How Many Corys ?

[jimmyringo]

My tank and stock is in my sig below.Just wondering how many more corys could i get away with,if any? (Running a 2 year mature Eheim 2213 filter)

Thanks

 

[backtotropical]

Hi Jimmy,

Going by your sig, you are quite lightly stocked at the moment, and corys don't create too much waste, so i'd reckon that another 6 - 8 corys would be just fine. Corys like to be in big groups too, so they'd appreciate some friends to play with.

Did you get the pH problem sorted? I wouldn't add any more livestock until that is under control.

Cheers

BTT

 

[jimmyringo]

Its stable at 7 at the minute BTT,but i'm not going to add any more fish for a while and keep testing to be sure.I've got some coral gravel tucked away in case it drops again.

But i'm using my time planning what i want my finished stock to be eventually.I'm thinking less is more, and sticking with what i have and just increasing the corys.The plus side of my problems was that i got rid of my gravel and now have a beautiful sand substrate for the corys

 

[backtotropical]

Very responsible and patient fishkeeping, Jimmy. Keep up the good work!

 

[jimmyringo]

Very responsible and patient fishkeeping, Jimmy. Keep up the good work!

I've had to be very patient the last month or so,as you know.Its also very difficult.The LFS today had some lovely Albinos and Bronze(£2 each),and it was very hard to walk away.

 

[jimmyringo]

Hi Jimmy,

Going by your sig, you are quite lightly stocked at the moment, and corys don't create too much waste, so i'd reckon that another 6 - 8 corys would be just fine.
BTT

If cories grow to 3 inches ,this seems like loads.Do they really produce that little waste??There were bronze cories in mt LFS tonight that were full grown(about 3 inches),and i'd say 10 of those would be too many for my tank??So i'm a bit confussed.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi jimmyringo

As with any living creature, what goes in one end will eventually come out the other end.

But, since corys produce small black turds that quickly break up instead of trailing strings of poop, it's not very noticeable. Their wastes are picked up by the filter instead of cluttering the bottom of the tank. Nevertheless, the bacteria in the filter will turn them into nitrate which you will remove when you do water changes.

Whatever kind of fish you have, if you have too many you will wind up with dangerous levels of nitrates. I suggest that you check your nitrate levels on a regular basis, before you do your weekly water change and tank cleaning. If the reading is low, it's safe to add more fish; if not, it's best to stay with what you have.

That said, 3" bronze corys, on sale at the lfs, might be wild caught ones. The farmed ones are usually sold at an earlier age and a smaller size. If so, IMHO, they might even reflect more colors than the ones you have already and will pass this down to any fry they may have. It's worth taking the trouble to ask about.

I'll be moving your thread to the Cory section.

 

[jimmyringo]

Thanks for that Inchworm.

 

[OpalineAqua]

My tank and stock is in my sig below.Just wondering how many more corys could i get away with,if any? (Running a 2 year mature Eheim 2213 filter)

Thanks

Most people say to keep them in a group of 5 or more, but i only have 1 and he is just fine.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi OpalineAqua

Most people say to keep them in a group of 5 or more, but i only have 1 and he is just fine.

He may be healthy, but he's not doing as well as he could be. If you introduce another one to the tank, watch them when they see each other. You will get to see a really happy fish when he discovers his new friend.

 

[pippoodle]

you could add a nice group of 10 pygmys to that tank , they are great little things and really play well with the other corys even though they are smaller in size