cory question

[fishstix88]

Im newer to fish, But i heard they can get up to 4 inches? How long do these fish normally live and what are musts for big cories?

 

[FroggyFox]

Totally depends on the type of cory you have. The emerald ones (that aren't actually corydoras) can get pretty large, but most of the more common types stay around the 2 inch mark. Some stay small, panda cories and pygmy cories stay under/around the 1 inch mark.

IME corys tend to live about as long as other freshwater community fish, several years when taken care of properly, fed a good and varied diet, good water conditions etc. I have some corydoras that are now about 3 years old.

Musts...lets see. Corys need to have clean substrate, just like other bottom dwellers they can get bacterial infections etc if you dont keep their area clean. They actually need to be fed, they dont just clean up leftovers. Mine love shrimp pellets and all of the usual food I feed my tanks (flake, bloodworms etc). They also need to have pals. The more the merrier. At least 3-5 together.

 

[fishstix88]

i have 4 emeralds and they bounce around the tank all day long real fun to watch

 

[FroggyFox]

Yep, they're cool little guys I love how they can 'wink' at you

 

[micah2012]

They can wink? Thats awesome. Are they the only kinds that do that?

 

[Janet]

I have three kinds some in each tank, some spotted, albino and the "emerald" IME I dont know about everyone else, I think the emeralds have the most personality they are so fun to watch

 

[FroggyFox]

Well I dont think they can ACTUALLY wink...they dont have eyelids, but their eyes move differently than other fish so it makes them look like they're winking. They are very neat little guys.

 

[Igor The Cat]

ya the only cory ive heard of getting to 4 inches was Barbatus (sp?)

cheers

-Java