cory questions

[Lemon]

so i have some questions about cory catfish 

i currently have one 1 pygmy cory and I'm hoping to go to a lfs as soon as possible to get more(his friends died over the last 1.5 year 😞 )

what is a small one that would be fine in a 20 long that won't outcompete the pygmys?

I have eco complete with sand in the to back left corners is that enough or should i put sand in the entire tank?

will they push around lily bulbs I ordered some from the co op should i wait for them to get roots?

I'm currently feeding vibra bites and frozen daphnia is this okay or should i add something else?(i have extreme krill flakes and bottom feeder wafers coming)

will they eat shrimplets(fry? idk what they are called)

thanks 🙂

 

[SawdustGnome]

I've only kept salt and pepper cory's so I'll give you my experience with them.

I started with 3 in a 29 gal and those three turned into roughly 20 or so that I have now split between two tanks. The grandmother of them all is roughly 2.5 inches and the rest are 2 inches to 1/2 inches in length depending on their age. They have spawned multiply times but now that I have Bristle Nose Plecos in both tanks the eggs do not survive unless I remove them right away. They also live with cherry shrimp which also keep multiplying. I imagine they eat a shrimplet here and there but enough survive to keep the colony going. Having a pile of small rocks and plenty of java moss helps the shrimplets survive. They get a varied diet but I mainly give them Fluval big bites for bottom feeders. 

I would recommend at least 6 if not 8 to start with. I noticed once the first batch of fry grew up they seemed much happier and more comfortable. They are so fun to watch when they school up in search of food.

They reason I suggest these cory's is they are relatively common in LFS's and won't break the bank either.

Hope this helps and good luck!

[stowcenter93]

If you are still going to keep the Pygmy, you will want to re-stock on the school.  I would keep the school around 6, I seem to have the best luck getting any Corydoras to be active and that number. Obviously. The more the merrier.

If you are looking for a second school, I would recommend the Panda Cory. Doesnt get too big, looks AWESOME and is relatively inexpensive. I keep a school of 6 in my 29 alongside Kuhlis and they do wonderful.

I would start with restocking the Pygmy Cory's, waiting a few weeks, then adding the Pandas.

Almost anything is going to eat shrimp fry. That being said, with enough cover and planta, some fry will probably survive into adulthood to help you maintain the population, but dont assume that will be for certain. They will not do anything to the adult shrimp, in my experience.

Edit: for everything else, dont worry about it. Substrate will be fine, lily will be fine, etc. Etc.

Edited January 17, 2021 by stowcenter93

[Lemon]

1 minute ago, stowcenter93 said:

If you are still going to keep the Pygmy, you will want to re-stock on the school.  I would keep the school around 6, I seem to have the best luck getting any Corydoras to be active and that number. Obviously. The more the merrier.

If you are looking for a second school, I would recommend the Panda Cory. Doesnt get too big, looks AWESOME and is relatively inexpensive. I keep a school of 6 in my 29 alongside Kuhlis and they do wonderful.

I would start with restocking the Pygmy Cory's, waiting a few weeks, then adding the Pandas.

Almost anything is going to eat shrimp fry. That being said, with enough cover and planta, some fry will probably survive into adulthood to help you maintain the population, but dont assume that will be for certain. They will not do anything to the adult shrimp, in my experience.

I am going to keep the pygmys and I'm hoping to get some more as soon as  possible 

[Lemon]

5 minutes ago, SawdustGnome said:

I've only kept salt and pepper cory's so I'll give you my experience with them.

I started with 3 in a 29 gal and those three turned into roughly 20 or so that I have now split between two tanks. The grandmother of them all is roughly 2.5 inches and the rest are 2 inches to 1/2 inches in length depending on their age. They have spawned multiply times but now that I have Bristle Nose Plecos in both tanks the eggs do not survive unless I remove them right away. They also live with cherry shrimp which also keep multiplying. I imagine they eat a shrimplet here and there but enough survive to keep the colony going. Having a pile of small rocks and plenty of java moss helps the shrimplets survive. They get a varied diet but I mainly give them Fluval big bites for bottom feeders. 

I would recommend at least 6 if not 8 to start with. I noticed once the first batch of fry grew up they seemed much happier and more comfortable. They are so fun to watch when they school up in search of food.

They reason I suggest these cory's is they are relatively common in LFS's and won't break the bank either.

Hope this helps and good luck!

would they be to big for a 20 long?

[SawdustGnome]

They should be fine the only difference between a 20 long and a 29 gal is the 29 gal is 6 inches taller. They tanks have the same length and width (30"x12").

[Lemon]

ok 🙂

[Colu]

Bigger the group the less shy they will be

[Lemon]

so I bought 3 more it was a the lfs had but I will be getting more