebbles are not rounded and have little edges to them.... Heh, I wouldn't choose that color though. I just thought that color showed how they look a tad better since they are brighter

i have gravel like those, but the natural unpainted ones. and my cories are fine so far. my three that are in the 29 gal like to sim alot too. so they are not always on the gravel. i also have river rocks in their too and they seem to like to rest on them.

Thanks I will probably go with the small gravel like always... I'll open my other back of "river rocks" up and add some in to lay around on the rest of the gravel too then.

I'm leaning towards black gravel and a dark background so the fish colors look better. I can't decide between harlequin rasbora, glowlight tetras or something different for a schooling fish.

Kristy: Aww, cute guppy names! Hehe, I got the 6th book finally for christmas and read it last weekend *sniff* Such a sad book...

thanks, yea the last book was sad. now i wish book seven would hurry up and come out

i never would have thought of putting black gravel in my tanks before, but after seeing pics of others with it. i really like the look of it. i think it looks nice. i almost got some black ones for my new tank but i don't think it would have matched my ornaments so i went for the natural look. whatever you pick i'm sure will look beautiful

Yeah, bummer she's just starting the 7th book, so it'll be a bit of a wait -_-

Thanks LoL I'm not sure about ornaments just yet. I figured I would go with a few fake plants and a few live ones for sure. I should see if I can find another similar ornament like one I have in my frog tank. It's a log that has 2 ugly fake plants on it (lol) but the inside is hallow so critters and fish can hide under it

I may not go with actual black, but I'm looking for something dark to bring out the fish colors a bit better. I'll have to just wait and see what Petco has. I'd like to try my other lfs too but I don't know if I can talk my mom into driving me that far into town LoL.

I have the small gravel that you showed a pic of atreyu. My cory likes to dig around in it because its very light and he can find goodies underneath!

Hmm, thanks! I'll see if I can find some that looks somewhat smooth....

*wonders* I wonder how much I should get for the tank... It's 20 gallons LoL. I forget what I used for my 10 gallon. -_-

We used two standard sized bags in our ten so Id say 4!

Cories are very sensitive to any little nasties that may hide out in your gravel.They'll show you that by slowly losing their barbels(whiskers), so it's very important to a) Use the minimum amount,and b) do frequent gravel vacs weekly when performing water changes. Are you planning on doing a fishless cycle to get this tank up and running? Cories can be super sensitive to water params-depending on what Cory species you plan on getting.They'll do much better in an allready cycled tank.

I must be doing something right, mine still has a lot of whiskerness!

That's a good thing.Alot of people don't realize the effects on a heavy gravel load,and how it gives you alot of problems down the road with hidden waste/higher Nitrates/and sometimes illness. When I first started out(a long time ago) ,I used alot of gravel in my tanks. Now my tanks have the least possible in them as I can get away with. My main Cory tank right now has sand substrate in it,and they love that,but sand can be a real pain for cleaning until it settles.

Wow, yeah, the tropical tank is the only one I have with the very small gravel and its also my tank with the least problems. I have a pleco in there and he and the cory keep things cleaned up nicely.

Yeah, I know about the problems with their whiskers I do a good job keeping up on maintenence though so the gravel will remain clean. What's the average amount for a tank? 1 or 2 lbs per gallon? I need enough to keep my fake plants down, but I don't like having to much or it gets hard to keep clean.

I'm not getting the cories anytime soon. I need to get the rest of the stuff for the tank still which will be awhile since it's not my money going to be used (heh, I don't have any -_-). I just want to get everything I need for the tank first before I set it up.

I have had no luck with a fishless cycle. I have tried a few times before with my 2nd 10 gallon tank but it just wouldn't even start cycling -_- I wouldn't use the cories though When I do get them, they will be going to my 2nd 10 gallon for QT. My poor betta is going to be mad about being moved elsewhere though. He really likes that larger tank To cycle the 20 gallon, I was going to seperate a few of my guppies so they give each other a break LoL. Three of my older ones actually helped me cycle my 2nd 10 gallon tank before moving in to be with the other guppies

A little off topic, but eventually I want to also stock up on a few meds... I plan to get Bettafix if I can find some (unless there's something better?), something new for Ich (my med is very old and only has half the instructions so I would only risk one dose if it had to be used), and I heard PrimaFix was really good.. Any other recommendations or changes to that?

