freshwater sand compatible with catfish?

[zoea_warnick]

to start off heres a little about my current set up. i have a 10 gallon aquarium with 1 hybrid pumpkinseed sunfish/smallmouth bass, 1 sarassa comet, 1 koi, 2 plecos, 5 mollies, 1 leopard from tadpole and 2 bullhead catfish. dont patronize me about overcrowding i just bought a 125 gallon tank i am in the process of setting up. now my concern is starting off my new aquarium with pool filter sand instead of gravel, which is what i currently am using in my 10 gallon. i am worried that the sand may be too sharp for my bullheads bellies. they like to lay together on the bottom and burrow in the gravel. is sand the wrong choice for them? i dont want their fat little bellies to get cut and infected
ps: these catfish are lakefish and seldom kept as pets, included is a photo of them(i hope it worked)

 

[nanu156]

ummm ok so I don't know this cat species specifically, you can probably get more accurate info from planet catfish .com

BUT plecos love sandy bottoms, they lay and wiggle in the sand, it is actually nicer on their skin then gravel (I incidentally use gravel) so I would guess that your catfish and plecos (who are both cat species) would do well with a sandy bottom. (rays, as well as lots of other bottom skimming fish prefer sand as well)

what kind of plecos do you have?

 

[zoea_warnick]

im not sure i got 2 at walmart to keep the walls clean. the catfish i have were caught from the lake here in iowa with the smallest hook i had they were about 3 inches now theyre around 6 we saw them swimming in a crack in the old highway that sunk underwater. they are known for being very resilient in muddy waters, hot and low oxygen environments. you can wrap them in a wet towel and they will survive! i can post more photos if youre interested. my biggest worry is that they are extremely soft bellied and their stomachs protrude really far when they eat a few fish. theyre actually quite ugly haha. i just want to be safe since ive read about people having sharp sand cut their rays. do u have any specific brand of sand? i was thinking to try quickrete #20 pool filter sand but i dont know if its sharp or not i just know that others have used it with success. i

 

[ValRasbora]

if you got them at walmart they're almost definetly common plecos
I use well-washed playsand
welcome to the tank btw!

 

[nanu156]

play sand would be fine, sharp sand is likely gravel, fine gravel or crushed coral.

play sand would be much easier on their bellies.

 

[zoea_warnick]

thanks ive read online that playsand tends to be a little finer which makes it very hard to clean and i like that i can get pool filter sand by measurements like #20 is 20 wires of mesh per square inch so it comes in slightly larger granules. im bad at explaining im sorry just running everyone in circles. it may help to ask which brand of pool filter sand someone with a ray uses in their tank since rays have sensitive undersides. ps im very appreciative of all your guys help! thanks!

 

[IThinkTherefore]

Haha I don't know anything about pool filter sand, but I just wanted to mention that I've caught that type of cat in South Dakota before to eat! They are cute lil' buggers though

Great idea for a unique pet!

 

[Dylandrewsdad]

Not sure about that type of cat, but I use play sand in my 55 and it looks and works great.

 

[ValRasbora]

for playsand, the waste just sits on top so you can siphon it with the tube just an inch or so away

 

[nanu156]

yeah i would go play sand, not pool sand.

 

[Dylandrewsdad]

And if you siphon up sand, it is really no big deal because it is so cheap! I have Black Flourite in a tank and if I vac that up it clogs my python and it is expensive!