Amateur Cory Owner..mixing Question?

[slady12]

I recently purchased a 36 gallon fish tank.
The man at the store talked me into buying some Cory Catfish. I found a type called "Red Laser Cory Catfish" and he said I should get two of them.
Unfortunately, I should have done better research because now that I'm home I've found that catfish need to be in groups of 6. I also found that this cory was a "bronze catfish" type. I was wondering if I can mix my red ones with other fish, just because I may  not be able to get 3-4 more in the next couple of weeks (can't afford it). Also, is my 36 gallon enough for 6 full grown catfish?

 

[JenCliBee]

I recently purchased a 36 gallon fish tank.
The man at the store talked me into buying some Cory Catfish. I found a type called "Red Laser Cory Catfish" and he said I should get two of them.
Unfortunately, I should have done better research because now that I'm home I've found that catfish need to be in groups of 6. I also found that this cory was a "bronze catfish" type. I was wondering if I can mix my red ones with other fish, just because I may  not be able to get 3-4 more in the next couple of weeks (can't afford it). Also, is my 36 gallon enough for 6 full grown catfish?

 
 
You could add other cory's species to the group but they may not stick together, you would be much better off getting the same species in all honestly... i'm presuming you mean the ones you have brought as reds are infact bronze?.... if so these are probably the most readily available ones on the market and i'm sure you wont have trouble finding more to add to your existing ones.
 
To the Q regarding the tank size, a group of 6 will be fine in that sized tank

 

[greenmumma141]

you can mix kinds but they really prefer their own species and are much more fun to watch when their numbers are larger! i dont see how any fish shop could mistake red lasers with bronze cories, i think they might have been trying to get more money for the fish

 

[slady12]

I've found online things that mention orange or green laser cory catfish. I'm wondering if they're related. Maybe they're still bronze corys, but yea. Haha.
I don't know the price of a bronze, but I paid around $9 each. Is that the same price as a bronze or more expensive?

 

[JenCliBee]

Green, red, and orange/gold lasers are all from the same family but differences sub species, so although they are very similar, there would still be no definitive answer they would still school together.... ive had all 3 but they have always been in there own tanks so i couldn't really help.
 
As to prices, the last time i brought red lasers was around 2 years back and i paid £15.99 each for them, greens are an average of £12-£13 each and orange at around £8-£10... unfortunately i have no idea on US prices so i really couldn't help you there.
 
If you could get a picture up, we can have a better idea of what you may have.

 

[slady12]

Currently they're hiding in the back of the tank, but they look identical to this : 
https/encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRsuFy91OhvJalbNwH7zFnV8hL4BILdPOqPpdhqpm1K6dRZlWTi
They're just a little duller in color.
(When I bought them they were more vibrant like the picture, but maybe the color of my substrate mixed with moving to a new home has their color looking a bit different)

 

[JenCliBee]

It would be much better to have a pic of yours tbh, that pic isn't the best to show at all due to the full body brightness/colour, looks like it could possibly be a red laser but there is another species which was often confused with it called a gold shoulder which if i remember correctly was described as either a C.aneaus or a closely related one to it (basically a bronze cory).

 

[slady12]

I'm attempting to get a picture. Quality's pretty bad.
I hyperlinked the wrong picture anyway.


 http/tinypic.com/r/2qkkqqr/6
It's pretty bad quality 'cause I can't get him when he's out in the open but not moving.

 

[greenmumma141]

I've found online things that mention orange or green laser cory catfish. I'm wondering if they're related. Maybe they're still bronze corys, but yea. Haha.
I don't know the price of a bronze, but I paid around $9 each. Is that the same price as a bronze or more expensive?

 
i wouldnt say you were robbed exactly, but thats way too high for a bronze. Under $4 is what they normally go for in my area...
 
I would say from the pic that you could have a laser, maybe he just needs to color up? Ive never kept lasers before so I don't know if they lose the laser coloring...

 

[slady12]

They were definitely brighter at the store, and the pictures I've found online of red laser corys seem to be more the color they were when I found them. 
Thank you everyone that responded though!!

 

[JenCliBee]

Well it's definitely a laser of some sorts ..... i would wait for the stress colour to subside and then have a look around at what closely matches the stripe colour.... it's really hard to completely get a colour definite on a picture, unless the pic is a very good, high res shot.... reds/orange/golds can look very similar tbh and you will ultimately have the exact colour in front of you .... good luck