Small cory thats less sensitive than pandas

[joannde]

I keep losing my Panda Cories and I'm getting quite depressed. I do love them, but I feel like I'm sentencing them to death by putting them in my tank. I'd love to know which cories stay small (2" or so) and that I could do a group of at least 5 of in my tank.

Tank info:
Tank size: 36" x 12" x 19" (I thought it was a 29 but I think it may actually be larger - bought it 20 yrs ago and just can't remember !)
pH 8.4 (lovely tap water)
GH = 14 degrees (250ppm) , KH = 9 degrees (161 ppm)
Temp = 78 from fall through spring (4 -5 months in total); summer it can get to 82 - 84 (unairconditioned room in Clearwater FL).
Tankmates: see my info or my sig

[WaterPond]

green cories are extremely hardy, but not as attractive as others, still cute though and are usually the cheapest

[Satsumas]

How sensitive are the panda's? I like the look of them and because of their size I was seriously considering them for my 20gal long.

What about Julli's or peppered cories? i also like the look of the schwartz's cory.

[JustOneMore20]

You could try some Corydoras trilineatus (sometimes labelled 3-line, Julii-although they aren't, False Juliis). They are not that sensitive IMO. And they stay around 2 inches. Here is a picture. True Julii cories are rare, so usually ones that are labelled Juliis are really trilineatus.

Others are Bandit (C. metae) and Skunk (C. arctuatus) but I'm not sure how sensitive they are.

The dwarf cories that stay 1 inch are probably as sensitive as Pandas, if not more, so I wouldn't go with them. (C. habrosus, pygmy, and hastatus)

It sounds like your tank is around a 35 gallon tank Joannde. Thats awesome!

Albino, Peppered, or Bronze cories would also work like mentioned before...but they do get 3+ inches. But in a 3 foot tank...that would be ok.

*edited to add more

[WaterPond]

albino cories are hardy too.

There are three cories that are very hardy, but also easy to find, they are green cories, peppered cories, and albinos. I think peppered cories are the most attractive out of the three.

[eah]

I recently went to a store that sold tank-raised panda cories. They were a bit expensive (about $7 each, I think) but they were supposed to be much less finicky than the wild caught ones. Do you know if the pandas that you've been buying are wild caught?

[joannde]

I don't know if the Panda's I've gotten were wild caught or tank raised. I do like the Trilineatus - VERY nice indeed !
Today I was at Petsmart (for a change ! with a dog, a budgie and the fish tanks I'm there 2x a week .... ok, ok ... I like playing with the parrots and on weekends they have dogs from the local shelters ... so those are the real reasons I'm there so much LOL). The Panda's I got from Petsmart were the ONLY ones that survived.
When I bought the last group (of 5) from the LFS I tested their tank water - nice and soft with a pH of 6.8. So I drip acclimiated for what I thought was long enough but now I'm thinking maybe it wasn't. I was talking to the gal at Petsmart today who said their tank water was exactly like mine - hard as a rock with a pH of 8.4 .... so that may explain at least SOME of the ill fate I've had with my Pandas.
They're probably getting more in on Wednesday (they didn't have any left today) so I may give them another try and see if my observations are right. Hopefully they can hang onto a few (ie: not sell) for a week or so which would give them time to acclimate at the store and 'weed out' any that don't acclimate well to my tank conditions.
If not, then I'll see if the LFS can get some Trilineatus for me - they're as adorable as Pandas from that pic.

ps: guess I have 6 more gallons then I thought sounds good to me. I'm trying to convince my husband that we should get a 125 for xmas - I want that Malawi tank !!! But I've had to promise its the last tank LOL (wink)

[eah]

I had no idea that any Petsmarts carried panda cories. How much do they usually cost if you don't mind my asking?

Good luck with the next batch you get.

[fish 'n' fries]

I agree the Trilineatus are a good option. I've had good luck with my "sold as julii's"--haven't lost any. Plus I think they're awfully cute! They seem hardier than my skunks. (At least I've had better luck with them!)

[JeffreyL]

Yup, that sounds like a 35 gal tank. Congrats Joannde, you just got 6 gal free!!!!!! Another possibility is peppered cories, if no one has mentioned them. I do not know how tough they are to keep compared to pandas. I have both and all are doing fine. In fact the peppered guys are spawning. Not they have much chance of raising fry with Bruce the betta around. lol Regardless, good luck if you try more pandas!! They are cute little fellas.