FishProfiles.com Message Forums

Is there a rule for working out how many cories (or other bottom dwellers) can go in a tank based on tank area, rather than volume? I'd like to keep as many of my cory fry as possible when they grow up, but I don't want to overcrowd them if there's not enough space at the bottom of the tank.

Hi, I have no comments on the type of sand to use for cories or cories for which type of sand. Just to share my experience, I have a 30 gallon bare tank with 6 cories (planning to add 2 more). However, I have provide hiding places and a piece of drift wood for them. They seems to be happy and are not hiding most of the time. So, I think sand is good but may not be necessary.
Comments ?

I would say the average cory probably needs a range of around 6x6 inches square, maybe 8x8 in the larger varieties.
I have 1080 inches of surface area on my 90g tank. If I give each cory a surface area of 6x6, which is 36sq inches, that allows me to have 30 3 inch corys (smaller corys). If I give the corys 8x8=64 sq inches, that allows for 17 smaller corys in the tank.
If your tank is a standard 60g, it would be 48x15x17, giving 720 sq inches of surface area. This would allow for 20 smaller corys at 36 sq inches of space, if you went for larger corys , you could have 12 easily in a 64 sq inch per cory of space. I would classify bronze, albino, peppered, emerald corys as all being on the "larger" side of the scale, while corys such as aggassiz, julii, trilineatus, hasbrosus, or pandas as on the "smaller" end of size for corys.
HTH!

Come Play Yahtzee With Me!
http://games.atari.com
Http://www.myleague.com/yahtgames

use the number of inches you best think your particular species of cory absolutely needs to him/herself.

That's what I wasn't sure about. How much space would a bronze or albino cory need? I'd love to keep heaps of them, but I want them to have enough space.

Actually in the wild, several species of similar looking corys often school together. A good example of this is with C. trilineatus and C. julii in eastern Brazil, where their ranges overlap.

Of course this mostly applies to corys that have overlapping ranges. C. narcissus won't school with peppered corys because they come from completely different areas of South America, but C. narcissus are often found with C. sychri and will consequently shoal together.

Naturally occuring hybrids are obvious proof of this behavior.
[/font]

[span class="edited"][Edited by Cory Addict 2004-08-29 02:38][/span]

---

I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

I've noticed that all the people who say different species of cories school together only have 1 or 2 of each kind. If you have cories in a proper school, they generally don't associate with other species.

---

They shade the glow of it with their mossy-misty costumes,
They wear masks of silk, porcelain, brass, and silver,
So as not to mislead with their own, ordinary faces.

I have a Julii, Panda, Skunk and Paleatus that all hang together. Their respective tank mates have died and to keep them company, all the Cories (1 of each) now inhabit the same tank.

The Julii, Panda and Skunk do a lot of "close" movements, while the older, and larger Peppered (Palaetus) seems to be a longer (since his female companion died, he never has been quite the same).

Gary

Amen Cory Addict!
I must admit, my aggassiz corys school together more with each other than the other corys, but at times, there is definetly a pile of corys all colors in my tank enjoying each others company (and whiskers!)
The only thing I have noticed is that my Aggassiz that are wild caught are much more shy and retiring than the captive bred corys, but aside from that they all form random schools around the tank!
I think that 6 Corydoras Aenus would be too much for a 10g tank, regardless of whether you get bronze or albinos. They grow quickly, and much too large for a tank that size. I would reccomend a smaller cory, such as aggassiz, or trilineatus in a 10g, or Hasbrosus/Dainty Cory.

Is there a rule for working out how many cories (or other bottom dwellers) can go in a tank based on tank area, rather than volume?

Well, yes I would say that you could work out a formula incredibly easily. Say each cory needs 10? or so sq inches of space to themselves, so divide that into the total square inches of the bottom of your tank. Give yourself added inches of surface area if you have driftwood or flat rocks. That should give you a pretty good idea of how many corys you could have.
PS 10sq inches is just a random number, use the number of inches you best think your particular species of cory absolutely needs to him/herself.

[span class="edited"][Edited by Sneaky_Pete 2004-08-28 05:55][/span]

Come Play Yahtzee With Me!
http://games.atari.com
Http://www.myleague.com/yahtgames

You could (and should) put in six, but not a mix of albinos and bronze. Cories school by sight, and those two wouldn't mix.

They do school together. They know that they are the same species, and sight isn't the only thing they use when picking out their friends. If they did, in a tank with skunk corys, bronze corys, and SAEs, the skunk corys would try to school with the SAEs more than the other corys. Obviously, that doesn't make sense.

A group of albino zebras wouldn't isolate themselves from the normal zebras, just like albino corys won't isolate themselves from normal bronze corys.

---

I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

i want some corys for my 60g but i dont know how much i would need to keep them happy and healthy.
Ive been looking at panda corys,bronze and albino i dont know which one will stand out on my sand.
can some one please help.

My 6 bronze and 4 albino cories get on well together. Very well, judging by the number of babies .

I haven't noticed them schooling (shoaling?) with their own colour, they just all hang out together or pile up on each other. But they are a lot more playful now than when I started out with 1 bronze and 2 albino (before I found this site). I think they like having others of their own kind, even if they don't want to spend all their time with them.

Cories and the f. bettas will go fine. You could (and should) put in six, but not a mix of albinos and bronze. Cories school by sight, and those two wouldn't mix.

EDIT: I guess the information on cories schooling by sight was wrong, but that's what I've been told by numerous people.

[span class="edited"][Edited by sirbooks 2004-08-28 07:05][/span]

[span class="edited"][Edited by sirbooks 2004-09-02 06:58][/span]

---

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

Definitely at least six to keep them happy.

What type (color) you should get depends on the color of the sand. Are there others available in your area besides the three you listed? I personally like 3 lined cories, but I think they look best on a darker substrate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is water at the bottom of the ocean

o yes cory's. can someone tell me if i can put corys in with my female bettas?if so how many in a 10 gallon? and can albinos live with the reg brozen.

They resemble aquatic VW Beetles.

That's the best description of panda cories I've ever heard!

[span class="edited"][Edited by DoctorJ 2004-08-27 21:23][/span]

What colour of sand? For darker sands I would buy;

Panda Corydoras
Julii Corydoras
Albino Corydoras
metae Corydoras
Sterbai (rare, if you see them, grab'em) Corydoras
Arched or Skunk Corydoras

For lighter sands (normal and Silica) I would buy;
Palaetus Corydoras (Peppered Corydoras)
Aenus or Emerald Corydoras
Arched or Skunk Corydoras (these guys are good with anything)

In other words, the darker coloured Corydoras would do better on a lighter substrate as the lighter ones would do better on the darker.

Hope this helps.

For Panda Corydoras (1-1 1/4" in a 60GAL tank you could have tons. But I would have a small school of 12. That would look immensely neat. They resemble aquatic VW Beetles.

Gary

[span class="edited"][Edited by Crazygar 2004-08-27 20:58][/span]

You don't want bronze or albinos for your sand, but the pandas will stick out. You need at least six to make them really happy, but you can add more depending on what else is in your tank. You won't regret adding cories, they are really great fish. Entertaining, too. Prepare to throw out your t.v.!

---

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