Rookie made a HUGE rookie mistake!!

[Jill Wright]

Hi all! I’m five weeks in on a new tank. When I was planning my planted tank I decided to go with Eco Complete instead of sand, however I completely forgot to consider the needs of the two fish that I really want!! German Blue Ram and Corydoras. I know it would be a huge task, but how bad is it going to hurt my tank and the 13 platys (see my last post about my attempt at fishless cycling) to tear the tank down and replace the substrate? Is this something I should consider or just leave it and pick different fish? Thoughts and/or suggestions please. 

[ARMYVET]

Why do you need to take out the substrate.  Fr the Corys?

If thats what your thinking....You will not have an issue!

[Jill Wright]

On 10/2/2021 at 5:53 PM, ARMYVET said:

Why do you need to take out the substrate.  Fr the Corys?

If thats what your thinking....You will not have an issue!

Yes and the German Blue Ram?

[MNG]

On 10/2/2021 at 6:04 PM, Jill Wright said:

Yes and the German Blue Ram?

AFAIK, there is no reason why Rams won't like the substrate you have.

Tearing down an established tank with healthy fish is always risky and a big pain in the butt. IMO that should only be done as a last resort.

If you are uncomfortable with leaving the substrate as is, why not just put a thin layer of another substrate on top of the Eco Complete? From the Eco Complete packaging: "Eco Complete can also be used as an admixture or bottom layer."

 

Edited October 3, 2021 by MNG
typo

[Jill Wright]

On 10/2/2021 at 6:29 PM, MNG said:

AFAIK, there is no reason why Rams won't like the substrate you have.

Tearing down an established tank with healthy fish is always risky and big pain in the butt. IMO that should only be done as a last resort.

If you are uncomfortable with leaving the substrate as is, why not just put a thin layer of another substrate on top of the Eco Complete? From the Eco Complete packaging: "Eco Complete can also be used as an admixture or bottom layer."

 

I’m completely fine with leaving it!! Thank you! I must have been mistaken in thinking they needed sand. Whew! I feel like I dodged an even bigger mistake and I’m glad I asked!!

[Odd Duck]

On 10/2/2021 at 5:35 PM, Jill Wright said:

I’m completely fine with leaving it!! Thank you! I must have been mistaken in thinking they needed sand. Whew! I feel like I dodged an even bigger mistake and I’m glad I asked!!

They should be fine without sand, but you could pretty easily add clean, freshly rinsed sand.  Add it slowly through an angled tube so it slides gently down into place.  You could even put the fish into a tote for a while until the water clears.  If you choose either pool filter sand (not play sand, that’s too fine to add after without big clouding) or medium grit (2040) black Diamond blasting sand (whichever color you prefer), you should have minimal clouding.

[Jill Wright]

On 10/2/2021 at 6:46 PM, Odd Duck said:

They should be fine without sand, but you could pretty easily add clean, freshly rinsed sand.  Add it slowly through an angled tube so it slides gently down into place.  You could even put the fish into a tote for a while until the water clears.  If you choose either pool filter sand (not play sand, that’s too fine to add after without big clouding) or medium grit (2040) black Diamond blasting sand (whichever color you prefer), you should have minimal clouding.

Thank you! I’m beyond thrilled that they will be okay on the Eco Complete and I will definitely keep in mind adding the BD blasting sand. Might even be a reason for a future additional tank!!

[lefty o]

i cant see any reason to change your substrate.

[JoshStover]

I have over 100 corys currently and all have eco complete substrate. Zero issues. Extremely happy and healthy as well as breeding nicely. I’m pretty sure @Cory showed in a Peru video what the substrate looked like when wild catching Corydoras and it was very rocky, not sandy. Good luck with your Cory Cats. I’m sure you’ll love them. How could you not??

[MNG]

On 10/2/2021 at 6:35 PM, Jill Wright said:

I must have been mistaken in thinking they needed sand.

From my experience, most of what you see out there regarding what a particular species needs, are only recommendations at best. And sometimes information is misleading, if not outright incorrect. Most freshwater tropicals don't 'need' sand AFAIK, although some may prefer it or need it for spawning, which is a different story entirely.

Another factor leading to confusion is that IMO, ichthyologists or other sorts of academics who write about fish, often advise keeping a fish in the state they found/studied it in the wild. But many popular fish among aquarists - including rams, platys, and certain corys - are bred in captivity, under very different conditions than they are found in the wild. Nevertheless, they thrive, because like most organisms, fish can adopt to changing conditions, provided things don't change suddenly.

Also seems that many writers and websites sometimes advise keeping a particular fish under particular conditions because they can do so and have done so with success: They have the space, the funds and the dedication required to maintain numerous tanks, each maintained in the optimal conditions for that species.

