Need your opinions on my cory situation

[OliveFish05]

I am a little torn on what to do with my cories. I have 4 pygmy cories and 2 cory hastatus. Before I knew about tank size and schooling fish I purchases 3 cory hastatus. As I learned about their need for a group, I set out to find more hastatus with the hopes of buying a 8 to 10 more. Apparently though, cory hastatus is basically non existent anymore! So after about 3 months of searching, I bought 6 pygmy cories, as I figured that would be better than nothing while I continued to search. Over time, 1 hastatus and 2 pygmies disappeared. My EBA ate a bunch of my bloodfin tetras, so I rehomed him. I am not sure if he was to blame for this. Well it has been like 6 months, I have reached out to several online sellers who used to sell them, and apparently nobody can get the cory hastatus in anywhere. The way I see it, I have 3 options.

1. Attempt to let my cory hastatus breed and keep any offspring to adulthood to let them form their own school (they bred successfully when there were 3 of them, but the babies did not live. I had family in town and couldn't take care of the tank properly while they were staying in my bedroom. I think that had something to do with it. This was about 3 or 4 months ago.

2. I can get like 8 more pygmy cories to bring it up to 12 pygmy cories and 2 hastatus

3. I can surrender my cory hastatus to my LFS, but they still won't have more of their kind.

I have been trying to do my best, but I don't know what the best thing to do is

@Byron @itiwhetu @AdoraBelle Dearheart

 

[DoubleDutch]

I'd up the school pygmaeus and keep the two hastatus. It is not ideal but I think handing them to the LFS is a more uncertain future.

 

[fishyfun&fans]

I'd go with option 1. as you cant guarantee that the pet shop will get anymore in soon.

Who really wants to give anything back to the dreaded LFS(From a guy who has recently seen a dark side to them)

try to look after the offspring as best as possible this time round.

I mean i don't think there's much to lose if this plan goes wrong.

if not id go option 2 as my mollys are all differing types but they get on fine together(I'm not sure if this is the same with Corydoras though).

 

[DoubleDutch]

l've once read C.hastatus are caught seasonable. Don't know it that is entirely through but might explain why they're not always available.

 

[fishyfun&fans]

been looking for you but i cant find the hastus anywhere either not even in the uk

 

[OliveFish05]

l've once read C.hastatus are caught seasonable. Don't know it that is entirely through but might explain why they're not always available.

I had heard they are easiest to find in July. I was in the store or calling the store on a weekly basis and they got none in. I also watched several online stores closely to see if they came back in stock, but they never did.

I'd go with option 1. as you cant guarantee that the pet shop will get anymore in soon.

Who really wants to give anything back to the dreaded LFS(From a guy who has recently seen a dark side to them)

try to look after the offspring as best as possible this time round.

I mean i don't think there's much to lose if this plan goes wrong.

if not id go option 2 as my mollys are all differing types but they get on fine together(I'm not sure if this is the same with Corydoras though).

I'd up the school pygmaeus and keep the two hastatus. It is not ideal but I think handing them to the LFS is a more uncertain future.

Ok, so I will definitely not take them to my LFS then. I have a 10 gallon tank set up I can move the hastatus into. I plan to order a some IAL and Alder Cones, and potentially some anubias. I have some good frozen foods and a pre filter sponge for filter.

been looking for you but i cant find the hastus anywhere either not even in the uk

I appreciate that immensely, thank you! I found one place that had them, called WorldWide Fish and Pets. They were labeled "dwarf cories". It was going to be about $100 to get a group of 12, and they had horrible reviews, so I decided to skip it. All the reviews said they ordered, but the order either never shipped (no refund) or it shipped months later and the fish all died because they didn't know they were sitting on the porch.

 

[fishyfun&fans]

i dont know if maybe these would import to where you are but they sometimes stock them

Corydoras Hastatus Site

 

[fishyfun&fans]

scratch my last message there out of stock too sorry

 

[DoubleDutch]

Leave the hastatus with the pygmaeus.

 

[OliveFish05]

Leave the hastatus with the pygmaeus.

And don't try to encourage them the breed?

 

[DoubleDutch]

And don't try to encourage them the breed?

It might be a risk though I have never heared of crossbreds. But keeping 2 hastatus seperated isn't a good idea I'd say.

I'd maybe arrange that if/when the Pygmaeus start to breed (if they do).

 

[Myraan]

tbh - I think we all get situations where we are "phasing out" an old shoal.... the other option would be to continue keeping that species forever.

Although in your case I realise you actually genuinely do want more. I've never seen any of the 3 small cories on sale tbh. Closest I seen to small cory are pandas.

 

[Byron]

I am only partially in agreement with other members on this. There are two primary factors.

First, on acquiring more C. hastatus, I don't know why they seem "unavailable" lately, but I will ask Ian Fuller and report back. Also, as you are in the USA, the Wet Spot in Portland Oregon seems to be a first-class fish store, and they can get many of the quite rare fish, seasonally as they are direct imports, but you may find it instructive to contact them. There is contact info on their website https://www.wetspottropicalfish.com/ . They ship throughout the continental US.

