Red Substrate to top Flourite Red

[Tomp]

I purchased two bags of Seachem Flourite Red for my 20g long that I am currently setting up to scape later this week. However, the wife and I recently decided we wanted to have Cory cats in the tank. I’m worried it might be too course for them. Any thoughts on that or recommendations on a red sand to top it? Thoughts? 
 

Quick second question: would you rinse the substrate? I have in the past, thinking about not doing it this time. Thoughts? 

[ScottieB]

You will be fine with Corys on that substrate. Pictures of the Corydoras native habitat look more harsh then that. And I have heard about the substrate they are found on in the wild and by all accounts it seems much more jagged then the flourite. 

If however, you like the look of something finer you can try to mixing it but the finer sand inevitably makes its way to the bottom and the larger pieces of fluorite rise to the top. 

And yeah, I would rinse it. They claim its "pre-washed" but it always seems really dusty. 

[Jorgey]

I don't think that you would have any issues with keeping Corys directly on a fluorite substrate.  

I am currently running fluorite in 4 aquariums and getting ready to order another 150lbs of it for a new 135 that I am getting ready to set up.  With each tank I set up, I find that I rinse less and less.  But, yes, I would do at least some minimal rinsing.  Only recently I started rinsing in the bag.  It gets rid of a lot of the "dust" that accumulates from the breakdown of the fluorite from bagging and shipping processes.  It does however keep in most of the courser sand which I really like in my planted tanks with fluorite and I have found that most of the finer particles that people in the negative reviews of fluorite refer to as "mud" mostly sticks to the inside of the bag when I dump it in the aquarium.  

Best of luck with setting up your new tank.