Hardy corys for warmer tanks?

[realgwyneth]

What kind of hardy and reasonably priced corys could I keep in a community tank that runs 77 - 78F? I'm in Texas, so I just can't cool it down more.

Pretty heavily planted 65 gallon:
7.3 pH
0 ammonia
0 nitrites
10-20 nitrates
180 GH
60 KH source water is quite hard, but there's a huge piece of driftwood that pulls the pH down.

Current occupants:
10 red-eye tetras
12 cherry barbs
12 ghost shrimp
all thriving nicely.

We change about 20% weekly with Prime treated tap water. Tank has been running for years, though we suddenly lost all the stock about 3 months ago, possibly to a heater malfunction. We were careful to maintain all the BB, and have been very slowly restocking ever since. I'd really love some corys as I remember keeping them as a kid. Is my tank just too warm and water too hard for them to be happy?

 

[CassCats]

Sterbai corydoras fit your bill.
But sterbais can do hard water, prefer it warmer, and are readily available. Not overly pricey either.
If you can't find sterbai for whatever reason, you can also do aeneus corydoras (aka bronze)

Though cherry barbs would prefer it cooler, I get its something you can't control too great, understandably.

Sterbai!

 

[realgwyneth]

Great photo, NCaquatics! I'll look around and see if I can find these guys locally.

 

[FishGuest5123]

I live in Texas and keep my tanks around 74F. Do you have A/C? I live outside of Houston towards Galveston so we get the heat.

 

[realgwyneth]

I live in Texas and keep my tanks around 74F. Do you have A/C? I live outside of Houston towards Galveston so we get the heat.

Yes, we have AC, but we keep it set to 78 in the summer, with ceiling fans, or our utility bill is astronomical. We're in Central TX, but I love Galveston!.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Yes, we have AC, but we keep it set to 78 in the summer, with ceiling fans, or our utility bill is astronomical. We're in Central TX, but I love Galveston!.

We bought a new home 7 years ago with a high energy efficiency rating. Our highest electric bill has been $150. That’s keeping the air at 74F and running a pool pump. The home is paying for itself just in the reduction of light bills. Ours use to run about $400/mo th in our old home.

 

[realgwyneth]

We bought a new home 7 years ago with a high energy efficiency rating. Our highest electric bill has been $150. That’s keeping the air at 74F and running a pool pump. The home is paying for itself just in the reduction of light bills. Ours use to run about $400/mo th in our old home.

Nice! Our house is 50 years old, so we have to watch the energy usage carefully.