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at the mo, i only have:
1 metae and 1 julii/gomezi/trilleanteus(spelt completly wrong but am hoping to add 6 more of each on sunday
they really r great fish

You must choose your own fish & not me.
First see which you like most & them post the names here & we will help you.
If you have space in your tank, i would get 1 big school of the same Corydoras type, they will look better & they'll be more active aswell.


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Well Chelaine, if your 55 gallon is lightly stocked at the moment (i.e., doesn't have more than say, 12 inches of adult fish legnth in there at the moment) then you've room in there for quite a Cory shoal. As in, say, 16 Pandas, or 16 habrosus, or 10 sterbai, or 20 pygmaeus. 16 Pandas would be an absolute blast if you gave them a nice underwater Disneyland of bogwood arches and live plants to play with (like my Panda Fun Palace™ ) but remember that Pandas need more than the usual attention to cleanliness to keep them happy. If you're moving into Corys for the first time, a hardier species would probably be your best bet, so a species that resembles the Panda, but is a good deal hardier would be a reaonable first choice - Heidi's metaes, for example! And once the Corys were acclimatised in the 55, you would still have some stocking options left open to you.

In a 10 gallon, your options are a LOT more restricted. And you should ideally stick to smaller Cory species in a 10g, to make sure you don't overload the filter. 6 habrosus or 8 pygmaeus would go in a 10g, but that would sverely limit your remaining stocking options, and ideally, if you did put that many of the aforementioned Corys in a 10g, it would be better to leave it stocked with just the Corys as a species aquarium.

Oh, and if you can obtain live foods for your Corys, so much the better - Corys come spectacularly alive when you treat them as honoured guests, furnishing the aquarium to their liking, keeping them in nice social groups, and feeting them at least once a week on a live food banquet. Incidentally, if you see an exotic Cory that really takes your fancy, exercise a little patience, do a spot of research, ask some questions here etc., before buying - one of the perennial messages I hammer home here is that a little forward planning and research before a penny is spent helps save MUCH expensive heartache afterwards - true with all fish species, but likely to reap special rewards if you do this with Corys, as when they're happy, the patter of tiny fins has a habit of following your diligence and patience!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

what kind mr. jason?? tell me MOOOOORE!

wouldnt i need to wait until the fry are gone? and... AND.. um... thats the smaller of the two tanks, i was for sure i was gonna luck out and get someone to say i could put a bunch in the 55 gallon......

anywho.... what kinda cory is that on cory addicts picture? cuz thats a cute little guy

chelle

*Chelle*
_______________________________________________
I love the fishes cuz they're SOOO delicious...

In the 29 gal. you can get a school of 6 Corydoras.


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Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
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thank you VERY much for the much insightful comment that took me like 6 hours to read! Ha. just kidding.. im a top-notch reader. anywho...

I do really need to figure out what im doing here.. i just had a molly drop another batch of fry that i HAD to save.. cuz im a SUCKER. so... i think i need to get rid of some of these OTHER fry that have been free-loading for almost 6 months!

I'm going to update my profile on my fishtanks.. if you would take a little look and see where or what would be best-fitting for my tank/tanks???

THANKY!
Chelle

*Chelle*
_______________________________________________
I love the fishes cuz they're SOOO delicious...

Chelaine, some "don't panic" tips from a keeper of several Corydoras species including the lovable Pandas ...

One. The "mainstream" Corys (Peppered, Bronze etc) are pretty hardy. They've been aquarium domesticated for a long time and adapt to a wide range of water conditions. However, they're amongst the largest of the Corys commonly available, so plan ahead for their eventual adult size before buying!

Two. Corys prefer to be kept in little groups of their own species wherever possible. The general rule of thumb is that the smaller the adult size, the more avowedly social they are likely to be. Thus Bronzes and Peppered cats are best described as "moderately gregarious" and will get on ok while you settle them in if you have to buy the shoal piecemeal, while Pygmies and Pandas are among the species that NEED a decent sized group from the word go.

Three. Provided the food is good quality and contains a good proportion of animal matter, Corydoras are pretty adaptable feeders. However, as I once said in an article on the subject, they should really be treated as honoured guests at the table, and not expected to spend their lives cleaning up other fishes' left overs. Given the choice between rummaging around in bins for your next meal, and enjoying a slap up five course meal at a top restaurant paid for by someone else, what would YOU choose? Precisely! And Corydoras will make the same choice analogy wise if you give it to them! This incidentally means that Hikari Algae Wafers are fine with Corydoras, because if you look at the ingredients list, they contain fish and krill meal, which explains why my Pandas go nuts over them!

