Min Group Size For Panda Cories?

[ey2006]

I know this question has been asked a million times, but I'm thinking of getting panda cories (finally!) and was wondering what the best approach is to getting them.

Basically, I want to end up with a group of 6, with a view to adding even more if they do well.

But I'm not sure if the pandas will do well in my tank, or if the batch from the LFS is healthy and hardy. Is it better to get say 3 first, see how they go for a few days, before getting another 3 pandas a week later?

Or is it better to get all 6 in one go? Clearly, if the batch of pandas at the LFS are quite sensitive, then getting all 6 in one go will be a bit cruel on them and also be a waste of money.

The reason for asking is I currently have a school of bronze and sterbai cories, both which are healthy. I got 3 julii cories before but they all died within a few days, the water stats were fine and the other cories in the tank had no problems....my guess was the cories were too weak, as they were sold at a small size.

The pandas are also being sold at a small size (smaller size than the sterbai's and bronze) so I am a bit worried that they may die too...but the LFS told me this batch is quite strong.

Should I get 3 now and 3 later or 6 in one go?

What behaviour do panda cories show that is different to other cories (say bronze or sterbai)? I remember reading that panda cories are unique in that they always school and play together, and of course they are heaps cute!

 

[Barracuda518]

I would add 3 to 4 and see how they do. Just make sure you have the room for them and the right water parameters. You can add more later on.

 

[AlexAndCarmen]

I'd say the same, 3-4. We got 2 pandas that were not far from fully grown. A few weeks later, we got 3 juveniles, that were apparently wild caught. I was worried, as they were a lot smaller than the first two, but once we added them to the tank, the first two 'adopted' them and they all hung out together and have been inseparable since. Now they are breeding too, for almost 2 months now. I heard the fry is also hard to rear, but we have had success with them. As you said, as long as they are strong.

We had bronzes (till we traded them and their fry at the LFS on Monday) as well as sterbai, and I have to say, the pandas do hang around more. The bronze came out for food, but the pandas are always there. The sterbai do what ever they like, sometimes they are friendly, sometimes not. But the pandas have always been very friendly. The pandas and sterbai are my favorites, that's why I now have 5 of each. Hoping to breed the sterbai at some point.

Good luck, hope they are of good breed and you have success with them.

 

[ey2006]

Thanks for the replies!

Carmen, I haven't been on the cory forum lately, how are your fry going?

What is the maximum size panda cories reach? How long will it take for them to reach their max size? Do you have any pics of your adult panda cories? I've never seen a fully grown panda cory yet.

I got 6 pandas yesterday, they look very cute, but are very small, only 1.5cm from head to caudal fin. The look pretty fragile due to their size compared to the other cories and bristlenoses, but they are doing well and have settled in. One thing I found surprising is that they have never really schooled together, nor do they really stay together. Isnt this a bit strange for the panda cories? Occasionally I'll see 2 or 3 of them together, but most times they will be separated into smaller groups.

Is this because they are still small and they are in a relatively big tank? My tank is 300L, 48"x20"x20".....should I add some more panda cories to make them feel safe?

I was thinking of adding another 4 or 6, to make a total of 10 or 12.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

they're probably just a little lost settling into such a big tank......... I'd let them settle and make sure they're healthy then stick some more in, sure they'll find each other and play together

 

[AlexAndCarmen]

Thanks for the replies!

Carmen, I haven't been on the cory forum lately, how are your fry going?

What is the maximum size panda cories reach? How long will it take for them to reach their max size? Do you have any pics of your adult panda cories? I've never seen a fully grown panda cory yet.

I got 6 pandas yesterday, they look very cute, but are very small, only 1.5cm from head to caudal fin. The look pretty fragile due to their size compared to the other cories and bristlenoses, but they are doing well and have settled in. One thing I found surprising is that they have never really schooled together, nor do they really stay together. Isnt this a bit strange for the panda cories? Occasionally I'll see 2 or 3 of them together, but most times they will be separated into smaller groups.

Is this because they are still small and they are in a relatively big tank? My tank is 300L, 48"x20"x20".....should I add some more panda cories to make them feel safe?