[edit: I have to go with Albino Cories, because Petco and the lfs don't carry any other type of cory around here.. I've they are a very hardy type.... I wanted to go with sand.. I've read into it, but of course nobody sells aquarium sand around here -_-]

Id at least go with 3 small bags or 1-2 medium size bags for the tank. The small 2 in my 10 isnt even very much.
Also for Ich, Id just keep aquarium salt on hand. In my opinion, thats the very best treatment you can have for that.

for my 29 gal, i had bought a 25 pound bag. i used i guess 3/4 of the bag, but a little bit of that went in my 10 gal and to fill up a hollow ornament.

just to give you an idea, if it goes with your theme anyway. i made a little pond in my tank. its just a circle that is bare bottom with river rocks all the way around to keep the other gravel from filling it in and when i feed my fish i make the food fall in that barebottom part so my cories now go to their little "pond" for food so they don't seem to dig as much in the gravel.

as for the meds just remember you can't use salt or anything with malachite green in it for cories cause it can kill them.

is salt not a good treatment for tropicals?

i think it's ok for most other fish, but not cories

Yes, tetras, amphibians, snails, shrimp, and scaless fish (like cories) don't tolerate many medications. Most of those don't tolerate salt either, except the shrimp and sensitive tetras. I don't know about amphibians..I'd guess no? Some bettas can be sensitive to meds and salt as well.

For a 20 gallon, go for 20 lbs of gravel

In my own experiences,My frogs didn't deal well with salt,although as mentioned,they don't deal well with alot of Meds because they absorb them into their skin. I was just thinking that too bad you're not closer,I realized today that I probably have at least 50 + Cories! That's just a guess-could actually be more

Hmm, about 20lbs of gravel? Okay *writes that down* I'll have to see what the store has

Heh, yeah, I know cories can't have any salt... I have salt around for my guppies though

I was told that doing 1/3 or a half dose if you have cories or tetras, for certain meds, are okay sometimes but any more could cause problems. Is that true? I never had to medicate my old neons I used to take care of for a friend years ago o.0 I actually hadn't had to medicate much at all, but I want to be on the safe side if I'm going to be spending more on fish than usual when things are ready. For a trio of cories, it adds up to about $10, and for 6 or 7 of whichever fishy I decide (they average almost $2/fish), that'll be near $15.. That's a lot for fish and I'd hate to lose them right off before they leave QT because of illnesses in the pet stores or something

Devs: LoL Yeah, bummer! I've looked into shipping a few times (I wanted a crowntail betta but nobody sells them here)... To ship from the east side to the west, their so called "overnight shipping" actually takes 2 or 3 days for me I don't want to risk that for a poor fish *sniff*

Lol Devs you and your cory babies...and bristle babies!

This seems to be the "House of Fertility",that's for sure!

Good to know about the salt thing. What do you use on tropicals for ick then?

I have something called SuperIch Plus right now. A friend gave it to me a few years ago, but it was just the bottle and the only directions are "add 2 drops per gallon of water" -_- LoL I've seen those "tank buddy" things for Ich.. Ya know the little tablets? I forget the name though

I don't know if any work well. The only fish I had that had ich was my old goldfish a few years back and it came from my friend's tank after she gave me the fish *sigh* -_- That SuperIch got rid of it okay though

Ahhh, something by Jungle Labs I think... I cant remember the name now either! Parasite Clear maybe??

The name of it actually is Super Ich Plus — When antibiotics are not yet indicated, this is the treatment of choice for Ich infections. Actually, in many cases, the action of the super concentrated ingredients in this formula are equally effective as antibiotics. The combined effort of Malachite and Quinine is a double punch against Ich. NOT for use on scaleless or Malachite sensitive species; use CLEAR ICH instead. Use 1 drop per 2 NET gallon of concentrated formula...Super Ich Plus® by Aquatronics,

LoL Oh yeah, 1 drop per 2 gallons, that was it I have it stashed with some of my other fish stuff and haven't looked at it forever LoL. I was close though! Just had it mixed up Anyways, I don't have full instructions for it -_- Doesn't say how often to treat, just says how much.

I have the Parasite Clear tabs... There's one for Ich too.. It's probably just called "Ich" though LoL.

Well, *sigh* I didn't get to go uptown after all My mom blew me off today to take my sister uptown instead, who has her own car, job and money and can go uptown whenever she likes *cries* I haven't been up shopping for my fishies for almost 2 or 3 months now! *sniff*

I have the gravel info all written down so if I ever do get to go uptown again, I'll remember what kind and how much

Aww I'm sorry Jen, its not fair! Could you possibly go to work with her one day and make a stop on the way home to the fish store?

*sniff* Nope Mom works graveyard shifts and gets off early in the morning.. My sis works really late shifts and works at the same store mom does (Fred Meyer).. It's to long of a walk to get to the pet stores and such for me... My asthma wouldn't be able to take it *sigh* My dad is working terrible shifts until June and my brother doesn't always get the car for school so he has to carpool with a friend half the time.

