Cory Biotope

[ghent_3rd]

I am looking to create a biotope for Cories and alo a school of tetra. It is going to have a lot of bogwood round the sides, a sand bottom, a few pebbles and some leaves in to get it really tannin stained. What I want to know is if a typical yellow sand is biotope or should it be a little darker really, possibly with a very fine sprinkling of pea gravel, and I do mean very fine! Think I am going to add a blackwater extract also to really make it realistic.

 

[Matthew Lee Newell]

i would personaly go a little darker with the sand, expecialy if you are going for the more natural look.....
and when you have completed it, post up some pics, im interested

 

[kbod]

hi my cory only tank has lots of bogwood ,nice piece of rock they often sit on ..roman fine gravel looks like fine sand and some small pea gravel areas ...lots of moss and java fens etc .. the bogwood stains the water great..and my corys are breeding well ...and there fav place is sitting in the twisty twig...

my pics arent too great im afraid ..and ive added more amazon swords and vallis as they seem to love these for spawning in ...kaz x

 

[Inchworm]

Hi ghent_3rd

I don't know if you've seen this already, but here's a video of corys in their natural habitat:

http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWIVCdLOImw

 

[mbsqw1d]

was just about to post that youtube vid myself. its great!! i'm off out to get some bog-wood now (when the rain dies down a bit.. i'm on my push bike!)
OH, difference between bog wood and mopani root? sorry it its already posted somewhere. Just that i'm goin shoppin soon and need to know

 

[Inchworm]

Hi mbsqw1d

I think mopani wood is from a particular kind of tree but bogwood is a more general term that could be used for any kind of wood that has been preserved in a bog.

 

[ghent_3rd]

That video is amazing!! Gives a real insight as to what a cory set-up should look like! I am quite surprised at how openit is and not that many hiding places although the 2nd video does show a more diverse habitat with different levels and various bits of wood, I also noticed the serious lack of vegetation!

 

[ghent_3rd]

Are there any Cories that naturally occur in dense vegetation or are they all found in habitats similar to those in the videos??

 

[mattlee]

corys prefer open space to sift through for food and to swim about and play in. the more substrate space the better really but theres no reason why you couldnt add a few amazon swords or local plants for the biotope.
my cory tank just has 2 pieces of bogwood, 2 coconut caves, and lots of floating plants to filter out some of the light from above and they seem to like it
what tetras were you thinking of adding?

 

[ghent_3rd]

If I defo go for the cories then it will a LARGE shoal of Black Widows.

 

[mattlee]

If I defo go for the cories then it will a LARGE shoal of Black Widows.

i have green and gold stripe cory tanks and if i ever added a group of fish to them i think it would have to be black neons just to add to the neon effect from the corys giving a neon light show (in my head anyway!)..... black widows do get quite large so a LARGE shoal would need quite a big tank!

 

[ghent_3rd]

If I go for the Black Widows then the tank is going to be a 5 footer and between 350-400 litre so should be OK!!

If I stick with my Rio 180 then may look at the Ember Tetra as I really like them aswell. Also had some Lemon Tetra which I got on with pretty well.

 

[mattlee]

If I go for the Black Widows then the tank is going to be a 5 footer and between 350-400 litre so should be OK!!

If I stick with my Rio 180 then may look at the Ember Tetra as I really like them aswell. Also had some Lemon Tetra which I got on with pretty well.

seems quite a big tank just for corys and widow tetras....! but plenty big enough for them

 

[ghent_3rd]

I agree, VERY BIG for just them although think it would look amazing! Will actually be going for a few Angels aswell. Was never really a big fan of them until about 18 months ago.

Think the tank would be something like......A lot of Angels, Black Widows, another group of tetra, 1 type of Cory and some BN's. All nice and easy to look after but will look stunning altogether.

That's the plan anyway!!