Four. Provided the aquarium is given reasonably regular water changes and gravel vacs, you should not have major problems with Corydoras. Some poor specimens are expected to sit on a gravel bed that's lucky if it sees a gravel vac once a year. How you YOU feel if you had to sleep in someone else's dung? Precisely! Keep the gravel bed reasonably well cleaned and with just enough mulm to keep natural plants happy if you have them in the aquarium, and the Corydoras will repay your diligent housekeeping in spades.

Five. Corydoras are playful and inquisitive. Give them an aquarium with lots of nooks and crannies to explore, and they'll love you for it. Even if those nooks and crannies are in the form of garish plastic aquarium ornaments! Although if you can give them live plants and intricate pieces of bogwood to explore, so much the better!

Six. The fun part about keeping Corydoras is that there are something like 200 species to choose from. They can become a lifetime's speciality all on their own. The thing to do is (as I keep telling everyone who will listen ) to do the research beforehand. Pick a species you like, then find out its particular likes and dislikes before going ahead with a purchase. As I keep telling everyone, where fish are concerned, a few hours spent reading and learning beforehand can save weeks of heartache and expense afterwards. So if, for example, you decide that you really want a shoal of Pandas, then hop over to my article here on FishProfiles (namely this article - shameless plug and spend some time digesting its contents before committing yourself to a purchase! Ditto with any other species - track down the requisite info, read and learn, then prepare the aquarium accordingly for their arrival.

And with that, welcome to FP, welcome to the wonderful world of Corys, and may you enjoy lots of happy Cory fun and frolics in your aquarium!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

They don't need any special attention, just keep the tank clean & do regular water changes & buy some sinking pellets & feed them as soon as you switch off the tank lights.


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Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
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Yep,
if you shop at large chain shops, corys like
the usual "Wardley Shrimp Pellet", the usual,
"Tropical Slow Sinking Crumbles" my corys also love.
They also eat flake that sinks to the bottom,
occassionaly they may nibble an algae wafer,
but not as much as anything else.
Also any legitimate "pet store" " fish store" (not a chain type store) will sell Frozen Bloodworms.
You can feed corys pretty much any food that will sink to the bottom, just make sure it has some meaty ingredients like fish, shrimp, or the like.


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I'm in love with cories (as is everyone else too, I guess) Don't worry about feeding other foods. It's incredibly easy. But they'll actually probably be happy with flakes too.

Oh hun, don't be afraid to try them the only thing to be afraid of is how contagiously cute and adorable they are, and how hard it is to stop getting them once you start

For starters I wouldn't go Pandas, they are more of the delicate type but you are welcome to try them if you want to They really are adorable

pandas


nice pic of several all together


trilinatus and sterbai


pile 'o cory


Don't give up, they really are easy little guys to handle for the most part It just means adding an additional food to your keep of food, algae wafers, bottom feeder wafers, shrimp pellets, and simply dropping them in when you are feeding the rest of the guys in the tank

heidi[/font][/font][/font][/font]

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

don't worry to much about separate food they're happy enough scavenging on the bottom at the left overs. a treat every now and again doesn't go amiss though and you can get sinking pellets specially for them in almost every pet store i've seen. all in all i think coreys are some of the cutest fish around and are great fish for a beginner.

I've never had anything but livebearers and a pleco, could you all tell me more about cories??

I really like the look.

how big do they get?
are they community fish?

im guessing bottom dwellers.

school at all?
water temps.. blah blah.. you know.. TEACH ME!!!
::edit:: i just realized im not very specific on TYPE. ha. anyways whats the best kind in your opinions??? start a little debate if you have to.....

Last edited by chelaine at 13-Oct-2005 04:12

*Chelle*
_______________________________________________
I love the fishes cuz they're SOOO delicious...

i think you all have succesfully SCARED me away from cories.....

theres way too many to think about... and well the whole food thing scares me.

i've never had any other fish that require you to feed them anything but flake food! haha im such a novice. but dangit i can tell you everything there is to know about the mollies/swordies.

okay.. in reality i was thinking some pandas, but im scared of the commitment of feeding them special food... what am i in for??

*Chelle*
_______________________________________________
I love the fishes cuz they're SOOO delicious...

These are mine:- 11 Arcuatus, 9 Schwartzi, 6 Bronze & 4 Trilineatus Corydoras.


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Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
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I guess that's my cue to chime in.

Yes, I rescue lots of cories, too... the big thing to remember is that the size varies from the tiny dwarf cories like the pygmies, all the way up to... hmmm, aeneus and paleatus, both of which are quite large. There's a range from about half an inch or so to three inches.

Definitely a community fish, wouldn't hurt a fly. They may run into/over/try to go THROUGH other fish in their circus act of hilarity, but won't hurt anyone.

