# from plecos to corys - Oct/02/2012



## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

So, how is everyone's day today. Seems so much going on without the talk of fish, let me share my experience with you.

I know I am a big plecos fan. I have always trying to sell someone a pleco or two. They are really a great fish. You can put them in with small community tank, fast river flowing biotope, medium mild aggressive SA biotope, highly aggressive community, to even African community tank. I can think of a pleco for every tank; except salt water or brackish water. They can be just as colorful, or highly black and white, from pattern to pots, from flat to the ground, or a football shape, really, they are beautiful.

Lately though, I am starting to like this little catfish - corydora. They are not as easy to adopt to different biotope. In fact, you can put them in only tiny nano, small community, fast river flowing biotope, and medium mild aggressive SA biotope (I can only think of the Gaint cory to fit here). They are not as colorful. In fact, most are very unattractive. But they are just fun to have as they are always busy always searching for food. They love to be in a school. They hardly show any aggression at alll with each other. And best of all, they will further eat some of the un-digestive veggie food from a pleco; this is a bonus for any pleco keepers 

There is a couple of interesting ways to keep them. You can keep them like plecos, one of each or serveral of each per type in your tank. Just buy 1 - 6 per type. Another way, which I prefer, is to keep 1 or 2 group, but in large number. In a 50g, you can easily keep 24-48 standard size corys. They act different than when you only keeping 6 of them. Best of all, they do not occupy the space of most community tank. Most fish don't even see them there. And they are by far, the best extra food remover in your tank.

Let me know about your experience...


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## JohnnyAppleSnail (May 30, 2010)

I love Cory's, I believe I have at least 8-10 diff. spieces,in 4 diff. Tanks. My Sterbais (The only Cories in a 33 gal.) lay eggs and I've had a few babies survive (Very cool when they are tiny),I think what I like most about them is that they are so darn peaceful,that and of course great cleaners as You have said. I also like My Pygmy's and Habrosus the tiny little Cories,very entertaining to watch them shoal.


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

Oh yeah, I forgot about the egg laying part. Some of the corys that I carry, even in their holding tanks, they still lay eggs. Of course none will survive long enough to hatch.


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

Charles,

Couldn't agree with your post any more, those little ones you brought in last month have spawned twice in my nano, yet to see any offspring as everything is eaten up quickly Behavior is quite different once most of these corydora settle into a larger setup with larger numbers in their group.Sight to be seen as they never really stop moving, and once the feeding starting its a frenzy i tell you!


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## Immus21 (Jun 14, 2010)

Now I miss my Pepper Corys! Had a school back when I first started keeping fish. Wish I could have some again.......


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## bigfry (Apr 21, 2010)

I am a fan of corys even though I have only one tank that houses three of them. I used to buy lots of them from James of Rainforest. He once said there were not enough cory lovers to justify his cory shipments. He's talking about the ones that retailed at over $15 each.
I still have two burgess bought from him in 2004, and a home bred sterbai since 2005 in the same tank which I call the retirement tank.
I really enjoyed watching them doing the dancing, chasing and egg laying rituals. I even made a DIY egg hatching floating container to observe the whole process of hatching and fry feeding. In fact, I do plan to restart a community tank with dozens of corys, after my home reno is complete.


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## AcidFear (Aug 19, 2012)

Immus21 said:


> Now I miss my Pepper Corys! Had a school back when I first started keeping fish. Wish I could have some again.......


I really like the peppered cory cats I have 2 of them and have been thinking about adding a few more I also have a few of the julie cory cats there not as nice looking as the peppered but I find them more active


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## Scherb (Feb 10, 2011)

Glad to hear there's another Cory fan. I too like the Corys they are a great little fish great cleaners very active and fun to watch. i have 9 total in 2 different tanks 7 common or bronze. and 2 wilds not sure what they are. i find they are much happier in a group of 5 or more. one day when i upgrade my 55g to a 130g i will finally get my long awaited Cory Army. at least 30 of them. i am thinking 10 panda 10 sterbai and 10 bronze


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

Scherb, take a photo of your wild. I might be able to ID them for you.


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## Scherb (Feb 10, 2011)

charles said:


> Scherb, take a photo of your wild. I might be able to ID them for you.


OK cool, i will do that tomorrow.


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## Momobobo (Sep 28, 2010)

For sure. I love Cories so much. I was planning on just adding more Plecos to my South American but they really don't fill out the bottom of my tank at all. Hide most of the time behind the big driftwood. Definitely need to grab a big school of Cories somewhere soon (coughcough )


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## mikebike (Sep 8, 2010)

I also love Cories and probably have over 50 in my tanks.


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

Momobobo said:


> For sure. I love Cories so much. I was planning on just adding more Plecos to my South American but they really don't fill out the bottom of my tank at all. Hide most of the time behind the big driftwood. Definitely need to grab a big school of Cories somewhere soon (coughcough )


I notice my plecos are out more often, less shy when there is an army of cory always out and searching for food. In a way, they make the pleco feel safe.


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## target (Apr 21, 2010)

I love the sterbai i have in my tank. Only have 3, but need to bump that school up soon.


