Hardy Cories

[shockshockshad]

Well, if salt is not needed I don't want to put it in. What I meant by putting salt in the tank was putting it in the hospital tank. Thanks for the info on salt!

 

[jollysue]

Yes a small amount of salt is often recommended for the hospital tank as it raises the amount of oxygen or something that the fish can get from the water.

Salt dips and baths are used for parasites and I have seen it be beneficial in fighting a columnaris infection on a Cory, who recovered.

 

[shockshockshad]

Sooo, maybe half the dose of salt in the main tank, and when there is something wrong, like a bacterial infection or a parasite, or basically anything on the scales/skin, do a salt bath for maybe 10 minutes? Or only a few seconds? Or like a minute? How much salt (in teaspoons) for a 3 gallon bucket? So many questions! I never have used salt before! Well in that case, I have never had an aquarium!

 

[freshwaterfishlover]

I don't know were you live, but I have 7 LFS and all sell Bronze Cories

 

[jollysue]

Shockshockshad, I doubt if anyone would recommend keeping salt all the time in a tank with Corys. It is highly debated regarding keeping salt all the time in any aquarium other than a brackish or marine tank. The use of salt is very individualized. Even the recommended doses vary. There are heated arguments over it's use and efficacy. I do not keep salt in any of my tanks anymore, but I do not argue with those that do. I would recommend that you do some research--google--and read the different opinions and facts. There are lots of threads in the archives on TFF with long debates on this issue. If a trusted mentor tells me to do a salt bath, I do it. In a hospital tank with fish that are having oxygen problems, I may add a tiny bit. Salt baths are close to a last resort. When to do salt baths or dips and for how long is beyond my expertise and I would have to research it for you.

Let me know what you find out and decide.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi shockshockshad

The most important things you can do for your fish is to keep the tank clean, the bottom vacuumed, the temperature steady and at an appropriate temperature for the fish you have, and the surface of the water moving to provide a good supply of oxygen.

You are doing good research and I doubt if you will buy fish that are not compatible. Keep up the good work and don't worry too much about things that could go wrong. Enjoy your fish.



PS. I would never mix fish that NEED salt with corys since they require fresh water to live long and healthy lives.

 

[shockshockshad]

Thank you for the compliment inchworm. I am glad that I am doing things right. I found out (on aquariumfish.net) that cories will do fine in 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons. You can put this salt in the main tank, but it is better only in the hospital because if the fish is exposed to salt for long periods of time, it will do nothing when you want it to cure Here is the link to the site

 

[nmonks]

Just following on what from Jollysue says, salt is really only needed as a specific treatment, not as a permanent additive. In most cases, it's just a waste of money. Your danios, neons and whatnot couldn't care less about a teaspoon of salt per gallon (~ tablespoon per 5 gallons), and assuming you have a proper filter and do regular water changes, the beneficial effects of salt (reducing the toxicity of nitrite and nitrate) won't be manifest anyway.

On the other hand, short term use of salt can be very useful, either as baths (dipping freshwater fish for 1 to 20 minutes in seawater) or as an additive for curing things like whitespot. In the case of things like clown loaches, there's some evidence that using brackish water cures them more safely than using copper-based medications.

Salt doesn't increase oxygen in the water; in fact it does the reverse: salty water holds less oxygen than pure water. What salt can sometimes do is provide a smaller difference between the salt concentration inside the fish and the water outside its body. (In effect, fish are "brackish" inside their bodies, so the more brackish freshwater becomes, the less salt is lost to the environment and the less water seeps in.) Under certain circumstances, this "support" can be helpful, in the same sort of way that salty drinks are helpful to people who have severe dehydration.

That said: most freshwater fish don't encounter salty water in their natural range, so there's no real advantage to keeping freshwater fish in water with tiny amounts of salt added. Some people do, but I doubt they're getting any benefit from it.