I was thinking of adding another 4 or 6, to make a total of 10 or 12.

Hi ey2006

Our panda cory fry are doing very well. The parents have been spawning every day or two for about 7 weeks now. The fry are about 6 weeks old now and are so adorable. They are about 1.5cm long and eat like little piggies They are I suppose the same size as yours and they don't really hang around together much. Too busy eating.

The 5 that we have in the main tank hang around in the same area as each other, not far from each other at all times. The adults are about 4cm long. What have you got in the tank for them? We have a heavily planted tank and a piece of bogwood covered in java moss that they lay their eggs in. We have ours placed in the front and they hang out under it, in full view of us

What else do you have in the tank with them? Do you have any other types of cories?

Here is a pic of one of our breeding females

And here they are with my baby BN

Keep well,
Carmen

 

[ey2006]

Thanks for the replies!

Carmen, I haven't been on the cory forum lately, how are your fry going?

What is the maximum size panda cories reach? How long will it take for them to reach their max size? Do you have any pics of your adult panda cories? I've never seen a fully grown panda cory yet.

I got 6 pandas yesterday, they look very cute, but are very small, only 1.5cm from head to caudal fin. The look pretty fragile due to their size compared to the other cories and bristlenoses, but they are doing well and have settled in. One thing I found surprising is that they have never really schooled together, nor do they really stay together. Isnt this a bit strange for the panda cories? Occasionally I'll see 2 or 3 of them together, but most times they will be separated into smaller groups.

Is this because they are still small and they are in a relatively big tank? My tank is 300L, 48"x20"x20".....should I add some more panda cories to make them feel safe?

I was thinking of adding another 4 or 6, to make a total of 10 or 12.

Hi ey2006

Our panda cory fry are doing very well. The parents have been spawning every day or two for about 7 weeks now. The fry are about 6 weeks old now and are so adorable. They are about 1.5cm long and eat like little piggies They are I suppose the same size as yours and they don't really hang around together much. Too busy eating.

The 5 that we have in the main tank hang around in the same area as each other, not far from each other at all times. The adults are about 4cm long. What have you got in the tank for them? We have a heavily planted tank and a piece of bogwood covered in java moss that they lay their eggs in. We have ours placed in the front and they hang out under it, in full view of us

What else do you have in the tank with them? Do you have any other types of cories?

Here is a pic of one of our breeding females

And here they are with my baby BN

Keep well,
Carmen

Hi Carmen,

Good to hear from you and that your fry are doing very well. Wow, the adult pandas are on fire! How many baby pandas have you got at the moment?

Yeah, the panda cories I just got are 1.5cm, they've been for sale in the tank at the LFS for about a month now, so either they are slow growers and haven't grown much, otherwise, I'm sure they would be more than 6 weeks old, since they've been sitting at the LFS for 4 weeks and I haven't noticed much growth in them....I was actually waiting to see if they'd grow a bit before getting them, since their previous batch of pandas didnt do too well.

What do you feed your baby pandas? Are bloodworms mixed with sinking wafers the best way to go or is there other goodies I can feed them? Like most cories, they are always searching and digging for food, but due to their small size, they always either miss out or get nothing at all.

Were the adult pandas already at 4cm when you got them or did they grow to that size? Is 4cm the max pandas reach? Do you know long it takes for pandas to reach adult size? I couldn't find much info on the panda cories max size.

I have them in a heavily planted tank with lots of hiding spots, and 2 driftwoods covered in java moss (similar to you).

They are in the tank with sterbai and bronze cories, bristlenose plecos, clown loaches and yoyo loaches being the other bottom feeders with some tetras at the top. However, the pandas are absolutely tiny compared to the other cories (who are 4-5cm), let alone compared to the loaches!

I'm finding it quite hard to feed the pandas, since there are the bigger cories and the loaches to compete with. I've found that feeding frozen bloodworms is the easiest way for them to feed, since they just drop to the bottom and with so many worms, the pandas get a chance to slurp some in. After the lights went out tonight, I tried chucking twice as much sinking/algae wafers as I normally do so the pandas have a chance of getting some, it seemed to work - I threw enough in so the other cories/loaches would be too distracted to take the food off the pandas.

