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why can I only keep one pygmy corie?


Lemon
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I always end up with one healthy pygmy cory and all the other die or disappear. I have tried 2 groups from 2 different sources. could it be I'm not feeding enough(I mostly feed frozen daphnia, extreme krill flake)? I don't feed repashy or sinking food. since there is a lot wasted.

I'm so confused, frustrated, and sad 

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20 minutes ago, quirkylemon103 said:

I always end up with one healthy pygmy cory and all the other die or disappear. I have tried 2 groups from 2 different sources. could it be I'm not feeding enough(I mostly feed frozen daphnia, extreme krill flake)? I don't feed repashy or sinking food. since there is a lot wasted.

I'm so confused, frustrated, and sad 

I would encourage you to keep trying with the little guys, as pygmy cories like large groups, though I understand it can be quite expensive to continually buy pygmy cories without any success. What you might want to try is start feeding maybe only a single sinking pellet very near to the cories' resting spot. Another thing to try would be getting a similar looking species that's hardier and could socialize and bring comfort to your last cory. Species include Otocinclus (O. affinis, O. vestitus, and O. vittatus all work okay as mimics), hastatus cories (I know they are expensive, but maybe if you can find some cheaper ones), or habrosus cories (ask if your LFS can order them if they don't have them already). These "mimics" could also encourage your pygmy cory to be more active and accept food more easily.

For food, I rarely see my pygmy cories eat, as they are very reclusive. I occasionally see one or two out and about during the day, probably grazing on microscopic organisms residing in the algae, plants, or substrate. They do eat wafers, but only when the wafers make it as far back as their favorite sponge. If I were you, I would feed some bloodworms or rephasy to see if they'll eat that. These are not wasted either, as other fish in the tank will also eat them off the bottom.

That brings me to some questions. What fish are we running in the tank currently? Any pictures? What diseases are possibly affecting the cory population?

While, I hope my advice helps. Good luck.

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3 minutes ago, CorydorasEthan said:

I would encourage you to keep trying with the little guys, as pygmy cories like large groups, though I understand it can be quite expensive to continually buy pygmy cories without any success. What you might want to try is start feeding maybe only a single sinking pellet very near to the cories' resting spot. Another thing to try would be getting a similar looking species that's hardier and could socialize and bring comfort to your last cory. Species include Otocinclus (O. affinis, O. vestitus, and O. vittatus all work okay as mimics), hastatus cories (I know they are expensive, but maybe if you can find some cheaper ones), or habrosus cories (ask if your LFS can order them if they don't have them already). These "mimics" could also encourage your pygmy cory to be more active and accept food more easily.

For food, I rarely see my pygmy cories eat, as they are very reclusive. I occasionally see one or two out and about during the day, probably grazing on microscopic organisms residing in the algae, plants, or substrate. They do eat wafers, but only when the wafers make it as far back as their favorite sponge. If I were you, I would feed some bloodworms or rephasy to see if they'll eat that. These are not wasted either, as other fish in the tank will also eat them off the bottom.

That brings me to some questions. What fish are we running in the tank currently? Any pictures? What diseases are possibly affecting the cory population?

While, I hope my advice helps. Good luck.

I put an extreme sinking wafer under the plant my cory likes to hang out under. In your opinion are hasbrosus cories less shy?

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Just now, quirkylemon103 said:

I put an extreme sinking wafer under the plant my cory likes to hang out under. In your opinion are hasbrosus cories less shy?

I have not kept any habrosus cories yet, but from what I've heard, they are more outgoing, yes. Cories from the true dwarf lineage (like C. pygmaeus and C. hastatus) are more reclusive and shy, since they are smaller and require very large schools to thrive (they live in groups of probably around 100-500 normally). They live similarly to smaller tetras in the wild, and thus require lots of hiding places and lots of friends. The habrosus cory is more of the same type as more common cories we see in the hobby, and it is more closely related to something like the false julii cory than the true pygmy cories. It leads a lifestyle similar to that of its larger cousins, that being a fish that lives in smaller groups (maybe 30 fish normally) and spends a lot more time rooting around in the sand. So I would imagine they would naturally be more outgoing.

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2 minutes ago, Jungle Fan said:

@quirkylemon103how big were the two groups, and what type of substrate do you have in the tank? When I kept Corydoras pygmaeus I fed them bloodworms, spirulina wafers, and they also loved the 1mm size sinking cichlid pellets, left over food was never an issue with the tiny dozen, they even challenged the Rams for them.

I got 6 the first time 3 the second

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@quirkylemon103 6-7 is about the minimum I would buy, they really tend to do better in larger groups, since in the wild they can sometimes be observed in groups of hundreds, I would try to get a group of at least 9 if you can. 12 was the magic minimum number for me. The reason I asked about the substrate was that their tiny barbels get damaged easily, sometimes while they are being netted and sometimes by the substrate, they love to dig in soft sand, or soil. Once the barbels are damaged they are open to disease, and if they are in a new environment in smaller groups than they are used to the stress level is higher and their immune system takes a hit. That's why I always try to go with larger groups, even if it decreases variety in the tank, it helps create health stability.

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