General corycat Q's

[Capt.Gorilla]

I'm interested in adding a small school of cory cats to my 55 gal tank.

How many is an Ideal number for their happiness? Do they need live plants or can they live with silk/plastic? Will they be happy with my large comets? Is gravel of average size (.5cm or there abouts) small enough substrate? What food do they love?

 

[RogerMcAllen]

I don't konw about comets. I am pretty sure cories are tropical and comets are cold water. In a 55 I think you could have anywhere from 5-20+, not exactly sure on that though.

 

[Capt.Gorilla]

I was looking at temp requirements for corys and it said 70-77*f and I keep my goildies at about 73-75*f so I thought that they might fit.

 

[zephyr]

If you want cute lil corys to be happy, then i would suggest a minimum of 4, but in a 55gallon you could get over a dozen of the lil beggers. They feel more comfortable in groups, and will be more liable to play around openly.
They dont need any sort of plant. They dont really eat algae or such, so they wont eat plants if you want live ones. In my experience they will be fine with live, fake or no plants!
They prefer smaller substrate so they can sift through it, but it isn't absolutely nessicary. Just make sure your substrate isn't sharp, or they will damage there barbles. If the barbles do get damaged, dont worry, they grow back.
Corys ignore other occupants of the aquarium, so i rekon they will be fine with your comets, just dont expect them to clean up after the comets!
I think corys enjoy tubifex worms, correct we if i'm wrong though. They don't really take flakes, but they will eat SMALL, SINKING pellets of wafers. Just make sure there small enough and they sink!
I like corys, they are hardy!
Hope this all helped you!
Justin

 

[Capt.Gorilla]

Thanks for your advice!

 

[Guppyman]

Corys

I keep 4 to 6 in a 10 G, tank - depending on their size. The albinos rarely school - regardless of the number. Other strains school a bit more w/ sterbai being the ultimate schoolers. They stick like glue to one another and are probably the prettiest of all the corys IMHO. Of coure they run $8 to $10 each, where alinos are generally $1 to $2. They will eat anything that hits the bottom including flake food - EXCEPT waste. many people think that they eat fish waste and report seeing them do it. What is happenning is they take the waste into their mouths, do a little gargling action and then eject the waste in smaller particles than the took in - through their gills. This is how they aid in the breakdown of waste. They make it smaller so the proper bacteria can get to it next. They are a totally beneficial species that put a very small footprint on your bioload. Worms are mandatory if you want them to breed and spirulina wafers are diposed of with gusto. They couldn't care less about plants, or the lack thereof. Smooth gravel will protect ther delicate barbels. They tolerate wide water parameters and temperatures. No tank should be wiyhout them, again, IMHO.

Guppyman

 

[myriam]

Guppyman (now soon to be aka Coryman ),

I have 2 Aeneus Cories with my platies and mollies--can you give me some tips on the salt? I have read that livebearers like aquarium salt, about 1 tsp/5 GAL, but I am reluctant to add some because I have also read that cories can't handle the salt.

Also, what kind of worms do you mean? I feed the fish bloodworms for a treat, but the livebearers eat them all up and none sink down for the cories. Is there a "sinking" kind of worm for them?

 

[Guppyman]

Cory

Hi - the only salt tip I can give you is - don't bother. Yes, salt CAN serve as a prophylactic, but since I have stopped using it, (again, probably the only guppy breeder who doesn't) I have had my troubles reduced by 90%. I'm not blaming the salt - just the constantly ditzing with the aquariums always kept them in a state of change. It is true that corys have a low tolerance for salt. Do yourself a favor. Just do a 20% water change weekly and eliminate as many chemicals a possible from your regimen. I promise you that you will have healthier fish in a matter of weeks.

Bloodworms or blackworms. Yes you do need to feed them to the point where the fish have had their fill and then some will find their way to the corys. It's not cheap, ut well worth the effort.

Guppyman

 

[Capt.Gorilla]

Also will different species of cories school together, like albinos with emeralds and such?

 

[Guppyman]

Cory Schooling

Sure, to the degree that they school at all. Corys are equal opportunity schoolers. - Guppyman

 

[Capt.Gorilla]

Great!