Shy cories

"Bill" wrote in message
news:2Sfce.191$%o.170@fed1read05...
On 2005-04-28, MarAzul wrote:
Another thing to consider is that some species are more 'sociable' than
others. My bronze, panda and metae are out and about all the time, but
any
of my spotted species are usually fairly calm and sedate. If do go the
route
of adding more, maybe some bronze or pepper cories would be a nice
addition.

I'm not sure what the common name is, but they are spotted. There are a
couple pictures of the species (not of mine in particular) at
http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/callicht/corydora/311_f.php. Do
different species of cory all get along well? Should they also be kept
in groups of 4-6 or more by species, or are they okay in smaller species
groups as long as there are at least 6 as a genus?


I think that all depends on what species you're talking about, and who
you're talking to. ) In general, cories get along with each other, no
matter what the species. From what I've observered though, some species tend
to school more redily than others. My spotted cories schooled with each
other and with the other cats in the tank with no problems, and I know they
weren't all the same.
Some people will tell you that it doesn't matter if you have 6 cories of
different species, and it probably doesn't negativly affect them, but I'm
not a fan. In a large group setting (say15-30 cories), I prefer to have at
least 4 of the same species. I think it looks nice, and I think it make them
a bit more secure in their environment. If you're interested in breeding,
it's better to have more as well, as cories don't (as a general rule)
hybridize. With the cat's you have, it may not be easy to properly identify
what you have, but like I said, these are general guidelines. )

As for your feeding, are you sure they're eating the shrimp pellets? If
they
are, great, but I never got mine to eat them. And cories are scavengers,
not
algae eaters so the algae disk you feed them won't do much for them in
the
long run. It's better to get a general Bottom Feeder disk instead (it
usually has a pic of a cory on the front). Mine get a few disks once or
twice a week but their main diet consists of frozen bloodworms or brine
shrimp.

I've watched them go after the shrimp pellets (second from the bottom on
http://www.omegasea.net/products2.html) with gusto. Also, I misspoke
-- they're getting "Sinking Wafers"
(http://www.hikari.info/tropical/t_03.html, complete with cory picture
on the packaging), not algae wafers. Thanks for the suggestions for
other foods. Do you think that freeze-dried bloodworms would be okay?
(I already have some for the bettas.)


Those are the disks I used. My cories love 'em (and I've had a bala shark or
two munch down on them). I've never had much luck with freeze dried. They
don't sink well and I've heard rumors that freeze-dried isn't the best
nutritionally for fish. I feed my bettas the frozen bloodworms (once they've
thawed) and they LOVE them! They didn't care about the dried worms. It's a
case of YMMV. If it works for you, go for it!

Have you thought about adding one of your bettas to the tank to see if that
helps stimulate the cories? It may not work with all bettas because some are
natural bullies, but I have a betta in with a hoard of cories and they get
along just fine..

Mar