But for 'regular folks' it's not necessary to provide optimal conditions for every particular species. As long as you stick to common, hardy species, and keep your basic water parameters within bounds, you can achieve much success and maintain a beautiful and healthy aquarium without 'sweating the small stuff'.

FWIW I have kept quite a few rams with success - always with plain old riverbed gravel, in fairly hard water which is slightly alkaline.

Rams and corys are hardy fish - they should be fine, provided you don't overfeed or overcrowd them (much more important than fretting over the fine points of substrates), and ensure that your water temperature, ph, ammonia and nitrite levels are within acceptable bounds. (overfeeding or overcrowding kill fish to a large extent because those things mess up your water quality).

Platys are reputedly hardy, but in my experience they are not particularly so. YMMV.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 3, 2021 by MNG
additional comments

[Jill Wright]

On 10/2/2021 at 7:09 PM, lefty o said:

i cant see any reason to change your substrate.

Thank you! That’s such a big relief. My tank is doing so well I hated to have to disrupt it!

On 10/2/2021 at 7:55 PM, MNG said:

From my experience, most of what you see out there regarding what a particular species needs, are only recommendations at best. And sometimes information is misleading, if not outright incorrect. Most freshwater tropicals don't 'need' sand AFAIK, although some may prefer it or need it for spawning, which is a different story entirely.

Another factor leading to confusion is that IMO, ichthyologists or other sorts of academics who write about fish, often advise keeping a fish in the state they found/studied it in the wild. But many popular fish among aquarists - including rams, platys, and certain corys - are bred in captivity, under very different conditions than they are found in the wild. Nevertheless, they thrive, because like most organisms, fish can adopt to changing conditions, provided things don't change suddenly.

Also seems that many writers and websites sometimes advise keeping a particular fish under particular conditions because they can do so and have done so with success: They have the space, the funds and the dedication required to maintain numerous tanks, each maintained in the optimal conditions for that species.

But for 'regular folks' it's not necessary to provide optimal conditions for every particular species. As long as you stick to common, hardy species, and keep your basic water parameters within bounds, you can achieve much success and maintain a beautiful and healthy aquarium without 'sweating the small stuff'.

FWIW I have kept quite a few rams with success - always with plain old riverbed gravel, in fairly hard water which is slightly alkaline.

Rams and corys are hardy fish - they should be fine, provided you don't overfeed or overcrowd them (much more important than fretting over the fine points of substrates), and ensure that your water temperature, ph, ammonia and nitrite levels are within acceptable bounds. (overfeeding or overcrowding kill fish to a large extent because those things mess up your water quality).

Platys are reputedly hardy, but in my experience they are not particularly so. YMMV.

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for the assurance!! 

On 10/2/2021 at 7:40 PM, JoshStover said:

I have over 100 corys currently and all have eco complete substrate. Zero issues. Extremely happy and healthy as well as breeding nicely. I’m pretty sure @Cory showed in a Peru video what the substrate looked like when wild catching Corydoras and it was very rocky, not sandy. Good luck with your Cory Cats. I’m sure you’ll love them. How could you not??

Wow! Now that you mention that, I even watched that video!! Thank you for the confirmation!

[Dwayne Brown]

I have a few Bolivian rams (which are close relatives of the german blue ram) and I dont see a need for them or any rams to have sand as a substrate. I personally use sand because I like the way it looks and how easy it is to clean. But the eco substrate you showed should be absolutely fine for GBR's and Cory's. 

 

As a side note I am super excited for you to be getting into Ram cichlids.. I love mine and they have so  much personality and unique qualities that are hard to find in the fish world. 

[Jill Wright]

On 10/3/2021 at 11:17 AM, Dwayne Brown said:

I have a few Bolivian rams (which are close relatives of the german blue ram) and I dont see a need for them or any rams to have sand as a substrate. I personally use sand because I like the way it looks and how easy it is to clean. But the eco substrate you showed should be absolutely fine for GBR's and Cory's. 

 

As a side note I am super excited for you to be getting into Ram cichlids.. I love mine and they have so  much personality and unique qualities that are hard to find in the fish world. 

Thank you so much for the advice! I’m really looking forward to the Ram cichlids, too and can’t wait till my tank is completely cycled so I can get one! How many can be kept together? One pair or what would you recommend? Thanks again for the help!

[Dwayne Brown]

I know the great thing about Bolivians is that they are a little more laid back and have less stringent requirements then the German Blue Rams.  For how many you can keep it depends on your tank size. How big is your tank? Also Don't forget to get a good quality heater for their high temperature requirements. And find out what type of food the store your going to buy them from fed them, because they can be rather finicky eaters. All in though they are a great and beautiful fish and I am sure you will love them.

 

On 10/4/2021 at 6:40 AM, Jill Wright said:

Thank you so much for the advice! I’m really looking forward to the Ram cichlids, too and can’t wait till my tank is completely cycled so I can get one! How many can be kept together? One pair or what would you recommend? Thanks again for the help!