New gravel fish afriad?

[ITHURTZ]

I found some white gravel laying around the house so i figured I would make half the tank white to give me a idea to go towards white or black sand. Well my pleco wont go NEAR it at all. His food is in his cave waiting to be eatin and he has to swim over the white gravel to get there. I tried chasing him on that side but he refuses. It also made my pangasuis catfish stupid and they cant seem to find the food on the white gravel. Its been in for a few nights already so you think they would get used to it. Any ideas?

Heres what i did

 

[Opiate]

wow! that'd odd!! never ever seen anything liek this b4....got me beat dude!! i'd take it out! or do the whole bottom white

 

[itzacraze]

well get another tank first of all those guys are really crowded and then put white in 1 and black in the other.... the pleco and other cats can have the black.... keep lifting weights ill be back in after my winterly sickness goes somewhere

 

[Paullywolly]

the white is obvioiusly too bright for them. black = shadowy and secure, white = exposed and unsafe.

The other reason you don't want to go all white gravel is soon it will be all off-green or brown gravel once algae hits it. Not attractive.

 

[ITHURTZ]

well get another tank first of all those guys are really crowded and then put white in 1 and black in the other.... the pleco and other cats can have the black.... keep lifting weights ill be back in after my winterly sickness goes somewhere

im building a 240 in may for them. I always lift weights sick or not!

So should I not go after the white sand?

 

[beex215]

i have found my fish not liking white gravel or bare bottom.they will go crazy and hit themselves on the walls.and it makes them loose color and go pale.

they feel better safer in dark color substrates.that i have found.

 

[FSM]

Tan sand is fine, I think. Thats what pool filter sand is like, and it works great.

 

[aeri]

maybe the whites too bright for the pleco.

both my silver and jardini are dead scared of the colour yellow. anything they see that is yellow (towel/measuring tape/basket/chair/shirt) they'll jump and hit the top or run into the wall....but white is ok for them. :l

 

[navygirl76]

i think the dark gravel looks better imo. the white wont stay white, but turn a dingy color. it also washes out their color. i would just take the white out, since they obviously are blinded by it lol.

 

[ITHURTZ]

I was to lazy to take the white out so I mixed it all over. The pleco doesnt know what to do, he swims over the gravel. Atleast he goes to his house now. Glad I figured out white was bad before I made a entire tank with a white sand bottom.