Starting 29G - Need advice on Substrate

[Salt72]

Hello all,

I'm in the process of starting up a new 29g freshwater tank and need a little help in the substrate dept.

My preference is to use gravel...likely something similar to the link below, if possible.

2 things I'd like to be able to do is have some bottom dwellers (like cory's) and then have some simple live plants that don't require much maintenance (Java ferns, java moss, etc.).

I think Java ferns would be ok in the gravel I linked to, but would bottom dwellers have any issues with that? If not, do you know of any gravel that can be ordered online that would work better?

With this being my first tank, I'm trying to keep everything as simple as possible as I start up this new hobby.

Thanks!

Petco-River-Rock-Shallow-Creek-Aquarium-Gravel

 

[librarygirl]

Hi and welcome! It looks smooth enough so it's probably fine for corys. Just make sure you vacuum it regularly as gravel can hold a lot of debris that can cause infections. I have sand for my corys and it's actually easier to keep clean and looks more natural, but if you prefer the gravel I'd say that one should be ok.

 

[BBradbury]

Hello Salt...

If you want to keep the tank fairly simple, then standard "pea-sized" gravel is fine. I've used it for years in my planted tanks. Corydoras are fine with the small, polished gravel. Plants are easy too. Any of the varieties of Anubias, like nana and nangi just need to be attached to a piece of lava rock with a rubber band and dropped into the tank. Several of these make a nicely planted area. Java fern can be attached to lava rock too and dropped into the tank. No planting needed. Some rocks and driftwood you can find locally are a nice addition.

Floating plants are nice too. Anacharis is my favorite and Pennywort keep the tank water just about nitrogen free.

No need to get fancy to have an nicely planted tank or tanks!

B

 

[Salt72]

Thanks Library and B.

I've not completely ruled out sand, so it is still on the table.

One question about sand - when the cory's would "sift" through it, would it cause the water to become cloudy?

I'm still leaning towards gravel, but you never know when another tank might show up at my house.