What Cory Is This?

[nofishinginmytank]

About 6 months ago I bought 2 corydoras unfortunately one died. I have always assumed that he is a peppered cory but I was never sure, my uncle who is the manager of my local fish shop just called him a cory. But now I have heard of salt and pepper cories and have seen lots of pictures of them I think he could be one as he is only about 1.5-2 inches long now and I have had him for 6 months, what do you think he is? 

 

[nic1]

Looks like a peppered cory.... But they do look similar!

Salt and Pepper Catfish

The body shape of C. habrosus resembles C. hastatus . The body color is tan to beige and matches the color of the belly. A broken, olive green band extends from the gill cover back to the caudal peduncle. The head and back are spotted with dark spots that are brown or black in color. The caudal fin is striped with 4-5 olive green markings.
SIZE: To 1" (2.5 cm)


Peppered Corydoras, Paleatus Cory

body is stocky and deep, with an arched back. Two rows of bony plates make up each side of the fish. The upper has 22-24 plates, while the lower 20-22. Two pairs of barbels are located on the upper jaw. The body color is tan or gray with a green iridescence. The belly is white. The body is covered with dark markings that are brown or black in color. The fins are the tan to bronze in color, also covered with spots. Color varies on the fish's population.
SIZE: To 4" (10 cm)

 

[nofishinginmytank]

oh Do you think 2 of them would be too big for a 35l tank? 

 

[star4]

These are a social fish they need to be kept in a group, and your tank is too small for a group. Get a bigger tank

 

[fm1978]

Yeah, looks like a peppered cory to me, too.
 
A 35 Litre tank isn't very big, I'm afraid. It's what we'd call a nano tank and while there are some small fish species out there that are fine in that size of tank, your peppered cory isn't one of them. Also, the recommended number of corys is at least 6 - they're shoaling fish and do much better (in more ways than one) in greater numbers.

 

[nofishinginmytank]

oh I really dont have access to a bigger tank at the moment or the money to buy one but looks like I will have to start saving up. Thank you anyway guys

 

[nic1]

Well corys love to be in groups of 6, they get depressed if they are all alone, 35l is a bit small if he is a peppered. They do best in groups of 7 in a 90L MINIMUM tank.
The Pygmy/smaller variety may be ok!
Let's see if someone on here can identify/ confirm what he is.
Oh just saw you got confirmation!

 

[nofishinginmytank]

Well both of you seem to think he looks like a peppered cory so think i will go with that and see what I can do, do you think he would be ok living in my tank is I got him 3 or 4 pygmy catfish friends? or do you think its too small. I mean hes been in this tank for about 6 months and he stills looks tiny in it but if he really is going to grow so big then I suppose I need to give him back to the fish shop  

 

[Lillefishy]

It's a peppered cory, they get to around 3" & quite chunky.
He really is too big for your tank & needs to be in a group of 6+ I would rehome him if I were you.
I wouldn't recommend pygmys either for your tank, they may be small but they're very active & imo need more space

 

[nofishinginmytank]

Aw well this is really depressing Would he really not survive with say 2 dwarf friends in his current tank?? really dont want to get rid of him cos just 3 weeks ago he almost died and I did all I could to help him survive I scrubbed his whole tank spent most of the 3 days watching him and put emergancy medecine in his tank every 6 hours and I now hes better I still feel like we have a special bond, I know hes just a fish but to me hes not but I really want to do whats best for him but I dont want to give him back to the fish shop and they sell him to someone who doesnt clean him out and he gets a bacteria infection or 'forgets' to feed him etc.

 

[Lillefishy]

He would survive but he wouldn't be happy & as he grows he'd be very cramped & possibly stunted in such a small tank.
I understand you not wanting to take him back to the Lfs, is there anyone on here near you that has peppers that could take him?

 

[nic1]

Aw, I'm like that with mine too. I have 3 peppered one is nearly 6 and two are 1 years old. I also have two bronze corys in a 300ltr tank, if you're in Manchester I will have him
While he is still small you should see if you can save for a larger tank, you can get a second hand one from eBay, gumtree or pets4homes....
I got a 90ltr bare tank for £10 once from gumtree.... You just have to keep your eyes open and be quick!

 

[nofishinginmytank]

ok thanks and no I am no where near manchester i am in Wales. What would you say is the minium tank size for him when hes an adult?

 

[nic1]

If he's by himself I would say around 50ltrs but because you have two other dwarfs and you haven't got a lot of funding I would get a 60ltr providing you don't get anymore corys, but if you want to get more peppers then go for 120ltrs and 4 more peppers along with your 2 dwarfs.
They can live up to 10 years if kept in good conditions, you have plenty of time to save for bigger tanks along the way.

 

[Lillefishy]

You could have a group of 5 peppers in a 60 litre, but bigger is always better.
Look out for bargains on Gumtree or ebay or even a facebook group near you.