Question @ Cory Cats

[Lily]

Hi everyone, newbie to the board with a question on peppered cory cats:

Does anyone have any personal experience with adding two cory cats to a 10 gallon with 5 zebra danios?  Will they get along? What are their dietary needs and if adding dropping pellets which kind do you reccommend? Do they need any other supplemental food or are the pellets and what they scavenge off the bottom good enough for them? (want to make sure I take proper care of them)  

When I'm done cycling the tank I'm thinking of adding a pair of peppered corys to the tank.  I have no experience with cory cats so any info on them would be appreciated.  I'm looking for a good scavenger cat, not an algae eater.

Thanks!
Lily

 

[Matt Nace]

Corys and danios will be fine together. Danios wont bother them too much. The only problem is that 2 corys is not really a lot. They like to be in numbers...and they are much happier and active when they are, but as you mentioned are going in a 10 gallon. But they will be a good scavenger for you.

I always mix up what the corys recieve. I had success with Wardley's shrimp pellets, Hakarii's sinking wafers( has a cory on the front). I also drop an occasional algae wafer in. I feed my fish floating pellets. There is none that ever hit the ground(like flakes can) So I need to give the cories something.

 

[Lily]

Thanks for the speedy response Matt!

So, do you think I should get more than two cory cats and if so how many without pushing the load of my tank?

I have taken note of the foods you have suggested..thanks  ;D

Lily

 

[Franky099]

hey rubybarb....you said what I was going to say!!  Although I didnt realize cories like groups.....guess Id better get my one lonely cory some friends!!
Amy

 

[Cillana]

Like Matt said, shrimp pellets and sinking wafers are good. I also occationally give mine frozen blood worms. You could try that to but you might have some trouble getting them past the danios because they don't sink very fast.

Cories love buddies! I have 7 peppered cories in my 55 gallon. I usually say to get a minimum of 3 cories for a tank. That many will probably be okay in a 10 gal. It would be better/nicer if you could find a smaller species of cory so you could get more, but a lot of stores don't sell anything but bronze, albino, and peppered which all get about 3 inches long.

 

[Matt Nace]

I wouldn't get any until your tank cycles.

Then I would say 4. 5 danios and 4 cories isn't going to strech a 10 too much. Throw a few bio-max stones in to house a little extra bacteria in your filter.

I am the master of good conditions with over-stocked tanks. I need the tank to be "busy". Although my new planted 55 gallon only will have 1/2 of what it did have.

I currently have 13 bronze and 1 raphael in my 55 gallon. They swim in packs..pretty neat.

 

[Lily]

Thanks for your advice everyone!  What a helpful board  ;D

Well, I did go to my LFS and purchased 4 peppered corys and added them to my quarentine tank (15 gallon).  They have the run of the place and are very exciting to watch.  I just *love* how they dart to the top and back down again. The others will do that at the same time and it's like watching synchronized swimmers    Once they finish their 3 week q-time and my other danio tank finishes cycling I'll put them in the 10-gallon.

I had no idea that they swam as fast as they do or are as active as they are.  What a delighful fish - don't know why I haven't had them up until now!

Thanks again everyone

 

[Matt Nace]

Could be also that in the dealers tank..they are not always so happy and comfortable so they dont swim much..but lay around or hide.

Very good for using a q-tank. It will give you the peice of mind that sick fish don't get to your main tank or with your healthy fish.

Hey why not switch the roles...make the 15 gallon your danio/cory cat tank..and your 10 the q-tank? after the 10 cycles...move the danios to the 15. more room for everyone.

oh...if algae becomes an issue..a couple ottos do wonders. I keep 2 or 3 in my 10 q-tank to keep the tank clean and the filter alive. when I bring in new fish..i usually let the ottos join their friends in the "big tank" Then I go buy more ottos for the 10  

BTW....are you attached to the danios?...I love the pearl danios much more than any of the others.They are very pretty.

 

[Lily]

Actually Matt that's been my plan all along - to transfer everyone to the larger tank.  I plan on using the newly cycled 10-gallon for some of my daughter's guppies.  

I wasn't attached to the zebra danios until I got some to cycle the tank with.  I find them extremely amusing to watch. I will be keeping them! (I tend to do this; get some cycling fish, get attached and then keep them.  Never have ended up taking the starter fish back to the LFS  *twirlysmiley*).

I also love the pearl danios and have 4 of them, along with 3 ottos in my 55-gallon community tank.  They really are pretty and the ottos do an amazing job of keeping the algae all but gone.  I had tried Chinese algae eaters prior to the ottos but found them to be too aggressive towards the rest of the fish and had to separate them to their own tank until they died of old age.  

Thanks for the feedback Matt.
Lily