Phish Sticks
New Member
Hello! I have a cory in my fish tank and would like to know why it does not like that type of sand. And if I were to change the sand, how would I change the sand without disrupting the black sand! Thanks!
Why don't corys like black sand?
- Thread starter Phish Sticks
- Start date
If you want to change it out then put the fish in a bucket of tank water (use the bucket that you use for water changes) and then take the rest of the water out using a different bucket.
Once it's all out just take the decor out and then the sand. Once it's out take the nee sand, wash it out, and place it in the tank.
Or do what I did and mix the tan/white sand with it
Once it's all out just take the decor out and then the sand. Once it's out take the nee sand, wash it out, and place it in the tank.
Or do what I did and mix the tan/white sand with it
I just answered this question so will copy over, and then add.
Black sand is not advisable with Corydoras, because they do not "expect" this and they become stressed by having to darken their pigmentation in order to blend in, which is their primary defense reaction--remain motionless and blend in with the substrate and the overhead predator will not see me! It is no coincidence that the basic body tone of so many cory species is buff/taupe...it is exactly the same tone as the sand these species live above. There is no other issue other than the above that I am aware of, and this would have much less impact on upper fish like guppies (I think white would be more likely to stress upper fish because it reflects light unnaturally).
On the buff tone sand and cories blending in...an article by David Sands in the October 1995 issue of FAMA dealt with colour patterns in Corydoras as "Evolutionary Secrets." Dr. Sands spent four years researching the development of pigment patterns as camouflage alongside antipredator freeze of cryptic behaviour. dealt with the issue of how the cories responded to overhead threats, and he explained along with photos that when the fish remained motionless, they could not be seen clearly. Their buff tone blended in with the sand, and the vivid black dorsolateral stripe looked like the twigs that litter the sand, and even the orange post-orbital "V" blended in with the habitat substrate. Observations like these are how we learn what is and is not best for our fish.
Of more concern though is that you seem to have only one cory in the aquarium. This is a social fish that must have a group. What size is the tank?
Black sand is not advisable with Corydoras, because they do not "expect" this and they become stressed by having to darken their pigmentation in order to blend in, which is their primary defense reaction--remain motionless and blend in with the substrate and the overhead predator will not see me! It is no coincidence that the basic body tone of so many cory species is buff/taupe...it is exactly the same tone as the sand these species live above. There is no other issue other than the above that I am aware of, and this would have much less impact on upper fish like guppies (I think white would be more likely to stress upper fish because it reflects light unnaturally).
On the buff tone sand and cories blending in...an article by David Sands in the October 1995 issue of FAMA dealt with colour patterns in Corydoras as "Evolutionary Secrets." Dr. Sands spent four years researching the development of pigment patterns as camouflage alongside antipredator freeze of cryptic behaviour. dealt with the issue of how the cories responded to overhead threats, and he explained along with photos that when the fish remained motionless, they could not be seen clearly. Their buff tone blended in with the sand, and the vivid black dorsolateral stripe looked like the twigs that litter the sand, and even the orange post-orbital "V" blended in with the habitat substrate. Observations like these are how we learn what is and is not best for our fish.
Of more concern though is that you seem to have only one cory in the aquarium. This is a social fish that must have a group. What size is the tank?
ClownLurch
Fish Gatherer
Just one Cory? Nnnnnnnoooooooooooooooooooo.
OP
OP
Phish Sticks
New Member
it is a 5 gallon, but I have 1 more fish with it
DoubleDutch
Fish Gatherer
Think that might be the issue.
OP
OP
Phish Sticks
New Member
Should I get 2 or 3?
DoubleDutch
Fish Gatherer
And this the second one.
DoubleDutch
Fish Gatherer
No get a bigger tank and buy at least 5 more Corys. They are shoaling fish so so don't.like to be alone.
OP
OP
Phish Sticks
New Member
Would a 20 gallon be enough for 5 corys, and some other little fish?
Yes, for most species. A group of 9-10 is preferable and this could be done with most species in a 20g. The number of them is of far greater importance and impact than the tank size (within reason, 10 in a 5g is not doable). Scientific studies have demonstrated that less than 10 does cause stress, with likely increased aggression and even a latency to feed. Serious stuff. Most cories are not going to be trouble on the aggression front, but the point is that too few does have a serious impact on the fish.
I suppose a 20 can hold a species only set of 10 cory but i find the 7 i have in my 29 community as taking up an awful lot of space and i would be reluctant to have more. The sterbai are not completely inactive and i also willing cory are willing to pile up in a small area; still I wonder if a 20 high can hold 10 cory of anything larger than a panda and you would want a 40B or larger for 10+ of most species of cory?
There is no argument that the larger the tank the better, but there are some important factors to understand. I trust we are more interested in what the fish want/need rather than what we might think preferable.
And shoaling fish need numbers. Considering only Corydoras here, they are not active swimmers that need floor space. What they do need are enough of them to keep the stress under control, and considering that species in Corydoras, as opposed to all species in Aspidoras or Scleromystax, "expect" to be in very large groups for their own safety, the more the better for the fish. They do however need surfaces to browse, and this includes the sand substrate, chunks of wood, bits of rock, and plant leaves. C. sterbai were mentioned, and this species in my tanks were the most active at browsing every plant leaf right up to the surface. They also spent more time together as a species, even though they were in with several other species.
The species is important here too. Males in species of lineage 1 show territorial behaviours which the species in other lineages (except lineage 3 which is Scleromystax) do not. As for size, the larger species are more needful of a much larger space, just so they can "be themselves." The impact of the fish on the biological system is based less from their mass than from their behaviour needs.
BTW, C. panda do often seem small, but their natural size is 2 inches. I have noticed this in some other species too. Perhaps genetics, or diet, or both.
This has come out of the blue (lol) but might as well be answered. Both species C. aeneus and C.eques are in lineage 7 so technically they could hybridize. However, if a sufficient-sized group of each is in the aquarium, so that both genders of each are present, this is highly unlikely. It is when there are not both genders of each species that cross-spawning is more likely to occur.
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