Ready For The Next Cory -- Suggestions?

Cheers, all,

I think I'm about ready for another cory species and suggestions would be appreciated. Currently kept stock are C.panda/C.metae/C.habrosus/C.pygmeus, all stable, with the first two regularly breeding.
What is wanted is another cory shoal, medium size, and again the time that once settled is likely to breed without special efforts. Under considerations are C.rabauti, C.arcuatus or one of the new "laser" species (incidentally, does anyone know just what are "Green Laser" C.Aenius -- a new locale or an aquarium developed line?).... in this order. What I would like is a confirmation that these are all "average" cories in terms of breeding, to avoid getting into a difficult species when there are other acceptable choices.

Thank you in advance.

I have a type of corry that looks very nice and it is see-through but with zigzag line paterns.
I will get a pic on when lights turn on.

I am pretty new to the world of cories but have acquired not long ago 10 gold laser cories. They really are something else, I would say go for these and if you want even more unusual go for the green or red variants

Hi mikev

You have some interesting choices there. C. arcuatus is a beautiful fish but they are difficult to get to spawn. I have nine of them, with some really big females among them, in a 20 gallon long, that have never spawned. I've had them for several years already and doubt if they will at this point.

C. rabouti is a nice fish but if you are going to buy them from the lfs, there is a good chance that they will be mislabeled C. zygatus. They look quite similar. I've had good luck spawning the C. zygatus and would recommend them to you. If you haven't seen this article by Ian Fuller, it would be worth checking it out:

http/www.nettaigyo.com/corydoras/info/bbs/001/ian.html

Green Lasers are officially called CW009 and Orange Lasers are now CW010 although they appear in some of the older literature as color variations of the C. aeneus. They are absolutely natural fish and are no more difficult to keep than other corys. I've never had luck spawning them but you can see that others who post here have been successful.

Similar to them in appearance, but with a white stripe, is the C. schultzei (gold shoulders) and I've found them to be prolific spawners.



C. schultzei also comes in a black color variation but they have been line bred to get this color. These corys are much in demand and if you can find them I would highly recommend that you take advantage of the opportunity to get them. They are lovely fish. I've had good luck breeding them too, but others have found them more difficult.

Inchworm said:

Green Lasers are officially called CW009 and Orange Lasers are now CW010 although they appear in some of the older literature as color variations of the C. aeneus.

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Hi. All good advice from Inchy, but a small clarification is in order. True "Orange Lasers" are actually CW023. CW10's are "Peru Gold Stripes. CW023's are extremely rare and of the 4 "Lasers," including the CW014 "Red Laser," are probably the hardest of the bunch to spawn. The CW10's are the easiest, by far. Of course, in anything fish related, your mileage may vary. - Frank

Thanks for clearing that up, Coryologist.

BTW, the picture above is an old one of the corys I got from you quite some time ago. They are still fit and healthy today. Every now and then they give me a few eggs.

Inchworm said:

Thanks for clearing that up, Coryologist.

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My pleasure.

BTW, the picture above is an old one of the corys I got from you quite some time ago. They are still fit and healthy today. Every now and then they give me a few eggs.

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Geez. Don't make me sound so old, would ya'? lol. Glad to hear they are still trucking. - Frank

Thanks a lot; lots of good info and this cuts down on the choices. C.Arctuatus is really the only one I can find at a lfs, and it is out now. I did see a couple C.Rabauti once at a store...now that you pointed me to the Fuller's paper (thank you!) I wonder if their 2"+ size meant they were not. C.Schultzei look real nice!...but the reason I was aiming at specifically C.Rabauti is actually this photo; this is just to cool not to see in person.

Either species would have to be online...do you think this photo shows the real C.Rabauti? -- I don't think I can id them reliably myself. The only other options I see is Aquabid, here, just not sure I'm brave enough to order from this guy. I guess these lasers are indeed CW010?

Thanks for all your help.

Hi mikev

Those baby C. rabouti are cute indeed! I would love to see them. While I've never heard anything bad about the seller who is offering them, I understand what you are saying about being brave to buy from him. His pictures and manner have always put me off too. If you do buy from him, I'd be very interested to hear about it.

I'll leave the ID's up to Coryologist. My judgement isn't anywhere as good as his. One thing I can say though is that buying any fish online involves trust. When in doubt...don't. Have you looked at the fish Coryologist is offering? If there are any of them that even remotely interest you, go for them. I've bought his fish many times and can confidently say that anything you get from him will be better than anything you get from anyone else.

Thanks, Inchworm,

Unlikely to buy from him. For the last two months I have been trying to get a photo of another fish he is selling...it may be one I need. I called him maybe twenty times, asking, begging, getting back promises, weird stories and excuses, but no photo. The last time I offered to buy a photo for $5 just to settle this. Think I should offer him $10???

ThatPetPlace I feel reasonably comfortable about.

Yes, sure I always check the Coryologist AB listings. No C.Rabauti Otoh, I was asking about the lasers more on behalf of a friend, who is now interested in the CW023 listing.