Substrate for Corys & Live Plants
 

What's the best substrate for someone who wants to have both corys and live plants in a 55 gallon tank? Would it be better to have the tank substrate divided into 2+ areas? Thank you.

It's almost impossible to keep the two substrates seperate.

Use Eco complete or Flourish substrate that gives plants nutrients and doesn't cut the barbels of the cories.

I have a very successful heavily planted tank with play sand in it. My cories absolutely love it, and I use root tabs to keep the substrate nutrient rich for my plants.

Thanks a bunch for the advice. I'm new to aquarium keeping so I may have a lot of questions.

No worries, ask away! The only tricky thing about sand is that you need to make sure you stir it up/vacuum it or it will develop anaerobic spots which can be dangerous to your fish. Malaysian trumpet snails can be very helpful to you in between gravel vacs as they will sift through the sand.