How Many, Which Kind?

[bordercollie05]

I'm starting up a 28 gallon and I was thinking of having

2 angels
3 gouramis
school of tetras?
3 cory cats

I was advised in tropical chat to get at least 6 cories. The only reason I was limiting it to 3 is that I was afraid they wouldn't have enough room. Is 6 too many? If I get 6, is it better to buy them all at once or start with a few and add some more later? Also, which kind would work best for my situation? I'm really falling in love with the cories, they're so darn cute!

Thanks!

 

[jollysue]

Am I correct in thinking that angels like the temp at the higher end of the scale? I have never kept angels.

Some will say that Corys are not appropriate with angels as angels are Cichlids, I believe.

But I believe I remember Tolak who is an experience angel hobbyist saying that he keeps C. sterbai with his angels. He said I believe that it works very well. You will also find C. sterbai to be a lovely and active Cory. Corys do indeed like a crowd. The more of them the happier they are. If the tank is cycled to handle 6 Corys at once, then by all means get them at one time. If you can get younger ones at an inch or so, then again go for it. If they are larger and the tank not cycled for 12 or more inches of fish added at once, then add them a few at a time so the tank can get up to speed to handle the increase in bio waste.

Here is a link to Tolak's response to this question

Hope this helps.

 

[bordercollie05]

Thanks so much, I was looking at sterbais. I really like them.

 

[jollysue]

Actually, I don't know what happened. Tolak was writing a response to you, I left for 5 minutes and came back, and he is gone and didn't post! Silly man. He is an excellent mod and good hobbyist.

You will be delighted with the sterbai. I am happy that you are happy. We aim to please.

 

[Tolak]

Sterbais do like the warmer temperatures that angels like. I've also had very good luck with plain green aeneus corys that spawn for me in cooler temperatures. Once the fry get to about 1/2" I'll acclimate them to the warmer temp I keep angels at, usually anywhere from 80F-84F. In bare tanks that are for all purposes overfed, they are the cleanup crew. They get fat fast, cleaning up left over high protein food.

Sorry I skated out for a few, phone call concerning transportation for an auction this weekend, then one of the few tv shows I actually follow, ER.

 

[bordercollie05]

Sterbais do like the warmer temperatures that angels like. I've also had very good luck with plain green aeneus corys that spawn for me in cooler temperatures. Once the fry get to about 1/2" I'll acclimate them to the warmer temp I keep angels at, usually anywhere from 80F-84F. In bare tanks that are for all purposes overfed, they are the cleanup crew. They get fat fast, cleaning up left over high protein food.

Sorry I skated out for a few, phone call concerning transportation for an auction this weekend, then one of the few tv shows I actually follow, ER.

Thanks again for your help! I'm getting my angels today, I'm so excited!

 

[jollysue]

I would like to add though that Corys can get intimidated by aggressive fish. Angels are Cichlids I believe. They can be true to their species. If you see that they are being at all harrassed--like staying grouped up or hiding all the time--then they may be getting stressed. It will shorten their lives to live in stressful conditions. Some Corys can live up to 20 years in the right conditions.

 

[bordercollie05]

So far I've got one angel and 3 dwarf gouramis. I've been looking for sterabi cories, but I can't seem to find them locally. Are there any others you'd suggest? I have found peppered cories and panda cories, are these options?

 

[Inchworm]

Hi bordercollie05

Neither one of them is a good choice since they both prefer temperatures at the cooler end of the scale. C. gossei or C. seussi would be better, but are also hard to find.

If you can't find C. sterbai right away, have patience and check with all the lfs in your area. This is the time of year when many kinds of corys are available, and I've been seeing sterbai, both farm raised and wild caught, in stores near me. If you have an independent lfs (not a chain store) near you, this might be one he could successfully order for you.

At the first sign of trouble, please be prepared to move the corys to another tank.

Good luck finding them. Having beautiful C. sterbai in your tank will be well worth the wait.

 

[bordercollie05]

Thanks, I'll keep looking then.