A few cory questions from a newbie =)

Azaria · Post by **Azaria** » 17 Oct 2009, 21:46

Hi - this is my first post (obviously) I belong to a few Betta sites but I've recently fallen in love with cory =)

I have a few questions:

I have a 20 gallon with 7 female bettas, 3 albino cories and 2 panda cories (I bought them from the local pet store - they told me they would all school together).

So my first question is this:
1)Should I get 2 more pandas - they seem to like to stick together and I want them to be comfortable - but I don't want to ovrecrowd my tank.

2) If I do get 2 more I want to quarantine them - do they need heated water?

2) How much should I feed this many cories? (I am giving them the little round wafers - at night -- it was also suggested that I give them a treat of frozen bloodworms).

I think that's all --- for now.

L number Banana · Post by **L number Banana** » 18 Oct 2009, 05:59

Hi Azaria and Welcome to Planet Catfish

Yes to getting more corys to make them a school or shoal.
And here's the two links for your two corys, it will tell you about the temperature needs etc. Wonderful little fish

As for crowding your tank, panda corys are small and as long as you keep up tank maintenance, water changes, testing etc, 3 more of those shouldn't be a problem but would make them feel more comfy. If you can keep up the maintenance then maybe getting a couple more albino corys would make them a school too. Another option would be to trade in the albinos for more pandas? The pandas are smaller so more of them would be easier to maintain. And they're insanely cute.

I feed mine about the same foods as you but I give them a day off once in a while before tank cleaning and give them treats when I feel like it or when one is gravid. Keep an eye on their bellies and compare them with the pictures in the links. They should be a little rounded and not sunken in. Also, there's no need to feed them at night only so you can try skipping a night and feeding them the next day to see how much they eat, less is always better for water quality.

Azaria · Post by **Azaria** » 18 Oct 2009, 08:47

Thanks for getting back to me. The reason I feed them at night is so it's dark and the bettas won't try and steal their food ;)

I just got a 10 gallon to put a male betta in that I am expecting from aquabid. Perhaps I could get 3 more albinos and 4 more pandas - and then I can put one of those schools (I saw someone wrote shoals before and I thought it was a typo lol) in the 10 with the male betta and keeo the other school in the 20 gal with the sorority - what do you think of that idea?

L number Banana · Post by **L number Banana** » 19 Oct 2009, 06:22

That sounds good too. When I had a betta, I fed it little betta pellets that floated for quite a while as the betta was mostly a top feeder whereas the corys should be more bottom feeders so the daytime feeding should still be okay if you switch to strictly betta food for them and cory food for the corys.

Here's something someone brought up to me when I first considered breeding bettas. If your bettas breed, you will then have about 25 that have to be separated by the time they're "teenagers" so the males don't wipe each other out. If you then separate all the males, that's a lot of tanks! How do your friends on the betta forum deal with so many little males? I chickened out before I ever ventured in that direction.

Saw your other cory post, sorry to hear about your bad luck

but I'm wondering if the PH was just a bit much? Do you slowly change the store water for your water before you release them? The store may have something a bit more neutral? You can try rainwater or store bought water since your tanks are small enough that a whole system may not be needed for a while. Melted snow will work as well - brought up to the right temp of course. I'd check back at the store for advice too and see if you can get replacements. Ask them what their ph is.

Have you thought of looking into hardwater catfish? Some from Africa like a higher PH but many corys don't, they want something like rainwater - lower ph. It would save you a lot of time and effort if you tried to find catfish that like harder water. I use 1/3 rainwater and 2/3 tapwater at 7.4ph. That keeps my South American tank at 6.5.
Maybe you could do one tank with lower ph water for the corys and another to keep higher ph cats? Also check the expiry on your test strips or bring a sample to your LFS to see what readings they get. And you could also ask them about the water conditioner that you use, it may be one that effects your readings (made that mistake myself when I bought the 'Plus' version of my regular one

)
Don't give up, we'll have you happily catfishing, just need to get the bugs out

I'll nose into higher ph catfish - using that advanced search feature just to see if anything like the ones you mentioned jump out at me - may have to refer this to the experts though. Will post if I find anything.

