Ridgerunner
Fish Fanatic
Is there any problem mixing albino and green corys in the same tank? Would they cross breed? Just curious.
Mixing Corydoras
- Thread starter Ridgerunner
- Start date
As far as behaviour and compatibility go, you can combine any of the species in the genus Corydoras [I would not include the three "dwarf" species in with the larger though] and they will chum around together. It is best to have a few of each species though. I have 40 cories, representing 11 species, in my 40f tank, which includes a few fry that survived over the past decade.
Hybridization however is an issue*. Some species will cross-breed, and I'll get to that below. Usually if there is a group of a few of each species, they will tend to spawn within the species. Ian Fuller says he has never known cross-breeding among his fish for this reason. I have had cross-breeding, and from the pattern on the resulting fry it was clearly between species of which I only had/have one or perhaps two (and these of the same gender). So multiple fish of each species should prevent hybridization.
To the species that can hybridize, subject to the above. In general, species within the same genus are capable of hybridization. The genus Corydoras however is polyphletic, which means that the species assigned to this genus have descended from more than one common ancestor. It is now accepted that there are nine distinct lineages within this genus; in other words, the species in Corydoras have descended from nine different ancestors. As such, the species within each lineage are closely related, and therefore more likely to hybridize if the situation presents itself (what I explained in the second paragraph above), but hybridization between species in different lineages is extremely unlikely, if not impossible. The "albino" cory is possibly a Corydoras aeneus, C. paleatus, C. sterbai, or C. panda [I think pandas are now available in the albino form, not sure], and there may be others; without knowing the species, I cannot determine the lineage. The "green" cory is likely C. aeneus, though it could be Corydoras splendens, which used to be Brochis splendens, and often called the green cory--common names are so confusing, it is hard enough keeping up with the scientific name but at least they are accurate to one species. C. aeneus is in lineage 7, and it could/would spawn with the albino if this is an albino C. aeneus. Corydoras splendens is in lineage 8, sub-clade 1; there are four sub-clades in this lineage, and there are presently 94 Corydoras species in sub-clade 4 alone, but non of any of the species in this lineag are the "albino" candidates I named previously so unlikely.
As you/we are here dealing with an albino and a normal fish, they would readily breed if they are the same species, and this would not be hybridization.
*Hybridization is not to be encouraged or engaged in. The hobby does not support hybridization of this sort. In nature some species do occasionally cross, especially at a time when severe conditions bring species together that would not normally be found in the same place. This is known in science as speciating. In the hobby the species would have to be purposely put together and that would create unnatural crosses, and then we would end up with these hybrids expanding into the hobby and ultimately spoiling the two crossed species. In an age when human activity is so thoroughly destroying the natural habitats and more and more species continue to vanish, this is the last thing anyone should be engaging in, hybridization. Aquarists may end up with the only fish of a true species, this is already occurring with a few species in SE Asia.
Hybridization however is an issue*. Some species will cross-breed, and I'll get to that below. Usually if there is a group of a few of each species, they will tend to spawn within the species. Ian Fuller says he has never known cross-breeding among his fish for this reason. I have had cross-breeding, and from the pattern on the resulting fry it was clearly between species of which I only had/have one or perhaps two (and these of the same gender). So multiple fish of each species should prevent hybridization.
To the species that can hybridize, subject to the above. In general, species within the same genus are capable of hybridization. The genus Corydoras however is polyphletic, which means that the species assigned to this genus have descended from more than one common ancestor. It is now accepted that there are nine distinct lineages within this genus; in other words, the species in Corydoras have descended from nine different ancestors. As such, the species within each lineage are closely related, and therefore more likely to hybridize if the situation presents itself (what I explained in the second paragraph above), but hybridization between species in different lineages is extremely unlikely, if not impossible. The "albino" cory is possibly a Corydoras aeneus, C. paleatus, C. sterbai, or C. panda [I think pandas are now available in the albino form, not sure], and there may be others; without knowing the species, I cannot determine the lineage. The "green" cory is likely C. aeneus, though it could be Corydoras splendens, which used to be Brochis splendens, and often called the green cory--common names are so confusing, it is hard enough keeping up with the scientific name but at least they are accurate to one species. C. aeneus is in lineage 7, and it could/would spawn with the albino if this is an albino C. aeneus. Corydoras splendens is in lineage 8, sub-clade 1; there are four sub-clades in this lineage, and there are presently 94 Corydoras species in sub-clade 4 alone, but non of any of the species in this lineag are the "albino" candidates I named previously so unlikely.
As you/we are here dealing with an albino and a normal fish, they would readily breed if they are the same species, and this would not be hybridization.
*Hybridization is not to be encouraged or engaged in. The hobby does not support hybridization of this sort. In nature some species do occasionally cross, especially at a time when severe conditions bring species together that would not normally be found in the same place. This is known in science as speciating. In the hobby the species would have to be purposely put together and that would create unnatural crosses, and then we would end up with these hybrids expanding into the hobby and ultimately spoiling the two crossed species. In an age when human activity is so thoroughly destroying the natural habitats and more and more species continue to vanish, this is the last thing anyone should be engaging in, hybridization. Aquarists may end up with the only fish of a true species, this is already occurring with a few species in SE Asia.
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They will get along fine together, the chance of them cross breeding is minimal. I don't believe they are close enough genetically to actually do it.
In my Silver dollar tank I had Sterbii Cats and Green Cats ( What we call short bodied or Brochis ) . The two species both spawned simultaneously but I never had a fry that was a cross.
DoubleDutch
Fish Gatherer
As Byron mentions these probably are exact the same species. They will do great together and mate together. As said this is no hybridisation.
I think we need photos of the fish in question so we can determine species
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