New Cories!

[InaneCathode]

I got 4 albino cories to go with my betta in my 10g tank:

They haven't shown any interest in the little bit of algae wafer i put in front of them. They're probably still getting used to the tank, and are well fed already. Sammy Davis (the betta) hasn't bothered them at all, and aside from the odd psychotic attack one of the cories gets every once in a while (cory goes shooting up, splashes the water, then goes back to gnoshing on gravel, startled the betta making him flare) the cories haven't even noticed him.

 

[AlexAndCarmen]

Congrats. They are gorgeous little guys you have there.

Unfortunately, that gravel looks too sharp for their delicate little barbels. Cories root around for their food, so sand is best to keep their little barbels in tip top condition. So if possible, to maintain healthy barbels and healthy cories, try replace the gravel with sand.

I'm not sure about keeping them with betas, as I have no experience with betas. Maybe someone else could shed some light. The cories probably won't pay him any attention. They normally just have food hunting on the brain. They don't attack other fish and are one of the friendliest fish you could add to your tank.

As for shooting up to the surface, all cories do that. They take huge gulps of air. They don't do it all day long, just every now and then.

Lovely pics, they are too sweet.

 

[Kuhni]

I must disagree about the gravel, I find that my cories have just as good barbels with a kinda course gravel as with sand. A few people have agreed on another corydoras forum that substrate has little effect on barbels except in extreme cases. But sand allows them to forage alot more.

 

[LisaLQ]

I keep mine on gravel in a community tank, and they're fine. But it is pea gravel, but they were formally on coarser gravel and were fine on that too I wouldn't worry about it personally.

 

[jollysue]

The biggest issue on the substrate is to keep it clean by vacumming it if there is gravel/ Cories are very suseptible to infection of the barbels if the substrate is allowed to get foul.

Cories are not algae eaters. They are insectavores. So they will not eat the alqae wafers and survive. Use sinking wafers for bottom fish or live black worms or some frozen blood worms.

Sammy will love the blood worms and live blackworms, but may overeat. Sammy will need to have a fast day and a pea day to help with his digestion. Try feeding wafers on those days after the lights are out.

Also I worry if my Cories dart up for air too often. I usually will do a water change and check the filter when they do very much of that. After I do maitanence, the darting to the top will stop, so I feel justified in my suspicions.

If the Cories start to hide out a lot, keep an eye out that Sammy is not amusing himself by chasing them. That may not happen for many months (or could happen right away or never), but it does happen sometimes. Betta are not too predictable and are complete individuals.

BTW nice Cories! Looks like that one boy is enticing the lady to do the sexy dance.

 

[Coryologist]

Cories are not algae eaters. They are insectavores. So they will not eat the alqae wafers and survive. - Quote edited by Coryologist.

Like most tropical fish, a well rounded diet, including a certain amount of vegetable matter is important for optimum health. The occasional algae wafer is a good idea. Additionally, I use small bits of spirulina tabs to feed my fry - and all my adult Corys get them 2x per week. If you feed a large amount of bbs, or, as I do, decapsualted bs eggs, this vegetable matter has a healthy laxative effect, kepping the intestinal tract from binding up from constant meals of basically 100% protein. If you ate nothing but shrimp, lobster tail and filet mignon on a daily basis, your system would welcome the occasional green salad. - Frank

 

[Barracuda518]

Cories are not algae eaters. They are insectavores. So they will not eat the alqae wafers and survive. - Quote edited by Coryologist.

Like most tropical fish, a well rounded diet, including a certain amount of vegetable matter is important for optimum health. The occasional algae wafer is a good idea. Additionally, I use small bits of spirulina tabs to feed my fry - and all my adult Corys get them 2x per week. If you feed a large amount of bbs, or, as I do, decapsualted bs eggs, this vegetable matter has a healthy laxative effect, kepping the intestinal tract from binding up from constant meals of basically 100% protein. If you ate nothing but shrimp, lobster tail and filet mignon on a daily basis, your system would welcome the occasional green salad. - Frank

I know my cories really like the algae wafers and the spirulina disks. I feed mine the usual tablets and frozen stuff, but they get an algae wafer quite often.

 

[Sibelius]

Bettas won't bother corydoras, from my experience.

