Well, if you read my other post, I'm considering getting pygmy corys. I doubt my petsmart or petco has them, they only have larger species (panda, etc.). I'd like to buy them online, the only place I know is aquabid, but the only sellers are selling them for 10 or 25 corys each auction. I only need 3!
Can someone suggest somewhere/someone online that sells pygmy corys? Thank you!!
I wouldn't consider a group of less than 6, and the group of 10 being sold is ideal. They are a small schooling fish that are easy to care for and don't require much room. ( a 20 liter tank would be fine )
mefishy wrote:My tank is going to be a 5 gallon with one male betta. I was told I could put in 3 or 4.
I can't take ten, it's too much, I won't have anywhere to put the rest
Hi, You can keep 10 of these in a 5 gallon tank, with the betta - no problem. Just do frequent water changes and you'll have no problem at all. Is it ideal? No? Is it doable? Yes. - Frank
P.S. Don't get me started on the 1" per gallon myth. This ain't the 1950's!
I know that some will disagree, but if you are careful with your water quality, I honestly don't believe you will have any problem, at all. It's just important to realize that the smaller the tank, the faster the parameters will change.
I oftentimes forget to mention that I only keep bare-bottom tanks. If you use gravel in your tanks, you must be very careful. To really enjoy this specie, you should have 8 to 10. I can watch my C. hastatus shoal all day. I have about 25 in a 10 G. tank for over a year. No problemo. - Frank
I have been keeping and breeding C. pygmaeus for more than 30 years (not the same group I must add), and a present have a group of around 20 in a tank that holds precisely 4.5 UK gallons (5.4 US gallons), however the tank is 30" long by 10" wide and 8" deep. When they spawn there can be anywhere between 30 and 50 fry in the tank as well, there is plenty of Java moss for cover and there are two sponge filers, one at each end of the tank.
I would guess that your tank is around 18" x10"x10" and if so it is perfectly capable of housing 18 or 20 C. pygmaeus. Use a little fine sand on the bottom, about 1/4" deep at the most and add a decent sponge filter. These are tough little critter and will give you many hours of enjoyment.
One other thing, it is customary when requesting help in finding fish, or equipment for that mater, to state your location. The state will do, I am in the UK so I cannot help you with any fish.
I just received a shipment of about 150 Cory pygmaeus. It is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. They school in the tightest group I've seen in freshwater aquaria. Right now they're in a 40gal aquarium in quarantine and they are mesmerizing. The only thing like it I've seen is snorkeling with small marine sardines. I'm almost considering setting up a 6-foot tank with a thousand or two of these cories to watch them school. It would be worth it... Don't buy 6. Don't buy 20. Get about 50 or more and you'll be amazed. OK, maybe not 50 in a ten-gallon tank but Ian's suggestion of 20 or so would be well worthwhile. I'll try to shoot some video of the ones I have. I'm guessing that wild-caught fish may school a bit tighter than tank-raised. Any experience with that Ian?
I'm guessing that wild-caught fish may school a bit tighter than tank-raised. Any experience with that Ian?
Newly imported fish do tend to shoal tightly together, once settled they will spread around the tank a little more. This was a group of a dozen just after I bought them.
would have to agree that you will be more than fine with more than 3-4 pygmy cories in a 5 gallon tank. i have a shoal of ten in in 4.5 tank with a betta, and a couple of shrimp, you wont need to do much more water changes, IMO should do a small water change every week/fortnight and monitor water quailty anyway. they are only tiny fish so the volume of waste will be minimal. they will also look better and be more confident in a larger shoal too. cool little fish!
