adding corys

[andyM]

i was thinking of adding corys to my tank as i now have changed over to sand. should they be kept in groups? if so how many is a good number?

 

[a.i.m]

5 or more seems to make them behave more natural within a comunity tank, any less and they can be quite shy.

 

[sylvia]

The absolute minnimum for any cories is 4. At least each species should be kept in pairs. They don't get shy if they are put in with suitable tankmates - even in fewer numbers, but they are much more entertaining to watch in large groups. Personaly, I would say 6 of the same species is the best choice for any cory cat. They are incredibly social and oh so cute!

 

[jflowers]

Yep 5 is a good number, dont go for less than four. (biased but go for cory julii lovely fish, I now have six, ignore my sig )

Jon

[EDIT sylvia beat me to it. Also updated my sig to show three new tiny weenie julli added yesterday]

 

[Teelie]

Actually three is the minimum but they do better in large groups obviously and they get along well with other species but you'll still want at least 3 per species of any you get.

 

[gwlee7]

I vote for 6. That's the number of peppered cories I have and they are quite entertaining.

 

[blue_ram]

Even more important than the numbers, is the cover and size of the tank. Corys need to be in large number in large tanks. Few Corys in smaller tanks are ok, though. But few Corys in large tanks will have diffcult time finding food. Corys also benefit significantly from covers (plants, rocks/caves), or any place that they can hide.

Corys are major cowards, and are often panic prone. When I first got them, I had about 8 corys in my bare quarantine tank. For several weeks, they were panicking and smacking themselves into aquarium walls when ever I came to feed them.

Now that they are in my densely planted 30g and 10g, they don't panic anymore.

 

[Teelie]

Something else to add is floating or suction plants on the surface of the tank. I have two suction cupped plants on my lid and a floating plant that break up the aquarium lighting and keep them more calm and at ease in the open of the tank.

Also, they'll get used to you if you don't scare them. Mine are used to me so they don't hide when I'm around but they still get nervous when other people are near their tank. Kind of strange how they can recognize one person from another.

 

[andyM]

The tank is the one in my sig. It is well planted and has plenty of rocks and hiding places so should be ok.

 

[sylvia]

Actualy, I disagree - they can be nervous for a few days but they should then become very friendly and rarely hide. Mine are constantly looking for food in a groups or swimming around together. I don't think you need excessive cover or even floating plants for cories - just a ceramic pot and a couple of plants should be enough if they have suitable tankmates.