# New tank!!!



## iluvcories07 (Jun 18, 2007)

Hey everybody!
I'm setting up a new 14 gallon tank for my classroom this fall, and it will definitely have Corys. Sound off and let me know what you think I should have in it. Right now at the LPS, my choices are between Panda's, Green, Peppered, Spotted and Julii's. What should I get? How many of each? Thanks for your input!
~Mr. B


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## Guest (Aug 19, 2007)

i would get panda's because they are smaller than the rest. because they need to be kept in shools, with pandas being the smallest, you will have more room for other fish.


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## iluvcories07 (Jun 18, 2007)

*water*

Thanks for the idea. Are Panda's picky about their water? I thought they needed it to be SUPER clean all the time. Also, I have small, smooth gravel instead of sand. Does that make a difference to them?


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## Corydora_FREAK (Feb 21, 2007)

Then Albino would be your best choice, they are pretty and very hardy. albino corydoras will swim around everywhere unlike other cories and they to are VERY hardy. in 14 gallons you could get a way with a healthy group of 5 .The peppered coydoras is also an excellent choice although they aren't as active during the day, they are much more beautiful and have all of the same advantages albinos do, they are very hardy and get a bit bigger than albinos and pandas. Here you ca look at all the species I just mentioned! http://www.fishforums.com/forum/catfish-other-bottom-dwellers/16511-fish-night.html


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## Guest (Aug 19, 2007)

not really picky...it needs to be clean tho. what kind of filter are you going to run on it? it's always good to get a filter that is rated for a tank twice the size of yours. so a hob filter rated for a 30 gallon would be ideal. substrate doesn't make a difference. 

what other fish are you looking at for the tank? in a 14 gallon with 6 panda cories, you would have room for a school of tetras or rasboras. take a look at some species then come back here and tell me/us the ones that you like the most and then we'll go from there. k?


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## Corydora_FREAK (Feb 21, 2007)

Pandas are liverly and cute little cories BUT they are stressed out easier than peppered and least of all albinos. Peppered get a bit bigger which helps keep kids interest, plus they usually don't hide 100% of the time out of view although they do take cover during the day. Albinos swim around during the day completely in the kids views! FishBGuy is right about the filtration needing to be a bit higher but IMO 20 gallon filter would be ideal, with the 30 its a little to powerful, both on suction in a small area and the outflow of water. you will have to be careful where its powerful outflow goes, it can send fish swishing around!
Also FishBGuy i like your avatar the bird is really pretty!


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## Guest (Aug 19, 2007)

i didn't think about the output being too strong...lol gotta start using my brain more. i was just thinking of adding smallish cories to the tank so that he can add more fish like tetras or rasboras to help keep the kidds interested. how big do albino's get?

thanks. she's by little baby. her name is Peaches. she's really mean tho so i can't hold her. she has such a personality. when she need's something, she whistles for you instead of screaming. she alays gets as close to you as she can so she can keep on eye on you ...lol she's the best.

edit: almost forgot. she's a hybrid. her dad was a regular black masked lovebird and her mom was a peachfaced lovebird. not sure what color but my guess is a heavy pied or something along those lines.


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## Corydora_FREAK (Feb 21, 2007)

> how big do albino's get?


about an inch and a half
O lol a mean bird huh,  you could be like a pirate with a love bird, so something like a love pirate!


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## Guest (Aug 19, 2007)

love pirate...lol


no really, she's really mean. i was thiking about geting a green cheeked conure. then i could be a real pirate...lol

sorry about the hyjack.


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## iluvcories07 (Jun 18, 2007)

*I'm Going to buy...*

On my classroom budget, I can't afford the Panda's ($6.50 per) even though I really like them a lot. Also, I have Peppered Corys at home, so I may go with the Julii at school. What can you tell me about them? Anyone with Julii experience can chime in. 

As far as other fish to go with the Corys, I've had good luck with Platys so I'm going with them again. My sixth graders LOVED them!


