# Are Cory Cats okay with Eco Complete?



## speerwashere (Feb 24, 2012)

I have 5 cory cats with 40lbs Eco and they are doing fine.


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## Powchekny (Jan 25, 2010)

I used to have 5 Cory cats in a 40 gallon long using Eco-Complete as substrate.

Now I have 12! They started spawning like crazy. The extra 7 are just the survivors because I took no special measures to protect the fry (besides fishing them out of the filter).

Honestly, I think the "Eco-Complete is bad for Cories" myth was started by someone who used Eco-Complete, but failed to maintain good water quality. Some people think it's poor water quality that causes Cory barbel erosion.

My Cories' barbels are complete and not the least bit eroded.

I never vacuum the gravel, but I do stir it up on occasion to let the filters catch the mulm. My water changes are %25 once a week. I never miss it.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

I have a mom and a dad cory cat and their two babies in my 29 with 100% Eco complete. They've bred twice in the tank but only two babies have ever survived due to the other fish eating the fry. They will be fine


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## GMYukonon24s (May 3, 2009)

I agree with the above posts. I've always had cories from albinos, peppered, pygmy, and panda. All of my tanks have eco-complete and their all fine.


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## Kyrol (Feb 24, 2012)

Mine have been in black diamond blasting grit for over a month and look 100% fine. Yours should be more then okay.


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## s_s (Feb 15, 2012)

Kyrol said:


> Mine have been in black diamond blasting grit for over a month and look 100% fine. Yours should be more then okay.


Yep, mine have been with black diamond for 4 months now and have completely health barbels. I think reports of course material "grinding them off" are maybe just a bit of cautious speculation.


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## jkan0228 (Feb 6, 2011)

How do you guys think Pygmy cories would do with Caribsea Floramax?


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## AirstoND (Jun 17, 2011)

jkan0228 said:


> How do you guys think Pygmy cories would do with Caribsea Floramax?


Yeap, I have had 5 Corydora Pygmeus for over a year with the Caribsea Floramax


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## jkan0228 (Feb 6, 2011)

AirstoND said:


> Yeap, I have had 5 Corydora Pygmeus for over a year with the Caribsea Floramax


Have you noticed any damage to their barbels? As that's the main reason they don't like substrate with sharp edges.


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## D3monic (Jan 29, 2012)

I got pygmys in blasting sand and they are always rooting around in there digging for worms. Barbels are 100%


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## jkan0228 (Feb 6, 2011)

Blasting sand is fine for their barbels since the sand is finer. 

What I'm worried about is the sharp edges that flora max has.


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

IME babel erosion comes from too much NO3 and maybe PO4 in the water.


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## pmworden (May 22, 2012)

Interesting answers! I will go ahead and add some copies to my tank. I already have two zebra loaches and 3 bristlenose plecos. I had 20 pounds of Eco mixed in with regular, natural gravel and added another 20 pounds last Thursday. Was a bit worried about the roughness with my existing fish but never saw any problem, but had read about the sharp edges. I'd love to get a nice, soft-looking "ground covered" of sorts growing but am too new to this to know even what type of plant would grow like that in my tank. Lots of learning to do!


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## VeeSe (Apr 16, 2011)

2in10 said:


> IME babel erosion comes from too much NO3 and maybe PO4 in the water.


Too much as in just the normal EI dosing? Or do you mean levels beyond that?


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## AirstoND (Jun 17, 2011)

jkan0228 said:


> Have you noticed any damage to their barbels? As that's the main reason they don't like substrate with sharp edges.


I really don't know if they like it or not, as they never have communicated it to me, but they still have 100% of their barbels.

They do like hiding spots for most of the day though, and get active in the late evening through late morning.


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## thechibi (Jan 20, 2012)

For what it is worth, my habrosus bros are doing fine with the eco complete. I have 6 of them.


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## flight50 (Apr 17, 2012)

More times than not it would be poor water quality that erode barbels. The same debate happens with cories and flourite. I have kept cories with flourite for many years with never seeing barbels lost due to substrate. Remember water quality it the poorest at the bottom and that is where the cories roam.


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