All the advice I have read about keeping Cory cats indicates that the gravel substrate should be rounded so that they won't wear their barbels down to nubs. After I washed my flourite with bare hands, they felt rather rough and scraped up, so I am wondering if this is an appropriate substrate for a planted tank with cory catfish.
If flourite shouldn't be used, what would be a good alternative? Could I cover the flourite with about an inch of rounded gravel or sand? Would this just get mixed when vacuuming the surface, and bring the flourite to the top?
Thanks for any advice.
Cheri