# How many more corys could I add?



## BarbH (May 23, 2011)

Right now in my 50 gallon 4ft long I have a group of 7 corys. Was thinking of increasing the group. I believe that I have the room for them but I wanted to see what others opinions are. The tank already has plants in it, and I am going to be getting ready shortly to add more plants to the tank. Other than the corys I have 2 bolivian rams and 2 rubberlipped plecos that are considered to be lower level fish. I was thinking about raising the number of corys to about 10 to 14.


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## ladayen (Jun 21, 2011)

Hmm.. I would hold off. It seems you're failry close to max bioload and I've heard stories of rams not getting along with cories.

On a side note... eek Black Widow Tetra with Angelfish? How long have they been in the tank together? How are they getting along?


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## BarbH (May 23, 2011)

ladayen said:


> Hmm.. I would hold off. It seems you're failry close to max bioload and I've heard stories of rams not getting along with cories.
> 
> On a side note... eek Black Widow Tetra with Angelfish? How long have they been in the tank together? How are they getting along?


 
The rams have been in the tank since June and they have not bothered any of the other fish including the corys. 

The black widow tetras have been in the tank since May with the angels, and they have kept to themselves. Had made those choices based upon the fish profiles here on the site. Even though most will not recommend these together, in the profile it does list the black widow tetra as being compatiable with angels.


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## ladayen (Jun 21, 2011)

Interesting..

Were the cories in the tank before the rams?


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## BarbH (May 23, 2011)

Yes the corys where in the tank before the rams. The rams stay to themselves most of the time, and will even come up to the top when it is feeding time.


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

There is space for several more corys, same or different species. I wold go up to 20-25 in this sized tank (substrate area). Upper fish listed in the log do not affect my thinking here.

On the angels and black widow tetra, I guess I need to revise that profile; may have been half awake when I wrote it.:shock: But this is a case of where sufficient space can sometimes keep "questionable" fish more peaceful, though there is always the possibility that advancing years may change this behaviour.

Byron.


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## BarbH (May 23, 2011)

Thanks Byron. I am thinking that I will wait to add more after I get my new plants and redo the substrate in the tank. Might even see what type of corys my one store that I visit most ofen might be able to order in for me.


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

BarbH said:


> Thanks Byron. I am thinking that I will wait to add more after I get my new plants and redo the substrate in the tank. Might even see what type of corys my one store that I visit most ofen might be able to order in for me.


You should be here. One of my favourite shops is getting a shipment from Peru this week, with several wild corys. Including some very rare species, Corydoras fowleri, Corydoras reticulatus, Corydoras agassizii,... [drool, drool ;-)]. If they are OK I intend picking up a group of C. fowleri and possibly C. agassizii. I have 6 C. reticulatus, they are nice. C. fowleri and C. agassizii aren't in the profiles yet as I tend to add corys when I have the species myself, so look for them soon but in the meantime, here are photos. C. agassizii is the spotted fellow. B.


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## Jbrofish8 (Jul 7, 2011)

C. agassizii is beautiful! I am so jealous. Post some pictures if you get them!


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## KendraMc (Jul 20, 2011)

C. agassizii is really cute. i wish i had a decent LFS nearby


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## BarbH (May 23, 2011)

Definitly like the looks of them both. Really thinking to see if my local shops would be able to order something other than just the bronze or peppered corys. I have both of them right now in the tank and I do like them. Will have to see what they may be able to do for me, never know until I check.


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## ginagv (Oct 26, 2010)

many shops will special order fish for their customers, but if yours wont, there are always online options.

Aquabid and other online shops will often offer fish that your rarely see otherwise.

I've been able to get fish online quite successfully. Some people have bad experiences though, mostly suffered from shipping issues or weather. 

Just my 2 cents.

Gina


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

Yes, consider online. Barb you are lucky to live in the USA when it comes to online fish dealers. Shipping into Canada is possible from some (some will, some won't) but with the border issues and delays, more risky for me than for you. If I were in the USA, I would look into some of the highly-reputable fish dealers online. Two that come to mind, and they have "rare" fish regularly, are AnubiasDesign and Corys-R-Us. Both have websites. Fish species are seasonal, due to collection laws in various South American countries to preserve the species, but you can get any fish that is available. These firms deal directly with the exporters in Peru, Brazil, Columbia, etc. My local importing stores do the same, but of course the species they import are fewer than what the two mentioned firms handle in a year.

Byron.


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## BarbH (May 23, 2011)

Thanks Gina and Byron. Oh my the selection on Corys R Us, drool... Have held off with ordering fish online because of the expense of shipping, but might end up deciding to save up some of those pennys. Might even consider trying to pick up some overtime at work if I come across something would really like to get.


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## BarbH (May 23, 2011)

Well found some corys on aquabid, will have to see how things go, will know later on Sunday. They are C102 here is a picture 










Any ideas Byron where I might be able to find more info on this particular type of cory. Have been doing some searching but haven't found much.


