Can Anyone Tell Me What Type This Cory Is?

[xamy_valox]

Yeah I know, that's what I meant by moustachey bits haha, I couldn't think of the correct term. Hmm well that's definiately something Ill look for when buying cory's again. What does it mean if they have none? Ill health?
Amy xx

 

[Harlequins]

Corys barbels can wear down through having too rough or sharp substrate this in turn can lead to bacterial infection through their barbels.....

Has corys use their barbels to hunt out food,any problems with these barbels can lead to poor health and/or maybe death.

 

[xamy_valox]

Ahh I see, well these 2 didn't look like they had any from when I bought them but I thought nothing of it, but my other 2 do. I havent got sand in my tank cus I dont like it and my friends takes forever to clean so I have rounded natural gravel that isn't sharp for them.
Amy xx

 

[§tudz]

The corys that need Identifying are Corydoras leucomelas.
Mooch has C. Agassizzi.

On the note of barbels, without them a cory will not be able to taste, it's like you having your Tongue cut out
A good clean sand substrate will see them grow back quickly enough.

 

[fluttermoth]

If you want to keep cories you really should have sand. It's not hard to clean and I know you don't like the look of it, but it's your fish's house really, not yours; you don't have to live in it like they do; you should make it nice for them!

It's not normal for heathy fish to be ' letting himself be sucked in by the filter'. That says to me 'sick fish'. Have you done a few big water changes? You should always do at least a 75% change if you've had a dead fish IMO.

 

[§tudz]

I didnt see the comment about 'Not liking sand'
That is just silly, detritus just sits on the top of the sand and is easily cleaned, its easy to keep sand clean than it is to keep gravel clean, IMO.
I have sand in all my tanks bar two or three, and they dont have catfish in.

Corydoras are naturally found in shallow slow moving streams with sand and mud substrates, often covered in leaves, logs and large stones and other detritus.
This is what they are design to live in, not pebbles or gravel, and it will just cause them more harm than good to ignore this fact.

 

[xamy_valox]

Yeah well I had been anyway because of having a bout of White Spot, so I have been doing 50% changes.
When I bought the cory's the guy in the shop said my gravel was fine as long as it wasn't sharp or glass gravel which it isn't.
Would I be ok to put patches of sand in? Rather than all sand? I've seen this done in other tanks with cory's.

Amy xx

P.S I don't think you can say 'not liking sand is silly' it's preference...However if I was given false information in the shop I will try an rectify it.

 

[This Old Spouse]

It would be so much easier for you to clean if it was all sand. I'm working up to switching my 55g over to sand so it's EASIER to clean than the gravel. Then I can put my cories back in that tank.

And if you look back at posts throughout the forum, you'll realize that advice from your LFS staff is rarely reliable. Their job is to sell you stuff, not worry about the welfare of your fish. Just think, the more that die, the more they can sell you. So why worry about the long-term wellness of them?

Ask all the questions that you can think of here. Everybody is happy to help!

 

[xamy_valox]

Thanks This Old Spouse, I guess I'll look at switching over to sand then =\
I do like to use this forum because I tend to get quick answers to my dilemmas, I just hate the few that 'lecture' and make you out to be purposely uncaring towards your fish.
Amy xx

 

[This Old Spouse]

There is that aspect, but I find that overall the information here is spot on. I'm a member of some other forums, and first off they tend not to answer right away (would that be "straight away" in Great Britain?

) and secondly I was never quite convinced that the advice was accurate! I do know now that I shouldn't trust any LFS, even if he owns the darn store. We were just advised that we could keep a pair of Jack Dempseys and a pair of firemouth cichlids together in a 20g tank. So we got them and brought them home. So far no disasters but also we have 4 fish who are NOT happy with each other. Can't bring them back because the LFS is more than 3 hours away! Grrr.

Anyway, please let us know how you progress! BTW, we LOVE photos ...

 

[xamy_valox]

Haha cool. Yeah I was thinking of showing off my tank as since upgrading from a Fluval Edge I am really pleased with the way this tank has turned out and how I can have much more variety.
I prefer to have many small fish rather than a few big ones. Ill upload some pics once I get the hang if doing it without having to post a link lol.
Thanks again xx

 

[§tudz]

I was not lecturing, I was merely pointing out that taking your own opinion on sand over what is needed for your fish is silly.

We all start some where, and always get it wrong to start with, that what started me on the getting more tanks as I over stocked and over stocked

I also tried to give you some further background knowledge on the fish, which yes is lecturing but in the manner of teaching you something.
Its fine to say "they need sand or mud", but knowing why they need it is always much better, as when you tell someone it should be sand and they "why?" you have a full answer, rather than "Just because!"

As for LFS a large number give VERY bad advice, but I know a few near me that do give good advice, as long as you ask the right people in the store.
Ive seen and heard a lot of bad advice in the past, even down to a staff member telling a customer it was fine to keep guppies with a figure of eight puffer in fresh water!?
And there have been many times when Ive told the customer what they had just been told was wrong, sometimes to even be told myself "What do you know? this guy works here!" so yeah its a losing battle most the time with getting the right information.

If I upset you I am sorry I dont mean to cause offense, but saying you wouldnt have sand because you dont like it really, in my opinion, is silly the welfare of the fish is the first concern.
But as we can see you have decided to add sand

having patches of sand is ok, but it will be hard to make it look nice as well as keeping the fish happy too, it would be far simpler and easier for you to exchange the gravel for sand totally. Also remember to thoroughly wash your sand before adding it to your tank, as the sediments in the sand can brake your filters and also cloud the water, if you dont prep the sand properly.

 

[iownupkr66]

well this topic has helped me because i have these and i never knew what they were lol