Do you have the same problem when feeding your baby pandas? What do you feed them?

 

[ey2006]

Thanks for the nice pics of your pandas

They are I suppose the same size as yours and they don't really hang around together much. Too busy eating.

So I suppose its quite normal for the smaller pandas not to hang around or stick close together? Even with the sterbai and bronze cories, I notice they never really school together either.

The 5 that we have in the main tank hang around in the same area as each other, not far from each other at all times.

So the 5 bigger pandas in your main tank pretty much stick with each other at all times? Thats pretty cool to see and I can't wait until my pandas grow and behave and interact like that!

 

[AlexAndCarmen]

Hi again

When we got our first two pandas, I have to say, I'm not sure how big they were, not as big as they are now, but not terribly small. As I said, a few weeks later we got 3 small wild caught that were only about 1.5cm long. That was in February. Not too long after that they grew to the same size as the others. They are all the same size now and I'm not sure which are from what batch!! Im not sure exactly how big they get to, but ours at around 4cm and haven't grown much that I can tell.

Our pandas and sterbai also battled to get anything to eat with the bronze cories, but we took the bronze to the LFS the other day as they were starting to breed again and 200 eggs every week was too much. Also we wanted to concentrate more on the panda and sterbais.

We feed our baby cories microworms still (there are babies ranging in age from 6 weeks to new borns) and I also put some JMC pellets or Tetra Prima complete. But the commercial food I only feed once a day, the microworms I give 3 times. They are in their own tank though, only baby pandas, a few newborn baby bronze and oto fry.

We feed the adults the same commercial foods as well as algae wafers and live or frozen food. Ours love blood worms and mosquito larvae, fresh larvae from the allotment!!

They do seem to stay small for ages when you get them from the LFS. One day you'll look in and be shocked as to how big they have grown. It does seem to happen over night.

Good luck and as long as they look healthy, they are getting enough to eat. When we still had the bronze in the tank, the pandas were spawning like mad. So they still got their food and were happy enough to give mommy some babies.

Keep us updated and speak soon
Carmen

 

[ey2006]

I also forgot to say that when I got the pandas, they were in a tank with lots of other pandas, but the temperature of the LFS tank was very very warm, at least 30 degrees easily. The LFS said they have kept them in warm temps with no dramas.

My tank temp is around 27 degrees, so at least its not a big temp shock for them, should I gradually lower this to 25 C in the next few days or would I be able to leave it at 27, since other fish in my tank prefer slightly warmer temps, such as the sterbai cories and loaches.

 

[AlexAndCarmen]

I also forgot to say that when I got the pandas, they were in a tank with lots of other pandas, but the temperature of the LFS tank was very very warm, at least 30 degrees easily. The LFS said they have kept them in warm temps with no dramas.

My tank temp is around 27 degrees, so at least its not a big temp shock for them, should I gradually lower this to 25 C in the next few days or would I be able to leave it at 27, since other fish in my tank prefer slightly warmer temps, such as the sterbai cories and loaches.

That seems pretty high (at the LFS). We have our tank at between 25-26 degrees. Most of our fish prefer it that way, I think only our sterbai would like it a bit warmer. I'm not too sure about the pandas. But if they seem fine, I suppose it's ok. Most of the sites I've checked out for info say between 22-25, but they all have different info. Also, they all tend to say about 5cm in length is the max they'll grow.

Got any pics of the little babies? As well as the rest of their tank mates?

Hope this helps and keep well
Carmen

 

[ey2006]

Hi again

When we got our first two pandas, I have to say, I'm not sure how big they were, not as big as they are now, but not terribly small. As I said, a few weeks later we got 3 small wild caught that were only about 1.5cm long. That was in February. Not too long after that they grew to the same size as the others. They are all the same size now and I'm not sure which are from what batch!! Im not sure exactly how big they get to, but ours at around 4cm and haven't grown much that I can tell.

Our pandas and sterbai also battled to get anything to eat with the bronze cories, but we took the bronze to the LFS the other day as they were starting to breed again and 200 eggs every week was too much. Also we wanted to concentrate more on the panda and sterbais.

