thinking about getting some corys...

[norbie]

I'm thinking of getting some corys again as I have a bigger tank now

Last time I had 3 and they all died!

They kept coming upto the surface for air, yet all the other fish were fine - any reason for this? Should I have had more than 3 or something?

They look so happy in the LFS tanks, I don't want to buy them an somehow make them ill

As you can see from my sig, I have quite a few little fish with no problems at all!

Any advice with this?

Thanks In Advance

 

[norbie]

looking through here I see loads of people have problems with ill cories

this is such a shame, as they really are beautiful fish!

is there something similar i could get that are more hardy? e.g. 'otos' (dont know much about these)

 

[OohFeeshy]

Otos aren't renowned for their hardiness, thye sometimes die for no reason at all.

 

[norbie]

is this a clown loach?

they look really sweet - how hardy are they compared to corys?

are they quite similar fish?

 

[-*-MicHAeL-*-]

is this a clown loach?

they look really sweet - how hardy are they compared to corys?

are they quite similar fish?

yes that is a clown loach but you cant have one of them LOL they grow to either 12inches or 18 inches one or the other i cant remember and they need at least 75 gallons each LOL

i have corys and no problems and have never had problems with them dying in the past.

how about some sort of botia loache youll like them if you like clown loaches

 

[norbie]

what are botia loach like?

shame i cant get clown loaches

 

[Ddraig Goch]

What type of corys did you have previously? I have found that peppered corys are more hardy then some of the other types, I think bronze and albino corys are quite hardy too.
They should be kept in a group, three is the least I'd say, five or six would be better if you have the space.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi norbie

Don't worry about getting corys. The summertime is not the best time for fish in general, and corys are no more difficult to take care of than guppies. Like guppies, all they need is a clean tank with lots of fresh water.

I would recommend getting a small group of C. aeneus, either the bronze or albinos. They are a good fish to start out with if you ever want to try your hand at breeding egg laying fish.

 

[wwestar2000]

I say go for it.

 

[norbie]

Hi norbie

Don't worry about getting corys. The summertime is not the best time for fish in general, and corys are no more difficult to take care of than guppies. Like guppies, all they need is a clean tank with lots of fresh water.

I would recommend getting a small group of C. aeneus, either the bronze or albinos. They are a good fish to start out with if you ever want to try your hand at breeding egg laying fish.

Thanks Inchworm

You say lots of fresh water? Currently my fish get a small water change once a week - will corys require more?

I shall try a few bronze corys then - how many would you recommend? 5?

 

[Inchworm]

Hi norbie

There is a reason I said that corys need lots of fresh water, and this is in addition to just keeping your ammonia, nitrites and nitrates in line. That is because in addition to these chemicals you can test for, there are bacteria, both beneficial and harmful, in every tank. You will know that you have enough beneficial bacteria because your tank will be cycled and your test readings will indicate it. But. there is no way to test for harmful bacteria. The only thing to do is to eliminate them with good water changes.

Since corys live at the bottom, which is where all the dirt goes, they are a little more apt to get bacterial infections than most other fish, but they could get them too. If your fish live in good, healthy and clean conditions, they will have strong immune systems that can fight against the harmful bacteria. Dirt and poorly oxygenated water are two of the main reasons fish get sick. This causes them stress which impairs their immune systems allows them to get sick.

If you just do bigger water changes, say 1/3 to 1/2 of your tank, each week, and don't let dirt and uneaten food accumulate down at the bottom, your corys should be fine and your other fish will benefit from it too.

Five corys is an excellent number to start out with. Do you think you will want to breed them at any time in the future? If so, then try to get 2 females and 3 males. If not, whichever ones you get, the will all get along fine.

 

[Teelie]

They do fine with the normal 20-30% water changes weekly. I sometimes slip and go two weeks with a 30% change but I keep their tank clean (easy as it's all Cories and 5 black neons with dozens of scrap-eating snails) but if you have other fish with them, especially notorious poopers, you'll want to be strict on doing their weekly changes.

I'm pushing the limit of my tank with 20 some cories of different species. I've only had one death in there due to an accident with a heater burn (heater since moved higher up from the sand) and I've had some for nearly 4 years now. They're quite hardy and simple to keep.

 

[dwarfgourami]

I was one of the people who lost a cory recently. In my case I think it was probably a combination of the very hot weather, and some fouling of the substrate after an accident with a vacation feeder (thought I'd got it all up but possibly hadn't), so both these things in combination led to more bacteria=bacterial infection. I have not had any trouble since and my other 4 are in fine shape. I have decided to do twice weekly gravel vacs during the summer though to keep my mind at rest.

 

[norbie]

I really would love to have some corys, they are such beatiful fish, but from your comments here, I don't think I can risk it.

After losing 4 before, I don't think I will be able to keep these ones any better - the only thing that has changed is tank size.

I still have possible dodgy tap water (high in nitrates) and corys dont seem to sound very hardy against this.

Also it can get hot here at the moment, but my fish are fine with it even though the temperature does fluctuate quite a lot.

Are there any bottom feeders you can get, that are really hardy?

Thanks for everyone's tips and advice - I gather that if I don't buy any, they'll have a much greater chance of living!

 

[norbie]

I dont know if anyone's still reading this topic, if not I'll start a new one.

I went upto the LFS to see some fish, and they had some very nice Bronze Corys

They also had these fish which I am interested in possibly getting, but need to know more about them, (e.g. agression, foods, numbers they should be bought in, special care etc) -

Upside Down Catfish (apparently you can just get one on its own? or two?)

Sucking Loaches

Any info would be great! I really want bottom feeders!