A spontaneous purchase

[marnold00]

So... I know spontaneous purchases aren't great in the hobby, but I was planning to get some cories at some point...

So I go to my LFS to pick up 2 Assassin snails and I see these 4 majestic beauties in their show tank and I just couldn't resist them!

I'll be getting a 5th when possible to make the group better

How do you guys feed your cories? I have these little pellets, but they aren't like my cherry barbs... I drop them in and the cories eat them in their travels rather than swarming to it, so it's a little tricky to control quantities...

They're amazing to watch. Their synchronised swimming up the glass of the tank is incredible, and their sand excavation is hilarious (although a bit irritating). I'm so happy! They've also cleaned the substrate amazingly in 1 day.

I'm not sure how old these sterbai are... They're about an inch and a half long already...

I got this great picture of one of them

 

[thrujenseyes]

Oh man that is one cute little lump of fishie. These little pudgeballs are so fun to watch. Good luck with them! Great shot too!

 

[Byron]

Corydoras sterbai is a nice species. It is quite active (not all species of cory are, some remain hidden most of the day). Another one or two would be good.

As for food, you need to ensure they are getting nutritious sinking foods; they cannot manage with upper level foods that might sink. I use a combo of foods, three different types, just in case they have preferences but also to ensure a better balanced diet, and avoiding too much of some. I alternate so they are getting different foods three days, then it repeats.

One food is shrimp pellets; I've never seen a cory or loach that didn't love these. Omega One is the brand I happen to be using. Another good food is Omega One's Veggie Rounds. These are geared toward vegetarian-type fish, like algae-eating plecos, but they also contain meat and the veggies are good for all fish. My cories really work on these, it takes them a few hours to finish them off, and upper greedy fish are less likely to snatch them up. I also feed Nutrafin tablets which have earthworm in them, another good treat.

As a true treat, frozen (or live) small worms, like bloodworms, but only once a week.

Byron.

 

[marnold00]

Brilliant byron thank you! Im planning for 5 - in fact you were the one to suggest that number for my tank they just didnt have any more that day and i really liked these guys. But a 5th shall be added - they never leave each others side!

Thanks for the feeding tips. I'll follow that same pattern

Their energy is infectious. Its amazing how they use all sides - floor and the wall - of the tank.

 

[**sarahp**]

I have 12 sterbai in my 4ft tank - they are just a bit mental!! They chase each other round, play in the bubbles from the air stone (it's the only reason I have one!) and then when they eventually calm down they all line up at the front of the tank

Then when the polka dot loaches join in they all go crazy loco

 

[marnold00]

Its great. When mine want to rest they dont gently go back to the bottom. They just kinda stop swimming and use their swim bladder to sink luke a stone xD

I dont think my cherry barbs are big fans at the moment, but theyll get used to them

Do you find yours are very skittish? If i go up to the tank they'll go and hide pretty quickly... Maybe once i have 5 itll be fine

 

[LyraGuppi]

The school will get used to you as time goes on (and as they learn you feed them!). They're adorable!

 

[marnold00]

Cool they are so addictive to watch... They just dont look made for swimming like they do!

How old do you think my fish are? They are about 1 and a half inches maybe almost 2. I know theyll only really reach 2 and a half but i wondered how quickly that would happen. Ideally i wouldve got babies but these guys just looked so healthy and happy in the store

 

[Byron]

The very active swimming up and down the tank glass is likely due to the new environment. This species does tend to quieten a bit over time, generally speaking (there are always exceptions). Corydoras do not like to be moved at all. So this will probably lessen as they settle, which can take a few hours, a few days, or even several weeks; I've experienced all of this over the years. Nothing to worry about, it is the natural instincts of the fish.

 

[**sarahp**]

What are those caves in the background behind the Cory? They look very interesting. ...

 

[marnold00]

Ok thanks my only concern is unhappy cherry barbs! Theyll be fine - the cories dont pester them or knock them about but the little barbs are definitely more subdued at the moment, and understandably so! These fish over twice their size with apparent ADHD are blundering about their home...

 

[marnold00]

One food is shrimp pellets; I've never seen a cory or loach that didn't love these. Omega One is the brand I happen to be using. Another good food is Omega One's Veggie Rounds. These are geared toward vegetarian-type fish, like algae-eating plecos, but they also contain meat and the veggies are good for all fish. My cories really work on these, it takes them a few hours to finish them off, and upper greedy fish are less likely to snatch them up. I also feed Nutrafin tablets which have earthworm in them, another good treat

Soooo they just ignore my pellets but my cherry barbs pick at them and the assassins love them...... The cherry barbs struggle to eat them though and the ones which i dropped into the cories favourite resting place have disappeared, but i just dont have the control that i had when i only used to feed the cories.

Any ideas?

Maybe i could try feeding them the same stuff my lfs feeds them, or do you think once they get less terrified of me they'll be more receptive to food?

When i sneak into a position where i can see them they do spent a bit of time shovelling the sand with their faces... So they are eating...

Water params are gh and kh around 8 degrees, pH 7.4, ammonia and nitrite big fat zero and nitrates <5 (yay for floating plants) and water temp 24 celcius so i dont think its water issues... Just stress of a new environment and an owner who wants to look all of the time.... Haha

 

[Byron]

Soooo they just ignore my pellets but my cherry barbs pick at them and the assassins love them...... The cherry barbs struggle to eat them though and the ones which i dropped into the cories favourite resting place have disappeared, but i just dont have the control that i had when i only used to feed the cories.

Any ideas?

Maybe i could try feeding them the same stuff my lfs feeds them, or do you think once they get less terrified of me they'll be more receptive to food?

When i sneak into a position where i can see them they do spent a bit of time shovelling the sand with their faces... So they are eating...

Water params are gh and kh around 8 degrees, pH 7.4, ammonia and nitrite big fat zero and nitrates <5 (yay for floating plants) and water temp 24 celcius so i dont think its water issues... Just stress of a new environment and an owner who wants to look all of the time.... Haha

Nothing here to worry about. I have found that the shrimp pellets are one sinking food that upper fish tend to hone in on, more that the disks and tablets which are more substantial. You can feed the corys after lights out, by which I mean in total and complete darkness in the tank and room. Fish are wide awake if there is ambient light, only in complete blackness do the upper fish rest. Corys are semi-nocturnal, so they will be out and about all night.

I have my tanks in a dedicated fish room, which has one drawback, and that is that except when I go into it, no one is moving about. The fish react. When I had my tanks ion the living space in the condo, fish were used to my movement. But now they are used to complete lack of motion, so every time I enter the fish room they disappear rapidly. I sit and after a few minutes, they begin to come back out. If I make any movement, back they go again. So I sit quietly.

Another trick is to use a signal for feeding. I tap with the little spoon on the tank frame very lightly when I feed, and the fish quickly come to know what this means. I have some cory species that I never see except during feeding, and some of my loaches in other tanks are the same. The whiptails too. So using this "dinner gong" I can sit there and all the fish will appear within minutes.

 

[marnold00]

That is a great idea with the spoon! Ti be far my cherry barbs react like that only with "sup kiddies" ahaha its great. The cherries know their food time and respond to it so i guess just do the cories when i go to bed

 

[marnold00]

Im feeding at night and i think its fine? Had them almost a week and they certainly arent lethargic so im not worrying. Theyre still skittish but thats fine

Theyre adorable. One has taken to resting in the cave, but when the others are playing, one will go into the cave and nudge the other until it comes out and joins them. Theyre great! They still swim along the glass a lot of the time - not really scurrying about the bottom as often as i expected.