The 'recomended' Cory Number?

[Splatter]

Hey all, well I've finally decided to get some bottom feeders for my tank and it fell to corys (I especially fell in love with green lasers) anyhoo, I've been reading round the forums to check on the recommended number of corys to keep as a group and I've heard so many different things.

For example, I read the bare minimum is 3 and you should keep them in 6's in one thread, but in other threads that 4 and 5 are okay for group sizes. So what is the recomended number? And on the subject of new fish, could anyone advise me to how many I could fit in my tank?

I have 7 glass bloodfins and 4 Ottocinclus, but I'm thinking of moving two ottos into a small tank I may soon set up. My tank is 16 UK gallons, has several moss balls, a java fern, anubias nana, cryptocoryne (I fail to rmemeber the second part ), an onion plant and two coconut caves. I hope to have some amazon swords in there soon (They're in the post). So is my tank suitable to take corys, and if so, how many could/should I have?

Thanks very much!
Splatter.

 

[Luketendo]

I'd say 6 would be best.

Adding 6 would fully stock your tank and be ok if you keep up maintenance.

 

[Splatter]

Okay, thanks very much

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Splatter

I'm not familiar with the glass bloodfins, so I won't comment on how they will do with corys, or the number of corys you could add. I would like to suggest you keep the otos together and in the established tank.

As to the number of corys you should have, it's always better to have as many of a species as possible. This is a link to a recent thread that will show you some corys in their natural environment. I think it will help you understand why more is better.

http/www.fishforums.net/content/Corydora...-In-The-Amazon/

 

[Splatter]

THanks for the reply Inchworm, just out of curiosity, why is it better to keep the ottos together? I read somewhere that they were generally a solitry species only coming together to breed and I think it said the case when one couldn't find food, another would help it.

But is it because the filter has cycled, whereas the new filter wouldn't be as good?

/Edit, and thanks for the link, I was actually stunned to see that many. I can definately understand why I should try to max out on them (heh, I almost make it sound like a game I'll try and phrase it better next time )

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Splatter

I don't know a reason why otos should be kept in groups, but in my tank they seem to hang out together a good part of the time.

I wouldn't think of using these delicate, and often hard to find, fish to complete a cycle of a tank, but there is another reason why they are more likely to thrive in an established tank. They feed off algae and some growing plants help this along. Since they are easily prone to starvation, a constant source of food should be available to them. I have a number of tanks and when algae begins to grow on rocks, etc., in any of them, I move them to their tank. They clean them off in no time at all.

Here's a link about otos that you might enjoy reading:

http/www.aquarticles.com/articles/breedi...eeny_Weeny.html

 

[Splatter]

Ohh I see, well in my tank I rarely see them together I see one chasing another maybe once every two weeks, but aside from that I've never really seen them group together And that article was great, I never knew that they could live in two inhes of water

Regarding the picture, is the area next to their mouths supposed to be red? Becasue all of mine have it (some have redder than others) and I always thought I had a problem with my water So aam I right to think that it is infact supposed to be there?