I currently have 3 remaining pygmy cories after purchasing 6 half way through last year.

They were originally in my 100L fully planted tank and seemed like they were doing ok the first month or so. However, as the plants continued to fill in the tank, I pretty much lost track of the cories as they hardly came out. From what I know, pygmys tend to swim in mid water as often as they are on the ground, but mine hardly ever do that except during water changes when they're disturbed. Slowly over the months, I've lost them one by one. My biggest concern were that they weren't eating (though I can't be sure as they're always hiding)

I've moved the remaining 3 to a 36L tank with guppies, but still no changes. They seem to sit on the bottom all day doing nothing at all and not even noticing when food falls around them :facepalm:

Does anyone else have these little guys? How many do you have and whats your tank environment like?

Thanks, any help appreciated

I have them, purchased 6, have 3 still and they behave exactly as yours do. I have mine in with ember tetras.

I purchased 5, around 2 months ago still have 5. Maybe it's because they are in a small tank (30L) without too much cover, I get a good view of them and make sure they eat. They are quite slow eaters and constantly graze, somewhat similar otocats. I have designated food areas in my tank where I always drop the food. Some on each side of the tank, at set spots, and all my fish except the latest addition seems to understand where to find the food. if the CPDs are hogging one spot, the cories go to the other. I think it helps that none of the fish I eat are aggressive eaters though.

What substrate do they have?

I had peppered cories and they had both sand and the autumn harvest smooth gravel. When they weren't being sociable they hid on the gravel as they were quite camoflaged and when food time they went to the sand. They do like less light on the whole as well.

Mine used to get all excited when I fed the other fish white worms but nothing ever got to the bottom for them. Cory also like some current and can swim about in it - again this was something I used to notice when the lights had gone off or there was only daylight in the room.

Sophia - what did you feed them?

They loved Wardleys shrimp pellets, they would hop over to where they had landed and go all alert and then when they had started to break down a bit they would snuffle it up.

The other thing they got was the algae wafer, that they would sit by it and guard even though it didn't seem to break up like the pellets.

They wanted to eat worms too but the thing is how to get them down to them without the other fish getting there first. Grindals probably the best ones as white worms are rather large for their snouts.

I would love to get cories again but I have rough gravel substrate at the moment.

What substrate do they have?

In the 100L it was black seachem flourite sand, a 2mm fine substrate not damaging to their barbels. I also have 12 albino cories in there doing well.

The 36L is sparsely planted so I can see them quite well. Substrate in there are 2-3mm gravel, also not damaging to their barbels.

Both tanks have areas of high current as well as almost zero in some places. While hiding, they're in the calm spots. Its possible that I may need to get alot more of them, more than 6... 10+ maybe, but they're not cheap for their size :nilly:

maybe they are just dying naturally then, of age etc.

what sort of pygmy cory are they? hastatus?

maybe they are just dying naturally then, of age etc.

what sort of pygmy cory are they? hastatus?

Corydoras pygmaes Could be possible they're dying of age...but hopefully not :tears:

*Rushes off to see if she still has six cories*

Was there some bulk deal going or something, or is six a magic cory number?

I have read it a lot that corydora are happiest when there are 6 or more.

I started with 3 adults and they were a bit timid, later got 4 young ones and the group definitely functioned better as a shoal when the younger ones were bigger.

Still have six, phew! Mine are C. pygmaeus

Got mine three for $27.00

They are in a bare bottom tank approx 10l with a terracotta pot with Crypt affinis covering most of the surface and some narrow leaf Java fern on a little bit of driftwood.

They eat grindal worms, NLS Grow pellets and Wardley Shrimp pellets.

I am thinking I will get me some corydora again soon. I love those little guys :love:

was reading about others' experiences with these http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_pygmaeus.php and found this comment:

I have a school of 7 right now in a 75 liter long tank with sand bottom. At first, I tried to put them in a 450 liter tank that was over 60 cm deep. In there they stayed on barely submersed plants (risking being eaten by my african butterfly fish. Yet in the shallow 75 L they stay on the bottom. Would agree that they do indeed get stressed in deep water. Also, I have mine with some Otocinclus and they sometimes school together.

You were right to move them to a smaller tank if this is anything to go by.

Sooo...after posting that I had 3 left, I've now found 5! :nilly: number 4 and 5 popped up on random days and I managed to catch and put them in the smaller tank

Hopefully number 6 will show up eventually :happy2:

haha that's cool.