Do corys really NEED a school?

[NYgiantsRP]

I have seen over and over, and even given the advice myself, that corys need a school of 5 or more. Then I started thinking, and wondering.

I have had a school of corys for a long time now. I had 8 False Juli for over 2 years, and now 6 emerald green for around 3 months. But with both "schools" they would all live there own seperate lives all day long. The only time they were together was at night when they hang out in one coner together to sleep.

I know that in the wild they would stay together for saftey reaons, but the fish we buy have been tank bred for multiple generations, do they loose there instinct to school beacuse they arent in danger?

I go to 4 different privately owned fish stores. Whenever I see corys they dont seem to be schooling. hmm?

 

[LyndaB]

I vote yes.

And offer this analogy..... my husband and I aren't attached at the hip every second that we're in the house together, but I sure am glad to know he's there if I want to be... it increases my sense of peace and security.

I've had groups of corys and I've had as few as 2. When I had 2, they hid all the time. Now that I have 6, they are out all the time, and they really are attached at the hip for the most part. They actually school more closely than any other species I keep.

 

[Nubster]

Cories are not schooling fish really but like Lynda said, groups give them security. There are a lot of fish that might not school but prefer to have groups of their own in the tank.

 

[SherryD]

A few months ago I purchased a group of 4 spotted cories, to my delight the staff that helped me had actually given me 3spotted, and 1 Julie Cory. They all went thru quarantine and were added to my 56g column tank. I found the 3 spotted did hang out together, not a tight school but within eyesight of each other, but the Julie was pretty much ignored by the others. She seemed so lonely, so I went out and got 5 more julies (checked each one as they were put in the bag to make sure it was a Julie!) and will be adding them to my tank in another week after they complete quarantine. My Julie is such a funny thing all by herself, can't wait to see her when I add her buddies. So yeah, I would say from my experience they need to be in groups, they may not school tightly, but they are definitely happier in groups.

 

[Fishman94]

I have a pair in a small tank

 

[LyndaB]

I have a pair in a small tank

And? What have your observations about their behavior been?

 

[savage]

I have 2 Peppered and 1 Bronze in my 20g. By far the most active occupants. All three forage and sleep together, but on occasion they all do their own thing. They really remind me of puppies the way they seem to be wagging their tails.

I guess you might have to know my beagle to get my meaning. Almost hyper sometimes.

I plan on having at least 5 pandas in my 55g. Great fish. Always something to watch with them around.

 

[Fishman94]

And? What have your observations about their behavior been?

They seem happier than the group of 12 I have

 

[LyndaB]

Really, that's interesting.

 

[savage]

I should add that I completely agree that they would be more comfortable in groups. I really just think that's their nature. Even the Gourami will go down and hover almost on top of them when they're chillin.

I wanted all peppered, but when I went to buy my third the lfs only had one Cory in the whole place. It was marked as a green Cory and spazzing on the bottom of a tank full of clown loaches. Felt bad for him, so I grabbed him.

 

[Reygan2]

I have 2 Peppered and 1 Bronze in my 20g. By far the most active occupants. All three forage and sleep together, but on occasion they all do their own thing. They really remind me of puppies the way they seem to be wagging their tails.

I guess you might have to know my beagle to get my meaning. Almost hyper sometimes.

I plan on having at least 5 pandas in my 55g. Great fish. Always something to watch with them around.

My panda's remind me of puppies too! I love watching them wiggle around. IME certain kinds only group with the same kind. My peppered had nothing to do with my panda's. I had one panda that survived a disease outbreak, and when I finally added the 3 new ones, thinking it would be happy...it very rarely has anything to do with the new ones..even after several weeks

 

[NYgiantsRP]

I had the same thoughts as most.

Has anyone kept one by itself succesfully?

I did have 1 false julli for about 2 months, but read they needed groups so I went and got more. It did act the same alone as when I added more.

I was just thinking that it might just be something everyone though was the right thing to do but really didnt matter.

 

[Saltair]

I had two that started in a 15gal and were moved to a 30 when I went bigger after a few months. I lost one over Christmas after having them in the tank as a twosome for over a year. When they were two they were almost always together now that he has been alone for about three weeks he doesn't act any different except that he tries to hang out with a single Oto that is in the tank. I have three more Cories in QT that will join him soon.

 

[jetajockey]

I'm going out on a limb here and I'm going to say no, they don't "need" a school. Some fish will stress without a school/group, but I don't believe cories are one of them.

They shoal/school in nature and rightly so, but they aren't what I typically define as a 'schooling' fish. They hang out with one another and definitely appreciate the company of their own, but I don't believe they require it to thrive.

I've kept a few odd cories either alone or with one or two others, and have never seen a real difference between their behavior and that of my cories who are in groups of 8-12.

However when it comes to stocking, I always recommend them in groups because I love the interaction between them and they definitely love having the company of their own kind. Who wants to see just 1 or 2 cories anyway?

 

[NYgiantsRP]

Thats what I was thinking jeta. Some fish dying shortly if they arent in a school. I think its a misconception with corys. I just wish mine would swim together more. They are just swimming around alone aimlessly.

 

[absolutangel04]

I have kept loners a few times in qt and they never really did much. They just sat. Then, I would add them in even with one more cory and they did much better. So, My experience shows that they do better in at least a pair rather than just totally alone. But, some individuals seem to do better than others. I wouldn't personally keep just one in a tank long term with no other corys in the tank though. I have not actually kept loners long term though, but they did not seem to me the thrive unless they were with at least one other cory.
The smaller ones need the company more IME. Also, some species are a little shyer than others. I would think 1 albino would do ok (but still better with a friend), but 1 panda might not. Again, just my experience.

 

[Athaocity]

I also have a pair too in my 20 long.
One peppered and aeneus.
They are mostly about on their own, sometimes pair up during feeding time.

Someday, ima make a biotope tank dedicated for a shoal of corydoras'.

 

[maestromad]

IMO I had two peppered fr a while and they hid alot and were easily spooked. When I added some trilined to the mix the group of six chase each other round and seem much more happy

 

[debisbooked]

Schooling corys a must?

I have seen over and over, and even given the advice myself, that corys need a school of 5 or more. Then I started thinking, and wondering.

I have had a school of corys for a long time now. I had 8 False Juli for over 2 years, and now 6 emerald green for around 3 months. But with both "schools" they would all live there own seperate lives all day long. The only time they were together was at night when they hang out in one coner together to sleep.

I know that in the wild they would stay together for saftey reasons, but the fish we buy have been tank bred for multiple generations, do they loose there instinct to school beacuse they arent in danger?

I go to 4 different privately owned fish stores. Whenever I see corys they dont seem to be schooling. hmm?

I have four Swartz' corys (down from a group of six) that used to scamper around freely when the other two were alive. Two died separately several months ago and since then these four stick together like glue and never come out from their hiding place anymore. The tank mates are one aged bolivian ram, eight neons, and eight skirt tetras in a 75g. I'm assuming the corys need more of their own kind to feel safe though none of the other fish bother them at all. I do a weekly water change and have to move the driftwood they hide under to count them and check for sickness (none visible). I will be buying more plants in hopes that this will help them feel safer. So, my experience tells me that the need for six or more to feel safe is still inbred.

 

[fishyperson3010]

I have 2 peppered corys in a 10g and all they do is hide but will get more when my 47g finishes cycling