Hey all, I'm new here. But I want to start a 40 or 55 gallon planted aquarium. I'm hoping to have a school of pygmy corys, and some C. Habrosus as well. I'd like to have some shrimp as well. What else can I throw in to add some color and movement at the mid to higher swimming level?? Also considered a small school of oto cats.
Cory Tankmates
- Thread starter jag51186
- Start date
Do you know the hardness of your water supply? It would be best if we knew that before we recommend any species to you
Most any peaceful fish will work. I would mention one thing though, and that is the very small size of Corydoras pygmaeus and C. habrosus. I have found that in larger tanks (above 3 feet in length) these fish tend to get lost. By that I don't mean they disappear (though sometimes that happens too) but they are so small you really don't see them in such a large space.
If you do decide on otos, give the aquarium a couple of months to establish, as it is best to have some common green algae or diatoms. Otos are wild caught, and almost always are near-starved when they arrive in stores. The frequent high mortality rate in home aquaria is due to not having "natural" food available at first. If they can graze algae, they will settle much better, and easily learn to eat prepared sinking foods. And by algae I mean the common type that will naturally grow in the biofilm on surfaces, which takes a few weeks to develop. Otos will not eat problem algae like brush and beard.
As for upper fish, with such small corys, it is best to stay with small fish to keep a natural visual appearance. Most of the smallish tetras, including pencilfish and hatchetfish, work well. Some may have more specific needs when it comes to water parameters, so it would help to know if your tap water is soft or moderately hard. Also, the "pygmy" cory species really must have sand substrates. And, they are better in slightly cooler temperatures than the average "tropical," say 75-77F max. I have found them to be best around 75F. I have a 10g with just C. pygmaeus, and several stages of fry from the regular spawnings. And keep these corys in larger groups, 9-12 or more.
Byron.
If you do decide on otos, give the aquarium a couple of months to establish, as it is best to have some common green algae or diatoms. Otos are wild caught, and almost always are near-starved when they arrive in stores. The frequent high mortality rate in home aquaria is due to not having "natural" food available at first. If they can graze algae, they will settle much better, and easily learn to eat prepared sinking foods. And by algae I mean the common type that will naturally grow in the biofilm on surfaces, which takes a few weeks to develop. Otos will not eat problem algae like brush and beard.
As for upper fish, with such small corys, it is best to stay with small fish to keep a natural visual appearance. Most of the smallish tetras, including pencilfish and hatchetfish, work well. Some may have more specific needs when it comes to water parameters, so it would help to know if your tap water is soft or moderately hard. Also, the "pygmy" cory species really must have sand substrates. And, they are better in slightly cooler temperatures than the average "tropical," say 75-77F max. I have found them to be best around 75F. I have a 10g with just C. pygmaeus, and several stages of fry from the regular spawnings. And keep these corys in larger groups, 9-12 or more.
Byron.
Thanks for the responses so far!! I'm going to take a sample in and get it tested first. I plan on setting up the plants and giving it loads of time to set up, had problems with being too impatient in the past. I'll post the results once I have it tested, I was hoping I could put in some bright livebearers, but won't do it if it's not right for them or my corys.
Livebearers need hard water to really thrive. Most (if not all) cory species prefer softer water conditions. Most tetras have a similar preference as the cories, as do rasboras, so these would be the best groups to stick with. As Byron said, carefully consider the size of the other tank mates. Diminunitive species will be the best way to go with the dwarf cory varieties.
jag51186 said:
I'm not suggesting at all that there is or might be any issue here. But just want to make a general comment about water tests by fish stores. Always insist they give you the number. They have to have it, as all tests result in some number. These general vague rather useless terms like "low hardness" and "neutral" don't really tell you or us very much. No water on the face of this planet is actually "neutral" so chances are your tank water/tap water is going to be either on the slightly acidic side or (perhaps more likely) on the slightly basic side. But the problem is, to the store clerk 7.6 might be "neutral," but it is not to me.
Anyway, you can check your tap water through the municipal water authority. Most have a website, and water data is often there. Or they can tell you. You want to know the GH (general hardness) number, the KH (carbonate hardness or Alkalinity) and the pH. The GH is the more important for some fish. The KH is worth knowing as it can tell you if the pH is likely to remain stable or perhaps fluctuate, since the KH serves to "buffer" pH. If you have any of these tests, fine; confirming the numbers with the more scientific measurement of the water authority is easy to do and wise.
Byron.
If your kit is old, it maybe past its use by date, so best to double check. Can you get the liquid test kits where you are, such as the API one?
Re: fish, once you know your water parameters... I would agree with everything already said, especially regarding Oto's, I also buy seaweed for mine, which they love as well as cucumber and courgette.
Other small fish are the Rasboras Espei, Celeste Danio, both of which look stunning in a school. Pencilfish are great and already mentioned, there are many different varieties. Threadfin Rainbows are dainty, and again great in a school. I have recently bought some Scarlet Bandis, and am finding these shy little fish rather entertaining.
I love my Peacock Gudgeons, and am currently raising about 100 fry, shame you are not closer
http
/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/437197-peacock-gudgeon-journey-of-the-fry/
Looking forward to seeing what you decide on, and hopefully some pictures/a journal of your tank setup
Re: fish, once you know your water parameters... I would agree with everything already said, especially regarding Oto's, I also buy seaweed for mine, which they love as well as cucumber and courgette.
Other small fish are the Rasboras Espei, Celeste Danio, both of which look stunning in a school. Pencilfish are great and already mentioned, there are many different varieties. Threadfin Rainbows are dainty, and again great in a school. I have recently bought some Scarlet Bandis, and am finding these shy little fish rather entertaining.
I love my Peacock Gudgeons, and am currently raising about 100 fry, shame you are not closer
http
/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/437197-peacock-gudgeon-journey-of-the-fry/Looking forward to seeing what you decide on, and hopefully some pictures/a journal of your tank setup
I have well water with a softener btw. I did my tests with the API liquid tests. The KH came back at 5 drops which is ~90 ppm. The GH test expired in November, so I'm probably going to go get a new test to confirm, but it only took 1-2 drops which is between 18-36 ppm. The ph read about 6.8.
jag51186 said:
You need to be careful about water softeners. Many use sodium salts and this results in "soft" water as far as the hard minerals go but the water is full of salt which is bad for many freshwater fish. It would be wise to sample the well water before it goes through the softener, if you can get the water pre-softener, and depending upon the GH that might be better water for fish. Depends upon the softener method, and the GH.
Byron.
Pre-softened water is much higher GH, as expected. The liquid test turned green at about 13 - 14 drops, which is somewhere about 250 ppm I think. It stops giving me numbers at 12 drops. pH stayed about the same at 6.8 to 7.
jag51186 said:
This depends upon the method used by the softener. Can you track this down? Are you using "salts" in it? I've never used a softener so I don't know much about them, aside from the fact that those using salt are said to be inadvisable for fish.
Byron.
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