I Have 2 Cories..but I Need More For Them To Be Happy

[tamara]

I have two peppered cory catfish, and i know they need to be in groups and my third one...disapeared? i tore the tank down looking for him
But my question is since i got the cories about two months ago and i think they're a little bigger than the ones at my lfs
will they still group together if i get 3 more? because i heard if they're not bought at the same time they just ignore eachother

 

[n3ont3tra]

Nah, that's not true. I had 2 full grown pandas and I bought 3 smaller ones and they were hangin' out immediately.

 

[tamara]

Alright, so i should buy 3 more then probably?
or 2 more?

 

[n3ont3tra]

Is your sig updated? If it's right, don't get anything until you do something with the fish you already have. Then get more cories. 3 or 4 would be fine.

 

[tamara]

Saturday [not tomorrow but the next day] three of my friends are taking all the fish that i don't want...so that's pretty much 40 guppies.
So i'd probably wait a week then i'll be going to my lfs to get fish

 

[n3ont3tra]

Okay. Just make sure you do a pretty big water change before you get the cories.

 

[tamara]

Alright, but why? because of all the crap and stuff fomr all the guppies?

 

[n3ont3tra]

Yes.

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

Supposedly they get along better if they are all the same species of cory...I'm not sure how much it matters. My Brochis splendens (Emerald cory) and Peppered Cory are close friends and are not the same size (and obviously not the same species!)

 

[Davidtq]

Cory schooling can be weird in big groups they will tend to seperate into species more, although even in the wild you apparantly get mixed species schools, but in smaller numbers even wildly different species of corys will school well, Ive seen tiny peppered corys schooling very well with 5 year old c. imitator.

 

[fish-rookie]

When I first got my cory's I wanted a variety and my lfs assured me they ALWAYS shoal regardless of species.

My two sand's catfish corys are inseperable but don't go near the others.
My two leopard's are inseperable but don't go near the others.
My two peppered's are inseperable but.... you get the idea!

I'm at a bit of a loss for what to do. I'd like them to be happy (larger shoal) but I don't want to get 3 or 4 more of each variety!

Its almost impossible to ensure they get any food. Mid and top dwellers are like gannets. I've tried spreading the food around or getting the mid dwellers used to feeding in one place then secretly slipping food in the opposite corner but thats no good. I once thought I'd try to put lots of food in once or twice a week but I just got alarmingly fat swordtails that didn't swim right for ages and loads of snails!!!

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

I've been trying to think of a solution for insuring my cories get fed properly as well. I'm tempted to break up some tablets and put the chunks in clear weighted tubes to see if that discourages the other fish from hogging everything.

 

[n3ont3tra]

I use Hikari Sinking Wafers.

 

[tamara]

Well i'd be definetly ... well unless if they're out, i'm getting peppered cories. Just the only thing was the size difference of a one year old, and a half of a one year old.

 

[chibi]

Hikari Micro Wafers are great, too. My cories dig those. The problem I always have with the big wafers is the other fish snatch them away before the cories can get to them. The micro wafers sink and are small enough to be swallowed whole.