 

[InaneCathode]

Seems like their favorite thing to do so far is cruise the glass and play in the filter flow
Either they're partially blind or not very hungry, but it takes them a while to notice the little bit of algae wafer i put in for them, even if its right next to them.

 

[jollysue]

Bettas won't bother corydoras, from my experience.

I have had them do so more than once.


I am going by something that I thought Inchworm posted. I do know that they are insectavores. Whenever I put algae wafers or veggies in they competely ignore it for a long time. I think until they are sure that nothing else will come. I will search tonight for the Inchworm post.

 

[Coryologist]

Bettas won't bother corydoras, from my experience.

I have had them do so more than once.


I am going by something that I thought Inchworm posted. I do know that they are insectavores. Whenever I put algae wafers or veggies in they competely ignore it for a long time. I think until they are sure that nothing else will come. I will search tonight for the Inchworm post.

Hi. It is very important to remember that as Corys "graze" particularly over broad leafed plants and even the glass, they are ingesting minute plant material that is not visible to the naked eye until it grows to a point where you would actually refer to it as algae. That pesky algae on your glass was there in microscopic form, long before you were able to see it. I have done scrapings of my plants and glass and viewed them under a microscope. I have found an abundance of macrophytes. It's true that Corys do not eat algae as they do not possess "rasping" teeth, but while in the macrophyte stage it is consumed while grazing. - Frank

 

[Sibelius]

Wow, thanks coryologist, I didn't know that. It would probably explain why my Julii is doing so well, even though he seems to be the one left out during feeding.

 

[Barracuda518]

Bettas won't bother corydoras, from my experience.

I have had them do so more than once.


I am going by something that I thought Inchworm posted. I do know that they are insectavores. Whenever I put algae wafers or veggies in they competely ignore it for a long time. I think until they are sure that nothing else will come. I will search tonight for the Inchworm post.

Also, we must remember that these "algae" wafers have a lot more then just algae in them. They also have other nutrients that the cories like and need. My cories will eat just about anything I put in the tank, tablet wise. My cories will not touch vegetables either, but go crazy over algae wafers.

 

[jollysue]

As I said mine try very hard to ignore the algae tabs. But I have long figured that the volunteer fry that survive to the black worm stage, are getting nutrients from the green water, few plants, and algae in their tank. So I will assume that the adults will get what they need also from the plant and algae material, since the algae wafers have been a complete waste of time in my Cory tanks. I do drop an algae tab in occassionally. Perhaps I will start adding some Bio Blend Marine Food occasionally. Also of course there is vegetable matter in the sinking bottom feeder tabs.

Yes, thanks, Frank! Some questions and assumptions were answered and/or confirmed. Anything else?

Sibelius: Twice I had the experience of a Betta in a Cory tank that went bad.

First, a tank with 6 Brochis splendens had a boy in it with some harlequins. The tank went wonderfully for 6 months or more. Although I noticed after a while that the Brochis were never coming out, but were hiding all the time--it was very unlike them. Then I walked in on the tank one day and saw my Betta boy dive bombing and chasing the Brochis when they ventured out to eat. I saw it several times after and so moved the Betta.

Then I noticed the cories in my panda and friends tank were hiding all the time. Again unlike them. That Betta, Rudolph Valentino, had slept and eaten with the pandas, et al, for again over six months. Then I saw him dive bomb the pandas several times while I was watching. He got moved immediately.

It took some time--longer than I thought it would--for the Brochis and the pandas to feel secure again. Both Bettas acted as though they were angry with the pandas and Brochis. It is as if they were on a mission. So now, for the Cories sake, I always give a warning. Of course some one always says, "I did it w/o any problems." Which is exactly what I said, until there were problems.

 

[InaneCathode]

My cories love their algea it seems. I put in a very small bit of it as it seems to expand and it takes them quite a while to eat it. They'll ignore it for about 10 seconds until one notices it, then the all swarm it lol.

I've found they also loooooove peas. It gives them lots of excersize combing over the whole bottom and decorations looking for bits of pea that have scattered

Apparently my betta thinks hes a cory too, hes always nuzzling under thinks and slinking through my javamoss pecking at the bottom.