On Thu, 16 Mar 2006 16:48:47 +0100, Dr Engelbert Buxbaum
wrote:


In terms of space and tank size there is plenty of room in the tank
for swimming from one end to the other unimpeded but I'll take on board
what you said.

I'm envisioning a jungle animal pacing back and forth in his
"generously sized" cage.

(My LFS said that these would be perfect for a 5G tank
too!) I'm in the process of setting up a 60-65 litre planted tank

All too often, some LFS people will tell you anything to make a sale.
There are very few fish that will thrive in a 5 gallon, especially if
more than a single fish is being considered. Surviving is not the same
as thriving.

Corys are swarm fishes, group size should be no less than half a dozen
and the more the merrier. At about 5 cm each that means a minimum of 60
l for the tank (approx 15 gal), better more since they are so active.
Indeed as a rule of thumb tanks of 100 l (25 gal) or more tend to be
more stable and easier to maintain than the very small ones.

My dozen Corys are only about half grown, and they use every inch of
their 15 gallon tank. I am already planning for their 20 Long, which
will give them lots more horizontal space - they love zooming back and
forth and back and forth, sometimes together, other times as if they
were playing a game of tag. The more space they have, the more fun
they are to watch. And without going overboard with the
anthropomorphizing (I love that word), I think they're having fun.

which will have a lot more space for fun and frolicks. It may also be
more acidic since I'm thinking of using ADA Aquasoil which buffers the
water to about pH 6.5 ish.

I have made bad experiences with pH-lowering chemicals. At least some
contain phosphate as buffering agent, I wonder which homo hebes got that
idea. Better use peat or oak leaves (corys love to play with those!).

I agree. I have never felt secure with chemical pH adjusters. I found
myself testing all the time. I'm much more comfortable with stuff like
peat or crushed coral, depending on which way I want to go. The fewer
chemicals I add, the less chance of something going wrong. My water is
very soft, 2 or 3 DH at best, and the 7.0 pH from the tap settles in
at 6.6 within a couple of days. I have a pile of oak leaves I want to
add to the Cory tank, but I don't know what that will do to my pH.
With so little carbonate hardness . . . I want to increase my
carbonate hardness a little without getting things complicated. Maybe
I'll try a little crushed coral in the filter.

It won't have a bubble stream though
because that would dump my CO2 out of the water.

Do you add CO2 to your tank? That is not realy necessary, plants grow
just fine with the CO2 that the water contains in equilibrium with air.
The money for the CO2 unit is better spend on a larger tank, IMHO

I have grown beautiful aquarium plants for most of my life, in the
pre-CO2 days. Of course, we didn't have the high tech lighting and
fertilizers that we have today, but I'm going to give stuff like
Flourish Excel, and I just read in a catalog that someone else is
producing a carbon fertilizer, a very good trial before I even
consider CO2. I really think one needs to master, no, there are few
masters, how about "gain knowledge and experience and success" with
some of the less demanding plants before investing in CO2, investing
meaning either money (full system) or time (DIY). And for certain, if
there are fish in the tank, learning their care should always be the
first step for a beginning aquarist.

-- Mister Gardener