Could my substrate be too abrasive for my cory?

[NobodyCares]

I have a 30 gallon tank with quite a few fish in it, including one little leopard cory. He seems very healthy, and is active, constantly swimming around the tank looking for food. However lately I have noticed that he is swimming to the leaves of some of my crypts and resting on them for some time. I have read that cories don't do too well with a rougher substrate, which my flourite definitely is. Should I move him to my other tank where there is a much smoother, fine gravel substrate? Or is he just exploring and I'm worrying too much? He is my first cory, so I don't want him to be unhappy in his tank!

[Bas Pels]

too rough substrate for Cories is a common problem. However the very fact your cory likes to spend time laying on some leaves, and not on the substrate itself does not say much: some cory species prefer to have a broader view, others like the hid themselves, or bury them

My C similis spend the first 2 weeks in a cave, my wild caught highfin C paleatus now bury themselves in the sand. They never did so in the past 2 years, but perhaps this is due to them haven laid eggs.

The main thing with too coarse a substrate is damage to the whiskers. If these are OK, the fish is Ok and the substrate will do too

[NobodyCares]

His whiskers look great, they look just like they did the day I got him. I actually selected him because he was the healthiest looking and most active cory at my LFS, and so I think he was in good shape then. I'm glad to hear he is comfortable in my tank.