We feed our baby cories microworms still (there are babies ranging in age from 6 weeks to new borns) and I also put some JMC pellets or Tetra Prima complete. But the commercial food I only feed once a day, the microworms I give 3 times. They are in their own tank though, only baby pandas, a few newborn baby bronze and oto fry.

We feed the adults the same commercial foods as well as algae wafers and live or frozen food. Ours love blood worms and mosquito larvae, fresh larvae from the allotment!!

They do seem to stay small for ages when you get them from the LFS. One day you'll look in and be shocked as to how big they have grown. It does seem to happen over night.

Good luck and as long as they look healthy, they are getting enough to eat. When we still had the bronze in the tank, the pandas were spawning like mad. So they still got their food and were happy enough to give mommy some babies.

Keep us updated and speak soon
Carmen

Seems like we have (or had) the same kind of cory species!

You must have fed the pandas well for them to reach 4cm so soon. As I mentioned in my earlier post, I actually saw the new batch of panda cories the day they came in, and that was a month ago. Maybe it was just me, but when I finally came to buying them, it didnt seem like they had grown much during that 1 month, perhaps fish dont grow too quickly in an LFS tank?

I'd love to have a separate tank for the panda cories, but there just isnt enough space for another tank. Sometimes I do worry if the pandas will survive, as they are so small compared to other fish. For comparison, the panda cories are even smaller than the neon tetras you see at the LFS! In spite of this though, they seem to be doing well in the tank and look very active hunting for food, just like the other bigger cories.

Maybe I should try other frozen food too, but I can imagine the loaches will get 80% of it before the bigger cories get a chance, so the pandas will probably only get the remainders!

ey

I also forgot to say that when I got the pandas, they were in a tank with lots of other pandas, but the temperature of the LFS tank was very very warm, at least 30 degrees easily. The LFS said they have kept them in warm temps with no dramas.

My tank temp is around 27 degrees, so at least its not a big temp shock for them, should I gradually lower this to 25 C in the next few days or would I be able to leave it at 27, since other fish in my tank prefer slightly warmer temps, such as the sterbai cories and loaches.

That seems pretty high (at the LFS). We have our tank at between 25-26 degrees. Most of our fish prefer it that way, I think only our sterbai would like it a bit warmer. I'm not too sure about the pandas. But if they seem fine, I suppose it's ok. Most of the sites I've checked out for info say between 22-25, but they all have different info. Also, they all tend to say about 5cm in length is the max they'll grow.

Got any pics of the little babies? As well as the rest of their tank mates?

Hope this helps and keep well
Carmen

I thought the same when I felt the tank water the pandas were kept in. They seemed active enough to encourage me that they would do fine in the warmer temps they were kept in. I'll keep the tank temp at 27 for now and see how they go. Some sites suggest that keeping pandas in warmer temps (28 or above) for long periods will shorten their life span drastically, I'm not sure if this is true, but certainly if it is, I will lower the temp as I wont want to do put undue stress on the pandas.

Haven't been able to take any good pics of the pandas yet as they are always swimming around and other cories seem to block their view. I'll try again tomorrow and post some pics of them.

Thanks for the advice, it definitely helps, speak soon.
ey2006

 

[Xebadir]

Alex&Carmen: just was looking at your picture and comparing to my 6 little pandas, im noticing a very strong sheen, almost to the point of bronze in them, mine dont display that sheen, is that adaptation to the substrate for camoflauge purposes or rather an interbreeding trait?

 

[AlexAndCarmen]

Alex&Carmen: just was looking at your picture and comparing to my 6 little pandas, im noticing a very strong sheen, almost to the point of bronze in them, mine dont display that sheen, is that adaptation to the substrate for camoflauge purposes or rather an interbreeding trait?

Hi Xebadir

We noticed that on the pics. It is much stronger on the pic than when you look at them. Our babies in the fry tank who are about 6 weeks old also have this bronze tinge. I have done a lot of research on the net and found plenty pics of the pandas with that bronze tinge. Not sure if its a gene thing or what. Trying to see if all 5 have it, some seem to be darker than others. How big are your pandas? Got any pics of them??

Keep well
Carmen