So everywhere I have read up about corys so far says that they should be kept in larger groups (at least 3, but 6 is better). Does this mean one must have 6 of each type of cory, or will different types of cories feel happy with each other. So say, for example, if I got one pygmy cory, one panda cory, one albino cory, one bronze cory, one bandit cory, and one peppered cory, would they school and be happy together, or would I have to get more of each species?

Yes, they would tolerate each other. No, they wouldn't be as happy as if they had 5 members of their species.

Not to sound racist (I'm not) but a German, a Chinese, an Indian, a Nigerian, a Brazilian and a Canadian would all get along with each other but... (well, maybe not the Canadian).

Maybe that's a bad analogy but that's the best I can do on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

okay, thanks, that's good to know and I liked your analogy. bronze and albino corys should be happy together though, right, since they're the same "species"?

Yes they should do fine together. How many do you have in total?

none right now, I'm just considering how to stock my 30g.

I have cories in all my tanks, I must say however, the tanks with greater than 8 cories are amazing, their behaviour changes greatly!

With 5 or 6 they shoal together, sometimes really actively, sometimes not. When you have 8+ they kind of swarm over the tank (:

Not trying to say you have to get lots, but after discovering this I will always keep larger groups.

PS: When buying Albino, be careful if you are trying to go a single type, because some albinos are albino anaeus, and some are albino sterbai. (Albino sterbai have thicker "bones" at the start of their fins and are shaped differently.

The minimum I would recommend is 3. I say this because with one or two, they tend to be scared and hide alot. There are some cories that are exceptions to the rule, but this is the general rule.

This post has been edited by corydoras1: Jun 24 2008, 10:44 PM

My bronze cories don't really interact with my leopard cories (trilineatus). The leopards are shy and stick together under the plants and decor except at mealtimes and late evenings, and the bronzes are much more confident and stick together spending a lot of time in the open. Perhaps if they were different species but similar temperament, they might shoal together, but I think it's best to have at least 2 or 3 of each species, as they're very unhappy alone and might not mix. Also, if you haven't already checked, it might be worth confirming their temperature requirements, as some cories prefer warmer or cooler water.

As for mine, I think I need more cories. And a bigger tank...

thanks for the great replies.

lol, yeah, one could always use a bigger tank.

It is true that some species get long better together than others. There are several factors involved. Temperatue is one; disposition is another, apperance is another. Maybe different ones smell different??? Who knows. I do have some that really get on great and seem to have little in common.

I have a Wietzmanni who escaped a Cory community tank of duplicarus, pandas, Weitzmanni and super schwartzi into the Tetra community tank to live with a tribe of peppers and a stray pulcher. He is enamored of both the lady peppers.

The super schwartzii stay very separate from the striped black and white tribes.

Also my bilineatus San Juans do very well with the small pandas, arcuatus, melini tribes.

hmm...have you ever kept juliis with adolfois? if any, those would be the corys I would get.

I have not. I have duplicarus not adolfois. Juli/trilineatus (which is what these usually actually are) are small and very shy. I would also check the temperature preferences. I don't have the lps trilis, mine were said to be wild caught juliis although some debate that. Barracuda I believe has trilis. He might have a better perspective. I am now getting ready to reaggange my tanks and redistribute my Corys according to what seem to be their preferences. So I am trying to decide who to room my juliis with.

Most Corys will get on together without any real problem. Not all will swim and dance together. It's a little like when my runaway pulcher tried to dance with the queen loaches. He was more than welcome, but he got his head stepped on. Poor things has never found a friend in that tank and he won't let me easily catch him to put him in with his mates.

The runaways, by the way escaped via the Python tube during water changes. And the San Juans are a mottled Cory while his mates are all white with black bands. The super schwartzi are huge spotted things while the white with black bands are all half their size.

you were right, juliis seem to appriciate cooler waters, while adolfoi like warmer waters.

lol, that's so funny. Silly little buggers...

Generally there is an overlap, though, and if the temps will be constant they can co-habitate.

Mine are in a fish room, which means all the tanks tend to average out the temps. Plus I keep everything on the low end of 70 F. in the summer when i can for my own comfort and the air conditioner's work load reduction. They manage. But the temp preference of your fish is always a consideration when setting up communities.

This post has been edited by jollysue: Jun 26 2008, 01:04 PM

any fish that don't like warmer water aren't really an option for me, unfortunately. You can't get air conditioning in Germany and my tanks are already overheating and summer has only barely begun (it's going to get a lot hotter). I have to keep the lights off in my room and pull the blinds during the day just to keep my tank in the mid to high 70's.

i have a group of 6 cory strebai, and at first they all kept together but now they tend to break off into pairs and sit around the tank in twos. (i have 5 male one female)



also a quick question for you cory lovers! i have 8 cory fry, at what size can i put them back in with the adults? at the moment they are around 3 weeks old and still very small. (a cm or so long?)

I'm guessing that if the group breaks up, that means they feel really secure and at home in your tank.

I definitely agree when it comes some other species (tend to group together when you first get them, then slowly as they get used to the tank they split up and ungroup more)...

However with my cories (i have 8 species) the biggest split I see is a group of 4 splitting in about half. Occasionally i see a single cory by itself digging where I drop the food. In this case, I assume that individual has gotten hungry and didn't care about its friends for a while? (:

But yea, who knows what goes on in the mind of a fish!

I forgot to say, mine also break up into pairs of two when breeding behaviour is going on.. ie in a group of six there will be one girl and one or two boys chasing it.

When the girl is sick of being chased by the boys it hides in the java moss.

So, Eines, You might consider leucomelas, julii, sterbai and aeneus among others as for your over 75 F tanks.

I have juliis and adolfoi in a tank at 26.5c, and they are all very happy, The julis (trilineatuses) are happier than the adolfoi, swiming up and down all over the place, all day every day, for months now. (The adolfoi are more tame)