Second, the best solution. I would recommend keeping the C. hastatus and C. pygmaeus separated until the aspects are resolved, as follows:

1. If you find more of the C. hastatus acquire them and keep this species on its own (meaning, not in with C. pygmaeus).
2. If you think you have a male and female with the two C. hastatus, keep them separated from other cories and see if they will spawn; the two on their own in a 5g tank is OK, and without other fish they will most likely spawn and the eggs will survive and hatch. Chunks of wood with Java Moss is ideal; infusoria will live on the wood, and you can add dried leaves like oak, maple, beech, or almond to produce more and the fry will readily eat infusoria and develop faster. Gender with this species so far as I know is best determined by the girth viewed from above (sometimes sideways too). I can certainly see this distinction with my C. pygmaeus, and Ian says this applies to both species.
3. If you cannot acquire more, and the "pair" do not seem to be male/female, then put the two C. hastatus in with the C. pygmaeus. However, they will most likely cross-breed if the C. hastatus are different genders. This is not a problem provided the resulting fry are never allowed into the mainstream hobby, but stay with you until they die. Introducing hybrids is something the ichthyologists/biologists and knowledgeable hobbyists do not condone.

In another recent thread--and one of yours @OliveFish05--I went into the issue of lineages in detail. Please read it, I am not going to repeat it. Post #4 sets out the lineage issue; there is every reason to assume the two will cross-breed if there are not both genders of both species present in the group.

Are the different Pygmy Cory varieties able to interbreed?

Are the three Pygmy Cory varieties (hastatus, pygmaeus, and habrosus) able to interbreed? I searched around a little bit on the internet but couldn’t find much about it, except one article saying “only keep one species of Cory, they can interbreed”. It just didn’t sound very accurate or legit. I...

www.fishforums.net

Being in the same lineage, they shared many genetic traits and will shoal together which from the perspective of being less stressed is good. Just be careful of the spawning.

I will report back when I have heard from Ian, being in the UK he is now likely asleep!

 

[OliveFish05]

First, on acquiring more C. hastatus, I don't know why they seem "unavailable" lately, but I will ask Ian Fuller and report back. Also, as you are in the USA, the Wet Spot in Portland Oregon seems to be a first-class fish store, and they can get many of the quite rare fish, seasonally as they are direct imports, but you may find it instructive to contact them. There is contact info on their website https://www.wetspottropicalfish.com/ . They ship throughout the continental US.

I was able to contact them through their Facebook page actually! They said they’re unable to get them in right now, but that I could get on the contact list for when they do get them again, at some undetermined point in the future.

Second, the best solution. I would recommend keeping the C. hastatus and C. pygmaeus separated until the aspects are resolved, as follows:

1. If you find more of the C. hastatus acquire them and keep this species on its own (meaning, not in with C. pygmaeus).

Ok

If you think you have a male and female with the two C. hastatus, keep them separated from other cories and see if they will spawn; the two on their own in a 5g tank is OK, and without other fish they will most likely spawn and the eggs will survive and hatch. Chunks of wood with Java Moss is ideal; infusoria will live on the wood, and you can add dried leaves like oak, maple, beech, or almond to produce more and the fry will readily eat infusoria and develop faster. Gender with this species so far as I know is best determined by the girth viewed from above (sometimes sideways too). I can certainly see this distinction with my C. pygmaeus, and Ian says this applies to both species.

I am pretty sure I have a male and a female. When I had three, there were two chunky ones and a smaller one. It was one of the chunkier ones that died, and I am left with one larger one I believe to be a girl and a smaller one I believe is a male.

1. If you cannot acquire more, and the "pair" do not seem to be male/female, then put the two C. hastatus in with the C. pygmaeus. However, they will most likely cross-breed if the C. hastatus are different genders. This is not a problem provided the resulting fry are never allowed into the mainstream hobby, but stay with you until they die. Introducing hybrids is something the ichthyologists/biologists and knowledgeable hobbyists do not condone.

In another recent thread--and one of yours @OliveFish05--I went into the issue of lineages in detail. Please read it, I am not going to repeat it. Post #4 sets out the lineage issue; there is every reason to assume the two will cross-breed if there are not both genders of both species present in the group.

Are the different Pygmy Cory varieties able to interbreed?

Are the three Pygmy Cory varieties (hastatus, pygmaeus, and habrosus) able to interbreed? I searched around a little bit on the internet but couldn’t find much about it, except one article saying “only keep one species of Cory, they can interbreed”. It just didn’t sound very accurate or legit. I...

www.fishforums.net

Being in the same lineage, they shared many genetic traits and will shoal together which from the perspective of being less stressed is good. Just be careful of the spawning.

This was one of my concerns with putting them together. They were together in my 55 gallon tank, but it wasn’t an issue because it was a community tank with tetras and such, never giving any eggs they may have laid a chance to hatch. I read your entire post when you posted it, it was helpful and informative. I was unsure wether it would be better to have some lonely and stressed hastatus or some mutt cories. Thank you for your help!

So my plan going forward is to try to encourage the hastatus to breed in my 10 gallon. It currently has sand, lots of plants, some driftwood. I’m going to order some Indian almond leaves, cholla wood, alder cones, maybe some anubias. Should I get a new piece of driftwood? The one I currently have is a manzanita branch, been in my aquarium since April. I didn’t know if a newer piece would have any kinds of benefits?

 

[OliveFish05]

I will report back when I have heard from Ian, being in the UK he is now likely asleep!

Thank you, I appreciate it!