Metae Corys...

[houndour]

Hello,

My tank must be nearly ending it's cycle!!!! I'm hoping it'll be not this weekend, but next that I'll be able to put fish in

Anyway, I've done my research and found out what corys my LFS does:
Metae
Melanitius
Julii
Eques - can't find much info on this? No sizes or anything
Soladis
Sterbai
Schwartzi

I've decided to go with Metae as they seem to be the smallest. I only have a 19 uk g tank (22 us gallons) and I'm hoping to squeeze in 6 corys and 6 cardinals.

Would you recommend me starting off with buying 3 metae corys? It says when doing a fishless cycle you can add all the fish stock. But I'm not convinced about this.

Sam

 

[Inchworm]

Hi houndour

You won't go wrong by getting the little "bandit" corys, the metaes. They are one of the nicest little corys around. They are perky and outgoing, but not quite as active as the C. aeneus albinos or bronzes. They are a very attractive fish too, on the short and chunky side.

Another nice fish that is on your list is the eques. True, there is not much written about them, but I have some and they are among my favorites. They are one of the smaller corys too, and are more slender than the metaes. Where the metaes are taller, these are more of the shape of the bronzes, but a lot smaller. Mine seem to have a rather reserved personality for a cory. They are not shy, but do not get carried away swimming up and down the glass. Their favorite pastime seems to be sitting on top of the slate that is the top of their cave. They are dark gray with a very nice orange coloring in the shoulder area.

The juliis are very likely C. trilineatus, but if you find them attractive, they will make you happy too.

C. sterbais are most comfortable in warmer water than most corys. If you keep your tanks near 80 degrees or higher, they would be a good choice. They are a most beautiful fish, but the get to be a good size too.

The C. melanistius is another beauty. They are attractive and active, but do get as large as the bronze. If you want a small cory, it would be best to pass this one by.

I have never done the fishless cycle, so I am not going to advise you on that. If no one posts on this thread, it might be best to post the question in the Beginners forum.

Good luck with your new tank. I know you will have fun stocking it. Please let me know what you decide to get.

 

[houndour]

Thanks inchworm.

Depending on what they have in stock at the time I'll choose between the Metae and Eques.

I've put a post in the beginners forum about which fish to start with first. It seems most people think the 6 cardinals. And then 1 week after 3 corys, then another 3 corys a week after that.

 

[breezer40]

Hi Sam

I have a few metaes and totally agree with Inchworm great corys!

I nearly always do fishless cycling and the best advice I can give you is don't just stock the tank in one go (I have learned through experience) or your likely end up with the tank spiking nitrite and ammonia which could result in fish being sick and or dead. By introducing fish gradually ..say three cories this week..test water..if ok then whatever is next on your list ..and so on. This method allows the bacteria time to catch up with the increased bio-load you are placing on it.

 

[houndour]

Thanks breezer,

Thats what I thought. Still waiting for someone to tell me to introduce the corys before the cardinals though I love corys and I can't wait to get them in. I've been incredibly patient. I've been waiting since 1st March to get set up. But my cycle only started on 16th...so I could still have a wait.

 

[fishdudein]

Hi houndour. Good advice given here, to just add a few fish at a time. It has been my experience that cardinals are kinda touchy as far as water conditions go...not what I would call "difficult", but not the first fish I would introduce to a tank. So...I would go with the metaes first. Which is probably what you wanted to hear anyway, wasn't it?

I keep several varieties of cory cats myself, but only just this past week was I able to get a group of metaes. I saw them in a shop about a year and a half ago but didn't have a place to put them. So I went home and worked the following week on moving different fish around to create more room so that these metaes would have their own tank; only then when I went back to the lfs, the metaes were gone. . They have been on my "look for" list ever since, so I am a happy guy this weekend!

Good luck with your tank...keep us posted!

Inchworm...your knowledge of corys makes this forum a much better place! Thanks for sharing it with all of us....you are much appreciated.

 

[houndour]

I've heard that cardinals can be quite hardy fish once they have adapted to your water conditions. And that they are often caught wild so are a bit delicate when first introducing. That's why I thought maybe the metae might be better first...I think really they both arent the best fish to start with but being that I have a small tank I don't want to have fish I don't want just for the sake of them being hardier fish for introducing to a new tank.

And yes that's exactly what I wanted to hear

Still don't really know what to do though. Maybe the trip to LFS will decide for me if they don't have one of them.

Sam