Definitely bottom dwellers. They're omniverous, so balance their meals between veggie and meat foods. They're great at cleaning up excess food that top-feeders don't get, but they still need their own meals.

Cories vary in water temperatures and such, though most prefer cooler waters (lower 70's).

To top this off, I'll offer my list of cories, as heidi did...

1 [link=Ambiacus]http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/callicht/corydora/461_f.php" style="COLOR: #00A0AE[/link]
4 [link=trilineatus]http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/callicht/corydora/508_f.php" style="COLOR: #00A0AE[/link]
1 'san juan' - no ID for sure
1 [link=melini]http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/callicht/corydora/118_f.php" style="COLOR: #00A0AE[/link]
1 [link=panda]http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/callicht/corydora/267_f.php" style="COLOR: #00A0AE[/link]
1 paleatus - think this one needs a new ID
6 [link=long finned aeneus]http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/callicht/corydora/51_f.php" style="COLOR: #00A0AE[/link]

The 6 tiny aeneus (about 1/2" long) are growing out in my ten gallon tank, until they're big enough to not get LOST with the rest of the motley cory crew.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

Somethings to think about in choosing your corries:

1. How big is the tank?
2. How many (other than more than 6) do you want? (the more the merrier
3. What color, pattern interests you? There are many that look quite similar, so you could get a "cheaper" version of one if it is the pattern you are after example...I wanted Juliis, but can't find them...actually found Tris/False Juliis, and am happy, but the body pattern is semi similar to Schwartzis, and I find that they are quite similar to Sterbai, which I find that I them No, they are not the same, but the patterns are close enough that you might be able to interest yourself in another type if you can't find "what you want"

Honestly I don't think I have a true favoriteI just love the little guys, and am trying to figure out where I could set up 2 more tanks so I uh could have a few more

Also am thinking of making another trip across town to add to my "basic" school (was 6, but lost 1, so 5 now) of PandasI'm thinking at least another 5, maybe 7 or so for the 29

As for what kinds do I have? I'll be happy to list them for youjust uh can't give quite accurate numbers anymore

29 gallon:
[link=5 Pandas]http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/callicht/corydora/267_f.php" style="COLOR: #FF1493[/link] (juvenile in size, thinking 6-8 months old) Again will be adding to this small school as they are just adorable

Now for the 125
[link=4 Sterbais]http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/callicht/corydora/316_f.php" style="COLOR: #FF1493[/link]
[link=]http://3 Trilineatus]www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/callicht/corydora/508_f.php" style="COLOR: #FF1493[/link]
[link=Habrosus/Dainty]http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/callicht/corydora/482_f.php" style="COLOR: #FF1493[/link]
[link=metaes, don't ask for numbers they are quite happy]http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/callicht/corydora/24_f.php" style="COLOR: #FF1493[/link]
[link=Aeneus-Albino and Green]http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/callicht/corydora/51_f.php" style="COLOR: #FF1493[/link]
[link=1 lone Arcuatus/Skunk/Arched, haven't been able to find any more since I bought him, and he as all alone]http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/callicht/corydora/12_f.php" style="COLOR: #FF1493[/link]


I think I'm missing someonebut, can't think of whoanyone want to remind meI'm a cory momma with too many children but, i'm not the only one who goes about rescueing (yes, a lot of these guys were, oh poor baby, you're the only one in the tank, can't have that come on home with me) Kitten is just as bad

Heidi

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

You're going to have some sleepless nights, watching the site & choosing your Corydoras, chelaine.



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http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

Cories, they range in size from the pygmy cory at 3/4 of a inch, to the larger corys such as Aeneus, Pepper, and metaes, amongst others, that grow to 3-4 inches.
No, algae wafers wont work. Corys are omnivores, and need more meat in their diet. A good wafer for bottom feeders, that is meaty, will suffice.
Also, bloodworms of the frozen type will be relished,
and shrimp pellets and the like also accepted greatly.
You should try to vary your fishes diet as much as possible.
Corys are pretty hardy little guys, accepting of most water conditions, but be careful what meds and additives you use, like salt and dyes (methylene blue, malachite green) as Corys are very sensitive to these and may become ill or die in their presence.
They should be kept in groups of 6 or more of the same type.
The only corys that would work in a 10g tank are Hasbrosus, Hastatus, and Panda.


Last edited by So_Very_Sneaky at 13-Oct-2005 16:40

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gee jason, thats ALOT of different catfish... it could take me DAYS even MONTHS to look at all that stuff..
-chelle

*Chelle*
_______________________________________________
I love the fishes cuz they're SOOO delicious...