*sniff* This day is even worse too! My old female guppy that has been breathing rapidly isn't going to make it through the night I don't think There has been somethign wrong with her but nobody seemed to be able to help me figure out what so I couldn't try and help her... She was partially on her side earlier today and I have her seperated in a breeding trap with the breeding grass in there for cover. *sniff* She's my favorite guppy too! She always comes up to me and follows me around the tank Such a terrible day!! -_-

I got to go uptown today, yay!!!

I priced a couple things but couldn't find many since I only got to go to 'wallyworld' and Petco. Found a glass tank cover that is similar to what I need for $20... Also seen a 105gph Tetra Whisper power filter (with adjustable flow, hehe) that will work that was $25... I couldn't buy them today though.. just pricing. Also spotted the gravel I will be getting but Petco didn't have a good selection. It was either an overpriced 25lb bag or a bunch of $4 5lb bags -_- Going to wait and check the other lfs whenever I can go up again.

*cries* Petco finally got Crowntail Bettas in!!!! *sniff* I seen the most beautiful copper colored male that appeared in perfect health, was very active and sooo pretty, but they watn $15 each for them!!!!! Grr -_- I couldn't get it *sniff* I also seen a beautiful double-swordtail guppy (not sure of the type.. looked almost like my wild guppies, but was more pastel in color). *sigh* So pretty, and they never have swordtail guppies around here, but they had a huge clump of dead fish on the filter and I didn't want to risk it (I don't need another male anyways *sigh*).

I also spotted the Bronze Cories at Petco! So hmm, when I get the fishies, if they are still stocked, I have either Albino or Bronze to choose from. There was another breed, Julii I think it was, but there was nothing in the tank. They don't stock the tanks until tomorrow -_-

They had a Wolf Eel too o.0 I read about them online at one time and that was neat! I heard they are in there with tetras somehow. Seems odd, but maybe the website lied LoL They had a beautiful batch of Harlequins and Glolights and had some new tetra breeds they don't normally have. To bad their live plants section is terrible still! Nothing is has a label -_-

Anyways, bought a couple new filter cartridges and I bought that BettaFix for my little guy. Looks like I need to move him to a smaller container. It only treats 15 gallons -_- Poor little guy won't be happy having to move *sigh*

Woo! Sounds like you had fun! Pretty betta!

What size tank is your betta in right now? Usually you can just divide meds before using them. A little math, but less stress and money

*pokes siggy* He's in the 10 gallon QT tank LoL. I don't think he's going to want to leave either o.0 He flares at me if I come near the tank unless it's feeding time LoL Poor guy... The med said to leave it for 7 days, so he'd be in a smaller container for only a week. Whenever I can setup that 20 gallon and need to QT the fishies for that, he'll be seperated longer though and I feel bad keeping him in a smaller container for such a long time Poor guy

I'm not sure what sizes my other containers are... I think my "free Petco gift" one was 1/2 gallon, and I think the other two glass bowls are near 1 gallon. I can check those measurements, but I'm not sure how to figure out the smaller container (which would be safer to use since it has a cover and my guy likes to jump a bit when he thinks I'm giving him a treat LoL)

Oooo I almost got that free petco gift! Are you talking about the choice of 6 things you get once you become a member at petco? I almost got the small betta tank (for emergencies most likely) but they didn't have any left so I went with the rodent treats

LoL Yep, that's the one! It was the small "aquarium". There were also dog toys (heh, the balls they offered were way to small for my dog though... Used to buy those little tennis balls and he'd snap them in two almost right off... LoL). I forget what they had for cats, but my little baby ran off when my old tom cat somehow made it home yet again in August (*sniff* He was around 17 yrs and crippled. It's a wonder he kept coming home, but he died in November *sniff*). The small "aquarium" was the only useful thing for me to go for LoL.

[edit: Heh, my tom cat was around 17, not my little baby.. My little kitty was almost 2 yrs old.. He still hasn't came home *sniff* ]

I think they had live catnip for the kitties..yah that would have been gone in a wiff! I'm sorry about your kitty

Thanks *sniff*

Oh yeah, I think it was catnip.. Heh, we have a plant growing somewhere already anyways....

Grr, I'm still mad that I couldn't get that pretty betta!!!! I have been thinking about it ever since Probably the only time I'll see one that looked so beautiful, healthy and active too! -_- LoL

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention too, my guppy female did survive the night. She's moving more, but is still having problems. She's in the breeder still so the males don't stress her out. She's eating okay it looks like, but still breathing fast and her spine is a bit crooked looking still.