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## ginagv (Oct 26, 2010)

oh barb those are beauties!

If for some reason those don't work out, let me know and I'll see what else I can come up with. I know one of the top cory guys in the USA and maybe I can enlist his help.

Gina


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## BarbH (May 23, 2011)

Gina, thanks :-D Will see what happens, the seller is doing free shipping on with live arrivial guarentee. If it doesn't work out will let you know, it is always nice to have connections. The other type that caught my eye was Corydoras Schultzei. Will have to save up some for those guys :-D


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## ginagv (Oct 26, 2010)

oh the black ones on AB right now? Yeah I'd love those too, but yep they are spendy.

As for helping, well, I'm always ready to help anyone get addicted to cories.. Yes. I admit it. I'm a cory pusher :-D


Gina


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

BarbH said:


> Well found some corys on aquabid, will have to see how things go, will know later on Sunday. They are C102 here is a picture
> 
> 
> 
> ...


When new species of Corydoras are discovered, they are assigned a "C" number, similar to the "L" number for loricariids (pleco). Little specific info will be available but all corys are basically the same with respect to requirements (tank furninshings, water, food) so that doesn't matter. Planet Catfish lists this particular species (C102) as coming from Peru. From the photo It is strikingly similar to C. trilineatus, but with the long snout. It is interesting that so many corys occur with rounded snout/long snout cryptic species.


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## BarbH (May 23, 2011)

I noticed the similarity myself when looking at the profiles last night.


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

Forgot to add, from Peru would indicate very soft water, slightly acidic. Being wild caught this is important. I am aware of no hard water systems in Peru. Some have slightly basic pH, low 7's, but still hardness is <1-2 dGH. But the vast majority are acidic.


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## BarbH (May 23, 2011)

Thanks Byron, for the information. These guys have been breed and tanked raised by the seller. Which in this case like blue rams which are tank raised, would I want to match the parameters as closely as I can from which they where raised in?


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

BarbH said:


> Thanks Byron, for the information. These guys have been breed and tanked raised by the seller. Which in this case like blue rams which are tank raised, would I want to match the parameters as closely as I can from which they where raised in?


Not sure as I've never come across this with corys. My thinking would be that they will do best in soft slightly acidic water. We're not dealing with more robust fish like cichlids here, but corys. Can you ascertain the parameters they were spawned/raised in?


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## BarbH (May 23, 2011)

Hey Byron, got a reply back from the seller the female is wild caught and the males are tank raised. He was able to tell me that his ph was around 7, he did not know his gh. My water here is on the soft side, not very soft like yours, but still is soft.


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

BarbH said:


> Hey Byron, got a reply back from the seller the female is wild caught and the males are tank raised. He was able to tell me that his ph was around 7, he did not know his gh. My water here is on the soft side, not very soft like yours, but still is soft.


Should be fine.


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## BarbH (May 23, 2011)

Thanks Byron. Will know in about 8 hours if I will be getting these guys.


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## BarbH (May 23, 2011)

Just a quick update, did get the guys that I posted earlier. Should be getting them sometime this week. First time using aquabid and having fish shipped so makes me slightly nervous. But the seller was doing free shipping with live arrival guarentee, so I figured did not have much to lose on that deal.


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## ginagv (Oct 26, 2010)

that seller has a good rep on AB... you should do fine 

Gina


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## BarbH (May 23, 2011)

Thanks Gina, I know looked at the feedback and should be nothing to worry about. I think it is just that it is the first time having fish shipped. Better though than me trying to ship fish the first time. One of the reasons with all the fry have right now want to stay local when it comes time to rehome them.


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## Jbrofish8 (Jul 7, 2011)

Im planning on buying a few fish off aquabid in the next month or so. It will be my first time buying fish online so Im a little nervous about it as well. Keep us updated on how it goes.. it may ease my mind a little bit.


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## BarbH (May 23, 2011)

Jbrofish8 said:


> Im planning on buying a few fish off aquabid in the next month or so. It will be my first time buying fish online so Im a little nervous about it as well. Keep us updated on how it goes.. it may ease my mind a little bit.


 
I completely understand the nervous feeling, I know that people buy sell fish online all the time, and fish are being shipped every day with no problem, it is that first time experiencing I think. I would definitly suggest looking at the reviews of the seller on aquabid and see what people have to say, along with how long they have been shipping fish. The other thing I would say is to make sure to take the time to acclimate them to your water correctly and not just dump them in your water. With the fish that I buy locally I let them adjust to the tank temp and then put them in, but I know that the water at the store is the same as the water I have at home. But definitly going to do it correctly with these guys.


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## BarbH (May 23, 2011)

Just a quick update... I recieved my corys today in the mail, everyone so far looks okay. Have the bag floating in the aquarium right now to match the water temp. Had a little bit of a cold spell the last couple of days here so the water temps are definitly different. After having a chance to warm the water up a bit, I will start acclimating their water to mine. Luckily still have an hour before I need to go to work.


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