Do I Have Enough Room For More Corries?

[Inchworm]

"Emerald Corys" are not corys at all, but are a related (but larger) species, Brochis splendens.

http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/speci...?species_id=114

C. aeneus (usually called bronze cory, but sometimes green cory) come in a variety of shades, depending on their country of origin, among other factors. Here's a picture of a fully mature, wild caught female:

If you compare them, especially around the tail and nose, you will be able to see the difference.

Here's another bronze C. aeneus:

 

[guppy fan]

I got my green cory at one of my lfs (Animal Ark), and then a while later I went to my other lfs (Petsmart) to get something, and that's where I saw the emerald corys. sorry if I confused you.
Thanks for the picks, by the way. I'm sure my green cory is not an emerald.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi guppy fan

It's a common enough error. It would probably be best to call it a "bronze" rather than a "green" cory so that no one gets confused again.

While I'm at it, let me clear up another error I see now and then:

I'd only change about 30% of the water once a week considering you have low waste producers and excellent filtration. And since you are overfiltered, I don't see why you couldn't have 4-5 corys along with your guppies.

I don't know how this idea got started, but corys are not low waste producers. For their length, they are substantial sized fish who are good eaters and who do best with a fair amount of protein in their diets. What goes in must come out. However, you are not likely to see corys trailing strings of poop along with them because they produce little turds which break up quickly and get carried into the filter. Overall, they create the same bio-load as any other well fed fish their size.

 

[Iron Man]

Not trying to hijack the thread here, but how much water do you suggest changing with cories? I know livebearers don't like water changes at all but I'm keeping tetras with my cory (soon to be corIES) and 75% water changes would be no problem for me.

 

[guppy fan]

Are you saying I should keep doing 50% or + water changes a week if I have like 4 corries in my tank? I't wouldn't be a problem for me.

 

[Inchworm]

Oh no, I didn't mean to suggest that you need to change more water with corys. I just wanted to point out that you can't crowd them in thinking they don't produce as much waste as any other fish their size.

If you change enough to keep your parameters at Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, and Nitrate as low as possible, you will be fine. As with other fish, test the water occasionally to be sure all is as it should be. Unless you have high nitrates in your tap water, or your tank is overstocked, big water changes of 50 or 75% shouldn't be necessary at all.

I have heard that corries are happiest in groups of atleast three of thier own kind. I am thinking of giving away my albino and getting two more green cories. Do I have enough room?

guppy fan, please don't give your albino away. If you have a bronze C. aeneus, it's most likely that the albino is the same species, just a different color. Most albino corys sold in the US are. Does it look like this?

 

[Ilya]

Here is my "green Cory cat" you can't see the colors because you're facing his head.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Ilya

Your green cory might be a Brochis Splendens. I could tell better if you had a side view. This link has more pictures for you to compare it to:

http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/speci...?species_id=114

Don't let the "green" in the name fool you. They may or may not look green, just like bronze corys often look more gray or green than bronze. Pay more attention to the body shape and the tail and dorsal (top) fin.

What do you think?

 

[guppy fan]

Oh, I thought that they where two different spiecies. So, if I got two more green bronz corys all four of my cats would school with together, right? My "green bronz" and my albino do school sometimes.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi guppy fan

Yes, they should school together. And, since they are the same species, if they were to breed it would be perfectly fine too. Some of the fry would turn out to be bronze and the others would be albinos.

 

[Ilya]

Hi Ilya

Your green cory might be a Brochis Splendens. I could tell better if you had a side view. This link has more pictures for you to compare it to:

[URL="http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/speci...?species_id=114"]http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/speci...?species_id=114[/URL]

Don't let the "green" in the name fool you. They may or may not look green, just like bronze corys often look more gray or green than bronze. Pay more attention to the body shape and the tail and dorsal (top) fin.

What do you think?

You see the pictures here:
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...t&p=1849765

 

[guppy fan]

Oh good, I'm gald I don't have to give him away to keep him happy! He is so cute. Two more bronzes will be coming as soon as the fin wrot clears up, and it is doing so quite nicely.

 

[fishman1981]

in you sig you say you have a lasa opso and its name is Dexter? i had a lasa opso and his name was Dexter

 

[Syphoniera]

You could keep up to 10 neons in a 5 gallon with the right setup and maintenance. However, I'd never subject 5 cories of any size to that size of a tank. They like to run about and explore too much and need room to root around and play. I would say even 5 cories in a 10 gallon is pushing it.

Also, to the original poster, you said you had a "green" cory. He's not an "Emerald" cory like mine is he? If he is then he'll def grow too large for that size of a tank. I feel sorry for mine and she's in a 20.

Hi, Iron Man,
I think one point made with the Neon Tetras needing room related less directly to bioload (although different sorts of Neons sold as such may also differ greatly in size and I had some real beauties which reached 2 inches and were proportionately large-bodied) and more to the fact that they do need space to school around.
Green Neons, which are smaller, might do well enough in a 10 gallon, I suppose, but Neon Tetras do tend to be very active and personally I'd rather keep them in a tank longer than 2 feet, to give them that swim room.

I had some young Neon and other tetras temporarily in a tall 20 gallon (what I termed, in my politer moments, a 'nose-bumper', and had purchased only out of sheer desperation while looking for a long 20 gallon apparently no longer sold in my area) and was very relieved to get them into a 35 gallon, once this was set up for them.
They were so happy to have the length.
Neon Tetras also like to run about and explore...

 

[dthoffsett]

Syphoniera, you do realize this topic was dredged up from 2007 and Iron Man is unlikely to answer right?