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## bigfry (Apr 21, 2010)

Here is what you may get when you have mixed corys in a tank:

Hybrid of adolfoi and sterbai









Hybrid of panda and adolfoi


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

bigfry said:


> Hybrid of panda and adolfoi


Those look AWESOME! Too bad I have eco complete in my tank right now or I'd definately want some.


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## shady280 (Oct 17, 2011)

Love cories too. Just had 5 die in a rare tank disaster. All my tanks have some too. Great little army of cleaners. I've noticed how clean the gravel stays now. Never had any lay eggs that I've noticed but maybe I just don't see it


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## Scherb (Feb 10, 2011)

shady280 said:


> Love cories too. Just had 5 die in a rare tank disaster. All my tanks have some too. Great little army of cleaners. I've noticed how clean the gravel stays now. Never had any lay eggs that I've noticed but maybe I just don't see it


Just do a good size water change and refill with colder water, about 4 degrees should do. but not all fish will like that, but you will see your corys do there dance and maybe some eggs.


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## Scherb (Feb 10, 2011)

bigfry said:


> Here is what you may get when you have mixed corys in a tank:
> 
> Hybrid of adolfoi and sterbai
> 
> ...


Nice Corys. but how do you get a big pic like that ? before the site upgrade i could do it but now i can't figure it out.


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## Scherb (Feb 10, 2011)

Hey Charles here are the pics.


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## IceBlue (Mar 17, 2011)

How can you not love these little fish. I need to get some soon.


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## bigfry (Apr 21, 2010)

I didn't do anything different. I use photobucket, select "share", then copy the IMG tag and paste. The smaller picture was cropped and resized.


Scherb said:


> Nice Corys. but how do you get a big pic like that ? before the site upgrade i could do it but now i can't figure it out.


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

Very well said Charles! Corydoras are awesome and Canadian Aquatics does bring one of the best healthiest wide selection. If I can cram any more cories into my tank.....


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## luckylux99 (Apr 22, 2010)

yeah what charles said he got me hooked on them as well as the hatchet fish thanks charles


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

you can put more in your tank. They are fun fish. Not as expensive as the exotic monsters, but they give you options on what else you can put along with them and make a nice community tank.


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

In addition to words of wisdom, try complimenting your corydoras with some earthworm pellets that Charles also sells. The corydoras switch to feeding frenzy mode on the earthworm pellet. 

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## gsneufeld (Jan 28, 2012)

I Love Corydoras! Some people say they're stupid because they don't learn to stay out of the way of nippy fish, but I think that's just part of the secret of their success... If you had a full set of badass body armour I bet you'd feel pretty indestructible as well! I'll try to get a shot of my panda and pygmy cory and oto cat tank... The pygmaeus dwarves when kept in a single species set up will actually breed and without moving the parent fish, none of the fry or eggs seem to go missing!


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

When you put a bunch of different cory cats together do they hang with each other or just with their own kind? Do they cross breed? Thank you.


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## gsneufeld (Jan 28, 2012)

In a large community tank type with large numbers of a few different species they mostly stay with their own kind, but I've seen quite a few hybrid corydoras, and I have read that one species spawning triggers other species to spawn in some cases, so I think that might contribute to the hybridizing...


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

I dont have much experience with cory doras. I had 3 in my 33 gallon and then now I have 4 because they gave birth to some without me knowing anything about it and 1 survived. I thought about buying more but I like to see them schooling together rather than each with their own kind. I like the leopard and some of the wild ones Charles had for sale. 
May be when i have a bigger tank I will buy like 20 of the same kind and have them all schooling together.


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

Should get the schooling now. I have 20 cories in my 33 gallon and they are a happy bunch.

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## Emily (May 4, 2010)

I have been going back and forth about adding a school of cories to my tank. On the one hand they seem so cute and appealing and I like having a pack of scavengers to pick up any uneaten food bits, but on the other hand I feel like a school of them may annoy my cichlids (rams and cupids) which I am hoping will eventually spawn. I plan to remove the eggs anyway so I am not worried about predation but I feel like having a group of cories perusing the bottom may keep my fish from pairing and attempting to spawn. I haven't ever kept them (actually that's a lie I have but a LONG time ago and I was just a kid) so I am not sure what to expect. 

The tank will be 4 cupids, 4 rams, 10 ottos, 2 plecos, and a school of pencilfish.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

The ones I have now love the sand, they keep burying their faces into the sand; they also like to chase some other fish (i.e. my ram) around. I dont think it was an act of aggression though. I cannot imagine if I have a lot of them and they all jump up to the water surface for air at the same time, that woul be something to watch.


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

They would not affect your rams for spawning. They are quite peaceful.


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## niteshift (Mar 10, 2011)

Welcome aboard Charles i've loved these little guys for years now. I keep them in almost all my tanks ,they never stop and the more the merrier.


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## hp10BII (Apr 23, 2010)

Corys are so peaceful and docile, I'd be careful who their tankmates are. I lost most of a colony of sterbai corys due to a cranky pair of breeding Angels. My current colony of sterbai's are victims to my clown loaches. They were peaceful for a few years, but the loaches have lately developed a fondness for cory eyes.


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

Panda Cories I got from Canadian Aquatics, still healthy after 2 years plus two offsprings.


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