L number Banana · Post by **L number Banana** » 19 Oct 2009, 06:32

Seems like there's a few that are awesome catfish and stay small. Take a look at this thread - these are the little fish that I just got, they can take your hard water no problem

May be somewhat easy to find as well.
Here:http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... 32#p170832

Also found these adorable catfish and someone in your area has these so there's always a possibility that some will show up in a fish store. They only get abut 2.4 inches - sweet!

Azaria · Post by **Azaria** » 19 Oct 2009, 15:47

I was thinking about the amonia thing last night - that perhaps my tank wasn't cycled well enough yet (I did it a few months ago but who knows...) And maybe - as you mentioed - there is something wrong with my amonia tester. I took my betta out and put her in a 2 gallon -- this morning she iis a dark black colour and the stress stripes she has had since I got her were gone! (others had mentioned that maybe they weren't stress - that she was just striped - but I guess something's bee wrong all along

)
I also put the 3 remaining cories in a 2 gallon so they could have clean water. And I am going to cycle the tank again.

- I never even thouhgt about the ph -- I worried about it when I first got my bettas but for them as long as the ph stays the same it's ok. So I totally forgot about it when it came to the cories. I love the ideas you have. I could keep the 20 gallon with the high ph (probably easier because of its size) and then my 10 gallon could have a lower ph for the 'low ph' cories ;) I live in Alberta Canada so melted snow is somehting I can always find lol. Almond leaves are supposed to help but they turn the water a yucky colour.

- Regarding betta breeding -- this is somehting I am thinking of doing - in like a year - once I have this fish thing learned more lol. The folks on ultimatebetta mostly use jars for the 'teenagers'. I guess it's ok for short term -- but I really like my bettas to have alot of room (plus, this might work in warmer places but in Canada I'll need heaters). I was thinking of getting some tanls built that are longer and sorter and then dividing them up -- giving each boy about a gallon each. This is probably a crazy idea but it;s not like I would be going into it as a business so I would only keep 1 set of offspring at a time ;)

Thanks so much for all your help! I am off to look at the catfish links you gave me =)

Azaria · Post by **Azaria** » 19 Oct 2009, 15:47

WOW - that lucipinnis is the cutest thing EVER! I will def. look into those -- thanks =)

Richard B · Post by **Richard B** » 19 Oct 2009, 19:34

L number Banana wrote:Seems like there's a few that are awesome catfish and stay small. Take a look at this thread - these are the little fish that I just got, they can take your hard water no problem May be somewhat easy to find as well.
Here:http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... 32#p170832

Also found these adorable catfish and someone in your area has these so there's always a possibility that some will show up in a fish store. They only get abut 2.4 inches - sweet!

Lophiobagrus brevispinis

Bothe the Lophio's & the Lucipinnis will prefer hard alkaline water though which will not be liked by the betta or corys...

L number Banana · Post by **L number Banana** » 20 Oct 2009, 05:10

Moi:

Some from Africa like a higher PH but many corys don't

Richard B:

Bothe the Lophio's & the Lucipinnis will prefer hard alkaline water though which will not be liked by the betta or corys...

You have to read the whole novel Richard!

But you did say the same thing is such beautifully efficient terms

Any other fish you could recommend to the ph 8.4 poster? I'm still so newbie at recommendations, I could use as many of your tips as the poster.

Post by **Birger** » 20 Oct 2009, 06:04

Also found these adorable catfish and someone in your area has these so there's always a possibility that some will show up in a fish store. They only get abut 2.4 inches - sweet!
Lophiobagrus brevispinis

Mine are working on it...give them some time.

Any other fish you could recommend to the ph 8.4 poster?

Like already mentioned any of the cats from Tanganyika

Could look into fish from the Rio San Alejandro...there are some of these Peruvian fish around right now.

may handle it as well.

Birger

L number Banana · Post by **L number Banana** » 20 Oct 2009, 07:59

Mine are working on it...give them some time.

Dibs! Okay maybe not but it was yours I was thinking of

Best of luck!

A few cory questions from a newbie =)

A few cory questions from a newbie =)

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