Panda Cories in a 29g

[Valerie Adams]

Sweet and simple: 29g currently has 22-25 ember tetras, 1 panda cory, 1 mystery snail, 2 nerites

Here's my question/dilemma: Aquatic Arts has 3 packs of panda cories in stock for $7.59 or a 12 pack for $24.95. So do I get 3 three packs or the 12 pack? Can I even fit 13 cories in here?

 

[Byron]

Yes you have room. Cories must be in groups of five minimum, and panda cories seem more "social" than many other species so they always do better with a few more. Here I would say at absolute minimum you want two "3-pack" which I take to be six fish so you will then have seven total.

If this is the only species of cory you want, you could add more, another "3-pack" for ten total, but then you might as well go fort the "12-pack" alone. Thirteen in total is fine in this tank. I am assuming the 29g is the basic 30-inch (75 cm) tank length.

 

[Valerie Adams]

Yes you have room. Cories must be in groups of five minimum, and panda cories seem more "social" than many other species so they always do better with a few more. Here I would say at absolute minimum you want two "3-pack" which I take to be six fish so you will then have seven total.

If this is the only species of cory you want, you could add more, another "3-pack" for ten total, but then you might as well go fort the "12-pack" alone. Thirteen in total is fine in this tank. I am assuming the 29g is the basic 30-inch (75 cm) tank length.

I know they have to be in a group, just everywhere has been sold out and I had two die from columnaris. Even when I got those 3, they were the only ones I could get within 2 hours of me and AquaticArts has been sold out until recently.

I think I'm going to go for the 12 pack as DoubleDutch said the same thing. It's the standard 30 inch 29g, yes. My only concern is that when I ordered from them last time, they included extras to accommodate something possibly happening to them. They sent 3 snails instead of two and 2-3 extra fish. So I'm wondering if it would be better to order 3 three packs and then if I get extras I would have 12-13 total instead of 10.

 

[Byron]

The cost was what I was thinking of when it came to three "3 pack" versus one "12 pack." There is room in this tank for 20 pandas, so the point is you have no issue either way concerning numbers in the tank. And the more the merrier for the cories.

 

[Valerie Adams]

The cost was what I was thinking of when it came to three "3 pack" versus one "12 pack." There is room in this tank for 20 pandas, so the point is you have no issue either way concerning numbers in the tank. And the more the merrier for the cories.

Thanks! I was looking into possibly adding apisto borelli as well, thoughts?

 

[Byron]

Thanks! I was looking into possibly adding apisto borelli as well, thoughts?

OK, unless spawning/raising fry of the apistos is intended. Cories are very adept at eating the eggs during night when the cichlids are not able to adequately protect them. If the eggs hatch, same can happen to the shoal of fry even in daylight; I once observed a trio of cories that encountered a shoal of fry being shepherded around by the female and the fry were gone in a few seconds. The cories are no match for dwarf cichlids.

 

[Valerie Adams]

OK, unless spawning/raising fry of the apistos is intended. Cories are very adept at eating the eggs during night when the cichlids are not able to adequately protect them. If the eggs hatch, same can happen to the shoal of fry even in daylight; I once observed a trio of cories that encountered a shoal of fry being shepherded around by the female and the fry were gone in a few seconds. The cories are no match for dwarf cichlids.

I'm not planning on trying to breed. I did just purchase 9 cories from Aquatic Arts. They had it as a 6 or 9 pack