Corydoras foods

[AlexT]

I know there is a wealth of info online, but it's nice to hear from members. What food regime should I be aiming for? And, and as a specific, how often could I give them frozen bloodworm? When I had a big breeding colony years ago, they were hoovering up frozen bloodworm like there was no tomorrow.

If it makes a difference, it's for bronze and albino.

There are no stickies on the basics of corydoras care, unless I am not seeing it. Thanks.

 

[Byron]

There will perhaps be disagreement, but this topic I have from Ian Fuller who owns CorydorasWorld, and some marine biologists. The natural diet of all species according to examination of the stomach contents are insects and insect larvae, crustaceans, and last worms. The primary foods are the insect/larvae and crustaceans.

Bloodworms are an insect larvae, but not a healthy one for aquarium fish. Feed once a week as a treat, no more. Bug Bites (the pellet form, not flake) is ideal. Quality shrimp pellets (Omega One) good. There is a cory food available in the UK I can never remember the name of, and Ian Fuller had input into the design of this.

Issues are protein...other foods including worms have too much protein and fat. The white bumps sometimes observed on failing cories are protein excess. They also cannot digest vegetarian stuff, like algae, so never feed them such foods including vegetables--they do not have teeth so they cannot rasp vegetables anyway.

Frozen daphnia is superb. Shrimp, frozen or live. There are undoubted other similar foods. What is in the ingredients, and the protein and fat levels, is important.

 

[AlexT]

There will perhaps be disagreement, but this topic I have from Ian Fuller who owns CorydorasWorld, and some marine biologists. The natural diet of all species according to examination of the stomach contents are insects and insect larvae, crustaceans, and last worms. The primary foods are the insect/larvae and crustaceans.

Bloodworms are an insect larvae, but not a healthy one for aquarium fish. Feed once a week as a treat, no more. Bug Bites (the pellet form, not flake) is ideal. Quality shrimp pellets (Omega One) good. There is a cory food available in the UK I can never remember the name of, and Ian Fuller had input into the design of this.

Issues are protein...other foods including worms have too much protein and fat. The white bumps sometimes observed on failing cories are protein excess. They also cannot digest vegetarian stuff, like algae, so never feed them such foods including vegetables--they do not have teeth so they cannot rasp vegetables anyway.

Frozen daphnia is superb. Shrimp, frozen or live. There are undoubted other similar foods. What is in the ingredients, and the protein and fat levels, is important.

Is the Ian Fuller one perhaps this? https://www.amazon.co.uk/FishScience-Corydoras-Science-Catfish-Feeders/dp/B075SHGTB1

Also, I found this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fluval-Bit...8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

I'm not having much luck with the Omega One shrimp pellets for UK, but I did find this one (39% protein, and 7% fat) https://www.pond-planet.co.uk/aquar...RjW8b4zFH0cGx9iXSU-tfckjpUy8I89hoCGGMQAvD_BwE

 

[Essjay]

The Fish Science website doesn't give the ingredients, unfortunately. Though they do say that their foods are based on insect meal. The founder of the company spent a number of years working for Tetra.

I've also been unable to find Omega One flakes, except for Amazon at £102 for a 5.3 oz tub. I'm still looking for a good quality flake food.

 

[sharkweek178]

The Fish Science website doesn't give the ingredients, unfortunately. Though they do say that their foods are based on insect meal. The founder of the company spent a number of years working for Tetra.

I've also been unable to find Omega One flakes, except for Amazon at £102 for a 5.3 oz tub. I'm still looking for a good quality flake food.

I found this. I wouldn't use this food.

 

[sharkweek178]

Is the Ian Fuller one perhaps this? https://www.amazon.co.uk/FishScience-Corydoras-Science-Catfish-Feeders/dp/B075SHGTB1

Also, I found this https/www.amazon.co.uk/Fluval-Bites-Tropical-Micro-Granules/dp/B07194GD1F/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=Bug+Bites&qid=1691994048&rdc=1&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

I'm not having much luck with the Omega One shrimp pellets for UK, but I did find this one (39% protein, and 7% fat) https/www.pond-planet.co.uk/aquarium-c4/food-treatments-planting-c81/fish-food-feeders-c79/jbl-pronovo-corydoras-tab-m-100ml-p5491/s8834?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=jbl-pronovo-corydoras-tab-m-100ml-3134118&utm_campaign=product+listing+ads&cid=GBP&glCurrency=GBP&glCountry=GB&gclid=CjwKCAjw_uGmBhBREiwAeOfsd83FvOP09vgUJkDJXkqrH8RjW8b4zFH0cGx9iXSU-tfckjpUy8I89hoCGGMQAvD_BwE

The second one, Bug Bites, is good. They have a bottom feeder formula. I don't know if there's that big of a difference though.

