Maximum consistent temp for C. habrosus?

sacredwombat · Post by **sacredwombat** » 13 Jul 2006, 22:35

I'm interested in setting up a species tank with one of the dwarf cory types (habrosus by preference). The one thing I can't adjust to suit their needs is the temperature. The tank in which they'd be living does not receive direct sunlight at any time during the day. It's not near any doors. It is, in fact, in the part of the house where the temp is coolest and most stable. That having been said, the water is a solid 82 degrees (27.5 C) for a minimum of 5 months of the year. I live in southwest Florida, so my home does not get cooler than the air conditioner makes it from May to September.

A few sites have 82 listed as the upper limit of their range, but most have the upper limit at 77. Is 82 degrees acceptable, or is that a level at which the fish will experience constant low-grade stress?

I'm interested in the dwarf corys on account of the tank being on the small side (10 US gallons/40 L); I don't want to cramp the fish or keep them in numbers too small for them to be comfortable.

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 14 Jul 2006, 14:34

This site lists 26'C/79'F as the max temp.

I wouldn't think that keeping them a couple of degees above would be a great harm short term, but for the longer term, it will most likely shorten their life-span and possibly preven their reproduction.

There's been several posts on hints to lower temperatures in the tank. You may find that some of those tips are acheivable for you...

Alternatively, a small group (5 or so) of for example C. sterbai would probably work, but obviously not quite as fun to watch as a group of 10 C. habrosus or something like that.

Obviously, how many Corydoras you can have in a 10g tank depends very much on what else you got in the tank...

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Mats

sacredwombat · Post by **sacredwombat** » 14 Jul 2006, 16:11

The tank is currently stocked with ghost shrimp, trumpet snails, and apple snails (Pomacea bridgesii). The apple snails would be getting a new home on account their pH and hardness requirements, and the larger shrimp would need to join them if the corys spawned.

The tank is moderately planted, and I'll be adding several more Java ferns and hopefully a fair amount of Java moss soon--definitely before buying any sort of cory.

The substrate is 2" of SeaChem's onyx sand, and the filter is a Top Fin 10 with a sponge attachment. The dimensions are 20" long by 10" wide, with a 10" height.

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 14 Jul 2006, 17:54

I'd say you can have 5 adult C. sterbai in there, with a few other fish.

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Mats

sacredwombat · Post by **sacredwombat** » 14 Jul 2006, 19:46

If I could manage to use one of the hints you mentioned to lower the temperature to 79, what do you think the ideal number of C. habrosus would be?

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 14 Jul 2006, 19:50

As they are about half the body volume (or less), you could most likely be able to keep 10-12 of them.

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Mats