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55g freshwater with pH 6.0 to 6.2 - temp 76-78 - hardness 6

looking through other topics, people seem to have trouble keeping pandas alive - can the group recommend a hardy school of corys for acidic water conditions - tank currently home to angels - thanks much

Most cories actually prefer acidic water, with cories such as C. polystictus (found in the Mato Grosso area of Brazil) being exceptions to the rule. Panda cories are some of the less-hardy ones, and are one of the few cories that can't easily handle adverse water conditions. Most non-dwarf (habrosus, pygmaeus, hastatus) cories are quite hardy, and the largest (aeneus and paleatus) are probably the toughest.

You will probably have no trouble keeping any cories alive in that tank, as long as you keep up on water changes.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

In my experience, Pandas actually prefer their water closer to neutral, but erring slightly on the acidic side. Excess acidity does NOT sit well with them. A pH of around 6.8 is, from my experience, the ideal for Pandas. Anything below 6.0 and they start to suffer osmoregulatory stresses that will fairly quickly prove fatal. Likewise, too alkaline a pH will not be to their liking.

However, one factor that IS important is this. Pandas can stand greater extremes of pH and hardness if the water is clean. If the water is dirty, or the substrate is clogged with gunk, then they go downhill VERY rapidly indeed, even when the pH and hardness are otherwise ideal.

Some people also claim that Pandas will not fare well in hard water, and claim additionally that they will not breed in it. However, Pat Lambert, from Practical Fishkeeping magazine, has bred Pandas in fairly hard water. Again, the key factor seems to be scrupulous attention to cleaniness. Low nitrate levels are also considered by many to be essential for success with Pandas, hence my "seemingly over-zealous" water change and gravel vac régime





Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002