Anyway, getting back to the original point: I agree with Inchworm that basically any commonly traded Corydoras can be considered hardy provided you keep them in an aquarium with good water quality and water chemistry somewhere within their range of tolerances. Dr. David Sands (a Corydoras expert) has stated that Corydoras will tolerate small amounts of salt. I'd personally not expose them to more than SG 1.003 (that's about 6 grammes of salt per litre). Most hardy freshwater fish are not bothered by that amount of salt. Still, if I was looking for a catfish for a brackish water tank with mollies in, I'd be looking at Hoplosternum littorale. It's a relative of the Corydoras genus, but naturally inhabits brackish water (in preference to soft/acid water in fact) and will tolerate up to 40% normal seawater salinity.

Cheers, Neale

 

[jollysue]

I hope I wasn't abrupt shockshockshad. I didn't mean to be. I just didn't feel qualified to answer. I'm glad Inchy and nmonks came along.

 

[shockshockshad]

So, in all of what everyone said, since freshwater fish never encounter salt in there home range, don't use it, but salt baths can be useful, like curing whitespot, or any other parasite. Thanks for all of the info! That was a bunch of help! But, do I do salt baths or not use salt baths?

 

[nmonks]

It depends. Some diseases are very effectively treated with either salt added to the tank or with regular saltwater dips. But other diseases won't be effected at all. So you need to diagnose the disease you think your fish has, and then decide whether the use of salt (either as an additive or dip) is safer/more effective than the alternative treatments (copper-based medications, formalin-based medications, etc.).

Personally, I'd consider salt a back-up treatment for situations where other medications are risky, for example when treating clown loaches for whitespot, because clowns are harmed by some of the standard whitespot medications.

Cheers, Neale

But, do I do salt baths or not use salt baths?

 

[shockshockshad]

Okay, I will just ask whether or not I need salt when a fish is sick.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Of the common livebearers, mollies are the only ones you might want to keep in salt, unless you had special reasons (i.e. other fish in tank that needed it). Swordtails and platies do not need salt. (Though most livebearers are happier in fairly hard, alkaline water).

As for gouramis, pearl gouramis tend to be very peaceful- I also think a single male banded gourami would be fine with your corys. I've got mine in with male guppies and he never causes any trouble. The ones that are nasty are paradise fish and to some extent golden/opaline/blue gouramis. Avoid the dwarf gourami- sickly and often temperamentally difficult. Bandeds are a lot nicer!

 

[nmonks]

Agree with this 100%. I'd also add that moonlight gouramis (Trichogaster microlepis) and thick-lipped gouramis (Colisa labiosus) also tend to be pretty good. Climbing perch are also excellent community fish in many cases. Ctenopoma acutirostre is predatory, yes, but provided it is kept with fish too big to eat (i.e., Congo tetra sized fish upwards) it is completely peaceful.

Cheers, Neale

Of the common livebearers, mollies are the only ones you might want to keep in salt, unless you had special reasons (i.e. other fish in tank that needed it). Swordtails and platies do not need salt. (Though most livebearers are happier in fairly hard, alkaline water). As for gouramis, pearl gouramis tend to be very peaceful- I also think a single male banded gourami would be fine with your corys. I've got mine in with male guppies and he never causes any trouble. The ones that are nasty are paradise fish and to some extent golden/opaline/blue gouramis. Avoid the dwarf gourami- sickly and often temperamentally difficult. Bandeds are a lot nicer!

 

[jollysue]

I am surely not going to disagree with the big boys, but I will say what I have said before concerning keeping Corys with any agressive or semi aggressive fish. If you see the Corys are always bunched up, are always hiding, do not seem to be free to troll openly for food, and/or never wiggle with delight at feeding time, be aware that they may be stressed. Corys are a very healthy and longlived fish in the right environment. But they do not handle stress well generally. Many can live up to 20 years, but they are defensless and harmless.

I have had one small 1.5" Betta terrorize a shoal of Brochis splenden (3.1") so that I never saw them. Moved the Betta and after a few months they reappeared and are a happy bunch of fish. I believe I remember Neale specifically referring to his desire to keep happy fish.