Janelle Posted July 18, 2007 Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 Hi, I don't really know where this would go so I'm posting it in the Beginners corner. I have a 75 litre tank with one small shubunkin, a dozen white clouds of various sizes, and two borneo suckers. The goldfish does not bother even the smallest of the white clouds so I'm assuming he is still a safe size to keep with the smaller fish for now. I bought a heater quite recently in a failed attempt to prevent my last borneo suckers from dying from hypothermia, so now there is a heater in the tank and I like to keep the water at around 20 degrees. This would be harder to maintain in summertime as I already know the water unheated will range between 18 and 25 in summer. I have been looking at corydoras for some time and I really love the fish but I have always looked at my tank as coldwater and unsuitable for corys. Now I have a heater, I'm wondering if it would be all right to add corys to my current stock? There are so many different types, does anyone know which ones would be comfortable with the lower temperatures, from about 18-24? (I wouldn't go higher mostly because of the goldfish.) What do I need to think about? Is it just a silly idea I should give up on unless I get a new tank? Thanks for any help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted July 18, 2007 Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 i dont think its a silly idea i have been told by many people that Albino Corys can go in a unheated tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janelle Posted July 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 I don't like the look of the Albino Corys... I saw some Pygmy Corys and they were so cute but so tiny I wasn't sure I could risk it even though my goldy ignores the other small fish, and I don't know what temperature range they prefer. If I can't have corys I'll probably look at danios, but the corys fascinate me. Oh, and wilson, I feel like my first Organism experience wasn't complete since I never saw you there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ianab Posted July 18, 2007 Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 Yes.. many corys prefer the cooler end of the tropical range, 25c seems about their max. 20-25c seems about the norm, but some will handle down to 15c. I think they would still like a heated tank in the ChCh winter though Setting the temp to about 22 should be OK for all the fish you have and many other cooler tropical species. Keep an eye on the goldfish though.. as it gets bigger the WCMM will start to look like a tempting snack. I can see a 2nd tank appearing in the near future Cheers Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted July 18, 2007 Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 I don't like the look of the Albino Corys... I saw some Pygmy Corys and they were so cute but so tiny I wasn't sure I could risk it even though my goldy ignores the other small fish, and I don't know what temperature range they prefer. If I can't have corys I'll probably look at danios, but the corys fascinate me. Oh, and wilson, I feel like my first Organism experience wasn't complete since I never saw you there! when did you go ive started back at school this week yes pyqmy corys are cool i have some in a unheated tank took them out when the groung started to get icy they should be ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jn Posted July 18, 2007 Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 I remember Caryl saying some of the barb's are ok in the cooler ranges I think ( I think Rosy barbs but not sure which others). They may be a nice complement to the white clouds with their coloring. I had to laugh when I saw this post. I think at about the same time I was searching for the same info (but decided to google it!). Corys are so neat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidb Posted July 18, 2007 Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 rosy's, goldens, odessa's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heyandrea_ Posted July 18, 2007 Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 The Albinos are really fascinating, Ive never seen anything like them before! I was tempted to buy one but there was a dead half eaten one in the same tank at the shop, so it put me off.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidb Posted July 18, 2007 Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 buy a small group rather than a single one and they will like you alot more for it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ianab Posted July 18, 2007 Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 Everything you ever wanted to know about Cory's. You can click on each species to see more pics and info about their preferences. http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/genus.php?genus_id=1 Cheers Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janelle Posted July 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 Wilson - I went on Saturday afternoon with bdspider, and Loopy & co were also there. You were really the only one missing! Ianab - Thanks for the info and links! I have been keeping an eye on the goldfish and the size of his mouth too, haha. If he gets too big I might just have to evacuate the tank with the snails and daphnia in it and put him back in there. I'm going to take a look at that site link now. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janelle Posted July 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 OK, I had a look at the corys I remembered the names of from eseing them in shops, and it seems the Peppered Cory would be very suitable to my tank, since it can take lower temperatures quite well and would be okay with my round gravel substrate, plus they're not one of the larger species. I was also interested in Sterbai Corys but there was no information on those ones. I will do some window shopping of Peppered Corys. I'm not really sure how many I could keep in my tank but I'm hoping with my weekly water changes and careful feeding it won't threaten to overload my tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jn Posted July 19, 2007 Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 So what temp has your tank been sitting out now that you've got the heater in there? (100W right?) Mind you it has been warmer.. my tank is back at 14-15 instead of 12 degs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted July 19, 2007 Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 Wilson - I went on Saturday afternoon with bdspider, and Loopy & co were also there. You were really the only one missing! i was getting ready to go to the villa semi formal at that time i was in just before lunch tho :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janelle Posted July 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 So what temp has your tank been sitting out now that you've got the heater in there? (100W right?) I set the heater to about 21-22 and it's been keeping my water at what appears to be about 19-20 (+ or - 1 degree). It's warm enough that my fish are looking lively again and the tank doesn't feel like an ice cube when I touch the glass. =) It has been getting warmer, and I'm actually seeing light before and after work. It's like light at either end of a long, dark tunnel. =P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxglove Posted July 21, 2007 Report Share Posted July 21, 2007 hi, I just noticed this thread. I have peppered corys in a couple of tanks. I recently turned off the heater by mistake, and the tank dropped to 15 degrees before I realised. :oops: The corys all survived, but I noticed they were inactive. Normally they are very busy - it is a tank full of babies (plus two C. brevirostris and 5 C. schwartzii). I think they can certainly handle cooler temperatures! Normally I get spawns with cool water changes - down to 18. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xmamx Posted July 27, 2007 Report Share Posted July 27, 2007 I have 2 sterbai corys in my tank with 2 gold fish (one of them is about 15cms long) and other fish (guppies, white cloud, sae's, clown loaches, tetras). Never had any issues with the gold fish eating other fish as the bigger they get the slower they get. I have the temp set to about 24 to 25 and they all do fine, has been setup like that for over a year and half now. Slowly increase the temp over a week to the temp you want and then you should be fine getting any type of community fish for your tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 27, 2007 Report Share Posted July 27, 2007 They can handle lower temperatures, if it has dropped slowly, but only for a short time. As you saw, they could survive but were very inactive. What they can handle, and what they should be kept in, are two different things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janelle Posted July 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2007 I went and got some of the Peppered Corys today and they seem to be happy enough in 22C. If they look severely unhappy at any time I will onsell them to a better home. I was sold some Novo Pleco Chips for them to eat. I was a little dubious but bought them anyway. Do they actually eat this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted July 28, 2007 Report Share Posted July 28, 2007 yea my corys eat that + any thing else left around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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