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I aquired 8 wild caught corydorus Elagans. For now I have them in a 15 gal barebottom tank with a sponge filter, small aquaclear filter and a power head set on the lowest setting for water movement. They're eating fine and appear healthy. The water temp is 74, pH is 7.8 and TDS is 210 ppm. I feed them shrimp, earthworm, brine shrimp pellets. A couple times each week I give them froz bloodworms-they go nuts over them.
What I'm wondering is what is the best tank setup for them in regards to substrate (and what kind of substrate), plants (live or artificial), ornaments? I did give them a nice hunk of malasian driftwood that turns the water a yellowish color. They tend to scatter when I get too close to the tank so I don't think they feel that secure. I would love for them to spawn but I have no idea what the best water conditions are for them. I've never bred cory's let alone kept wild ones.
Any tips and ideas would be greatly appreciated.
TIA!
Nancy

I have not bred C. elegans, but C. napoensis, C.cf. C41, C123, C. undulatus and C. pygmaeus wich all fall into the "elegans-shaped group".

I have found that a thin sand substrate (up to 6-7 millimeters) with a few oakleaves and bogwood with attatched javafern is very good. Also a clump of javamoss will do no harm, neither will a few Pistia sp. on the surface.

A colleague of mine spawned C. napoensis just by leaving them in a bare tank in his fish-house to mature, and they spawned about 4 months later; my 4 elegans are in a tank with gravel, bogwood, slate and a few plastic-silk plants, and are the most laid-back fish I've got, spending most of their time sitting on the gravel in plain view (most of my Corys are hyperactive for a couple of months after I get them but then sett0le down to being anything but active), sometimes with their conspecifics and sometimes on their own (in marked contrast to the weitzmani!). I've had them 3 and a half months but they still don't seem big enough to attempt to spawn.