Changing substrate for corys

About to switch gravel within this week (from beach white sand to black river sand) would they really be more active? I have only seen 4 corys up til now, (fifth one came out on feeding time at last).

 

About to switch gravel within this week (from beach white sand to black river sand) would they really be more active? I have only seen 4 corys up til now, (fifth one came out on feeding time at last).

For me they were. I went from play sand to black diamond. Most like subdued lighting and the substrate being bright is like snow blindness. So it could and should help, but may not

 

For me they were. I went from play sand to black diamond. Most like subdued lighting and the substrate being bright is like snow blindness. So it could and should help, but may not

Thanks for the validation, I switched from gravel to black diamond in January with the intent of making a more suitable cory environment.

 

Thanks for the validation, I switched from gravel to black diamond in January with the intent of making a more suitable cory environment.

Yep I switched my 75 and 40 to bds over a year ago, but was unhappy with it. I was impatient, the store only had 20/40, so I got that and it was more like sand, but lighter. It would ploof up and into the filter way too easy. Then, around Jan I switched my 20 to the 30/60 and setup a 30hex with it and I love it as do my cories.

 

I just had to go look at my bag. I'm using the 20/40 and it is so heavy it just falls back down I thought I would need prefilters for my HOB's but haven't had a problem (good thing too, couldn't fit the larger filter intake tube with prefilter)
Wondering if my bag is mislabeled? I did clean the snot out of it with a garden hose in the bottom of a 5 gal bucket.

 

I just had to go look at my bag. I'm using the 20/40 and it is so heavy it just falls back down I thought I would need prefilters for my HOB's but haven't had a problem (good thing too, couldn't fit the larger filter intake tube with prefilter)
Wondering if my bag is mislabeled? I did clean the snot out of it with a garden hose in the bottom of a 5 gal bucket.

I don't know, but I cleaned mine pretty thoroughly too, ended up losing a lot of it because it just never seemed to stop ploofing up. It should look like sand, and the 30/60 looks like really really small gravel

 

I don't know, but I cleaned mine pretty thoroughly too, ended up losing a lot of it because it just never seemed to stop ploofing up. It should look like sand, and the 30/60 looks like really really small gravel

"Looks like sand" may mean an entirely different thing to each of us, most of my sand experience is Carolina beaches not Florida beaches... But agree that my bags may be mislabeled as my experience more closely matches that of your 30/60 description. Either way I'm so much happier with it over my old gravel/fluorite mix. And thanks for the other thread confirmation on the CPO.

 

"Looks like sand" may mean an entirely different thing to each of us, most of my sand experience is Carolina beaches not Florida beaches... But agree that my bags may be mislabeled as my experience more closely matches that of your 30/60 description. Either way I'm so much happier with it over my old gravel/fluorite mix. And thanks for the other thread confirmation on the CPO.

That is true and you're welcome

 

For me they were. I went from play sand to black diamond. Most like subdued lighting and the substrate being bright is like snow blindness. So it could and should help, but may not

It has been 3 days since the switch to black sand, I agree that they come out more often than before, but whenever I approach they dart back to their hiding place. Lol, now, it is very hard to spot them. Haha.

 

It has been 3 days since the switch to black sand, I agree that they come out more often than before, but whenever I approach they dart back to their hiding place. Lol, now, it is very hard to spot them. Haha.

Well I'm happy for the first part, as for the second they are still fairly new to you, right? Hopefully, given time to grow accustomed to their environment and you, they will come out more. But still if your lighting is strong enough they'll want to hide in the "shade". It's similar to people with photophobia.

 

I hope they get used to seeing me! Love those guys, cute little things!