I found another brand that could be good here. New Life Spectrum Insectum formula. https://aquascapeshop.com/product/new-life-spectrum-insectum/

Guaranteed Analysis
Protein (Min.) 36%;
Fat (Min.) 7%;
Fiber (Max.) 7%;
Moisture (Max.) 10%;
Vit A. 10000 IU/Kg
Vit D. 3500 IU/Kg
Vit E. 400 IU/Kg
Vit C. 600 IU/Kg

Ingredients
Insects, Whole Antarctic Krill, Giant Squid, Whole Wheat Flour, Whole Menhaden Fish, Garlic, Omega-3 Fish Oil, Ulva Seaweed, Chlorella Seaweed, Wakame Seaweed, Kelp, Ginger, Astaxanthin, Spirulina, Marigold, Capsanthin, Zeaxanthin, Eucheuma cottonii Seaweed, Spinosum Seaweed, Chondrus crispus Seaweed, Bentonite Clay, Sea Salt, Naturox (a preservative) used, Krill vacuum preserved

 

[sharkweek178]

As far as live foods go, I've found that my pygmy corys seem to respond to baby brine shrimp the most.

 

[AlexT]

I found this. I wouldn't use this food.

Why not? And thanks for all the links and tips

 

[Essjay]

Because the second and third ingredients are brewer's yeast and wheat gluten. The best foods have these a lot further down the list, ie less of them than other ingredients such as whole fish. Compare the ingredients on the tub in post #5 to the ingredients in post #6.

 

[sharkweek178]

Why not? And thanks for all the links and tips

When I look at foods, I look at the first five ingredients. Those are going to be the predominant ingredients. You want to avoid anything with "meals". Fish meal is the parts of the fish that humans don't eat like the head or tails. You want whole ingredients. Now I don't know what insect meal means. I can't imagine that they use different parts of insects for different purposes. But there's another problem with the ingredients list. And that's the yeast and wheat gluten. Fish digestive systems aren't designed to handle terrestrial grains. They have to use some in fish foods for binding. But you want to avoid them as much as possible. If it were one or the other, I'd be a little more comfortable with it. I'm not sure what fish hydrosylate so I'm not comfortable with feeding that to my fish.
Compare the ingredients lists from posts 5 and 6 and you'll see what I mean.

 

[Essjay]

Fish hydrolysate is basically "ground up fish transformed into a liquid phase" to quote Wikipedia. And it's probably those bits of fish humans don't eat again.

 

[Naughts]

They have a bottom feeder formula. I don't know if there's that big of a difference though.

They have a few other types/ recipes in the bug bite range - tropical flakes, cichlid formula, pleco formula, medium/large pellets etc.

For the two we are discussing, the ingredients differ very slightly, the bottom feeder is missing 'fish protein concentrate'. The other important difference is that one sinks straight away for the bottom feeders, the other floats then slowly sinks for the top and mid level feeders.

 

[AlexT]

When I look at foods, I look at the first five ingredients. Those are going to be the predominant ingredients. You want to avoid anything with "meals". Fish meal is the parts of the fish that humans don't eat like the head or tails. You want whole ingredients. Now I don't know what insect meal means. I can't imagine that they use different parts of insects for different purposes. But there's another problem with the ingredients list. And that's the yeast and wheat gluten. Fish digestive systems aren't designed to handle terrestrial grains. They have to use some in fish foods for binding. But you want to avoid them as much as possible. If it were one or the other, I'd be a little more comfortable with it. I'm not sure what fish hydrosylate so I'm not comfortable with feeding that to my fish.
Compare the ingredients lists from posts 5 and 6 and you'll see what I mean.

Thank you! Very informative.

 

[Byron]

I found this. I wouldn't use this food.

Certainly agree, this is junk food for fish and unhealthy long-term.

 

[sharkweek178]

They have a few other types/ recipes in the bug bite range - tropical flakes, cichlid formula, pleco formula, medium/large pellets etc.

For the two we are discussing, the ingredients differ very slightly, the bottom feeder is missing 'fish protein concentrate'. The other important difference is that one sinks straight away for the bottom feeders, the other floats then slowly sinks for the top and mid level feeders.

I feed both regular pellets and the bottom feeder. I haven't really noticed a difference in the buoyancy.