Good Site To Try To Id A Cory?

[mikev]

Yes, thanks jollysue, only one Cory is in question (the middle/bottom one of four).

OK, if the tank can handle a few more cories, it would be arcuatus. Right now I'm not sure, the problem with the cories is that the more of them are in the tank, the more obnoxious they get, the loaches became less visible with the two metae's addition.

Hmmm... that orange head spot on duplicarus does look very attractive....

 

[mikev]

OK, the cory here is certainly a Metae. I saw a bunch of Melini's and now can distinguish the two. And after the dust settled, it became clear that Metae's and Panda's recognize their species: they don't mind others but are more often with their own kind.

I saw a bunch of skunks today (arcuatus)......

Q1: What is the really the smallest number that will keep them comfortable assuming the presence of similar species? 4? 5? (I'm afraid to overload on cories....they make other fish scarce already...)

Q2: Am I right that there is no real difference between all these species (Panda, Metae, Melini, Arctuatus) in terms of size, requirements, and behavior?

 

[Kets]

Copied from Planet Catfish:

Corydoras panda
Size 50mm (2")
pH 6.0 - 7.4
Temperature 22.0-25.0°C or 71.6-77°F (Show others)
Other Parameters Soft to moderate hardness - dGH 2-12.

Corydoras metae
Size 50mm (2") SL
pH 6.5 - 7.5
Temperature 21.0-24.0°C or 69.8-75.2°F

Corydoras melini
Size 45mm (1.8")
Temperature 22.0-26.0°C or 71.6-78.8°F

Corydoras arcuatus
Size 55mm (2.2")
Temperature 22.0-26.0°C or 71.6-78.8°F

 

[Barracuda518]

OK, the cory here is certainly a Metae. I saw a bunch of Melini's and now can distinguish the two. And after the dust settled, it became clear that Metae's and Panda's recognize their species: they don't mind others but are more often with their own kind.

I saw a bunch of skunks today (arcuatus)......

Q1: What is the really the smallest number that will keep them comfortable assuming the presence of similar species? 4? 5? (I'm afraid to overload on cories....they make other fish scarce already...)

Q2: Am I right that there is no real difference between all these species (Panda, Metae, Melini, Arctuatus) in terms of size, requirements, and behavior?

Q1: I would say 6 is the minimum, some say less. As you probably know, the bigger the group, the more natural they will act.

Q2: You might want to just stick to one or two species which have very similar requirements and put them in larger groups. To answer your question, I think all the ones you listed would be fine together.

 

[mikev]

Yep, need to make a decision...those skunks looked quite appetizing but I guess I'll have to skip on them, otherwise the cory dominance become total

The Metae unfortunately are too elusive right now....I'd prefer to find another three, see how much space they really use, but they are nowhere....

 

[Barracuda518]

Yep, need to make a decision...those skunks looked quite appetizing but I guess I'll have to skip on them, otherwise the cory dominance become total

The Metae unfortunately are too elusive right now....I'd prefer to find another three, see how much space they really use, but they are nowhere....

So what did you decide?

 

[mikev]

Yep, need to make a decision...those skunks looked quite appetizing but I guess I'll have to skip on them, otherwise the cory dominance become total

The Metae unfortunately are too elusive right now....I'd prefer to find another three, see how much space they really use, but they are nowhere....

So what did you decide?

Still thinking.

I want to see what happens to the tank when i add the cories that are in quarantine now (3 Pandas, 1 Metae)....Cories were supposed to be an extra, not the main fish, and right now they make it difficult for other fish to feed....
I'm pretty certain that I will add some more Hara to the tank...they don't cause problems for others. I will somehow find a couple more Metae's eventually. Adding another species..less sure.

Question, since I have your attention:
Do any cories exhibit different behavior or all are pretty much the same? This is the impression I'm getting: unlike loaches or gobies where every species is unique, cories have only minor variations in size and pattern. If this is not true, what would be a different cory?

 

[mikev]

Well, when i moved the cories to the large tank, this is what happened in the qtank they were in (now the permanent home to the peacocks):

The tank is heavily planted, so I did not notice the little thing right away. It is probably 0.5" now and made it on its own... i think the tankmates would not be able to eat it anymore, not that they even tried.

Any diet suggestions or just let it be?

 

[Cory_Dad]

Cute little thing.

How about: blood worm, black worm, brine shrimp, (frozen/fresh), sinking tablets (various types).

Please don't expect them to be garbage eaters as they aren't.

 

[mikev]

Thanks!

Nay, no garbage.

The probable reason they survived is that I was feeding this tank things like small bloodworms, new hatched bs, decap, and first bites.
Not for their sake -- I did not even know of them -- but Werneri's and peacocks in the same tank prefer small foods...
I'll add catfish wafers.

 

[Cory_Dad]

Thanks!

Nay, no garbage.

The probable reason they survived is that I was feeding this tank things like small bloodworms, new hatched bs, decap, and first bites.
Not for their sake -- I did not even know of them -- but Werneri's and peacocks in the same tank prefer small foods...
I'll add catfish wafers.

Excellent. Remember, they are omnivores so although they will munch on algae wafers, they need protein as well (even more so). I don't feed mine algae wafers very often but I do feed them 3 different types of wafers throughout the week. Each one has a different formulation with different percentages of vegetable matter and protein. Live/frozen food is also important.

Cheers.

 

[mikev]

They don't seem to be interested in wafers of any kind (yet?), it seems that small foods, especially decap, is what they prefer. And some interests in bloodworms, not that they can manage them well yet.

Anyway, this solves the issue of getting more cories; if these chaps make it, and they should, they use up the cory allowance.