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## Corydora_FREAK (Feb 21, 2007)

Well juliis can get rather large so IMO you cant have a large shoal to healthily keep them. I didnt recommend them simply because they like groups of 6 or more and in a 14 gallon you could only go with 3  i have 2 and am feverously searching for more as i can easily see they are far more skittish, and they are usually not, than my 15 Peppered Corydoras. I know it may be a small setback, but the 5 Albinos will give you the most satisfaction and joy with the least amount of worry.


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## iluvcories07 (Jun 18, 2007)

Thanks. I saw a tank of young Julii's at Petco the other day, and thought they didn't look too big. Then I saw 3 adult Julii's the same day at the LFS and they WERE big---helped me think about what they WILL look like. 

I appreciate your input!


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## Corydora_FREAK (Feb 21, 2007)

thats an important thing about fish shopping, you have to remember how big the fish willl attain full grown, not how big it is now.


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## Guest (Aug 20, 2007)

Corydora_FREAK said:


> about an inch and a half
> O lol a mean bird huh,  you could be like a pirate with a love bird, so something like a love pirate!


Albino cories are usually C. aeneus, and they actually get near 3 inches. This site says females can reach 7cm, which is about 2.8".  They get kind of large IMO for a 14g unless its a pretty long tank. But, they may be the best option.

True Juliis are almost impossible to find and when you do find them, they are going to be expensive. Most likely the ones you saw were False Juliis (C. trilineatus). They are very often mislabelled as Juliis. These get about 2-2.5". 

The Panda cories would be the smallest and best option, but like said above, they can be sensitive about their water quality. You've stated that they are expensive though, so are crossing them off. (They are expensive here too)

False Juliis would be the best option after the Pandas based on size. They stay smaller than Albino cories, but they are much shyer. I have 6 in my 55g (along with a couple other species of spotted cories) and the hide alot during the day. 

Although the Albinos get a bit bigger....maybe by the time they are full size, you'll be able to upgrade the tank....maybe.  They are really active, so they'd be the best for a classroom tank IMO.


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## Guest (Aug 20, 2007)

why does everybody have expensive or hard to find fish?

at my lfs, pandas are 2.99, they're 3.99 at Meijers.

i was at my other lfs yesterday getting crickets and an applacation, and they got a black skark in. the kid that works there was saying that they've never been on their list before and that they're hard to find and expensive. the ls that is closer to my house ALWAYS has black sharks in. they must have 7 of them now. they're about 3-4 inches long and only 5.99. all of the people that get hard to find/expensive fish at their lfs, i have cheap and easy to find. but if a fish is cheap at your lfs, it's expensive for me???

just thought that i'd say something. lol

have you thought of some other fish that you would like in the tank as well?


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## iluvcories07 (Jun 18, 2007)

I'm going to purchase platys to go along with my corys. I currently have them both at home, and they get along great, besides being fun to watch. 

Since my students will be hovering around the tank all day, I definitely want corys that aren't shy. What about Spotted corys? Are they shyer than Julii's, or more outgoing?


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## Guest (Aug 20, 2007)

Do you know what species they are? There are a few species that are spotted.  I have 3 different types of cories that are spotted. All 3 are pretty shy though, even with 5+ in the group.


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## Corydora_FREAK (Feb 21, 2007)

> and they actually get near 3 inches.


never seen them that big and i have seen a lot, mine are about 2 inches and are adult, hmmmmm. well no reason to start an argument.


> They are really active, so they'd be the best for a classroom tank IMO.


Now I agree with you 100% on that as i stated earlier


> Albinos swim around during the day completely in the kids views!


And yes most species are pretty shy although in varying degrees, but Albinos are by far the most active of all.


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## iluvcories07 (Jun 18, 2007)

Kristin, I believe I'll take your advice and go for the Corydoras trilineatus for my classroom because they will be smaller.  

To answer an earlier reply of yours, I can't find the name, or find any pictures of spotted corys online, so I couldn't tell you which ones I'm thinking about. Maybe it's the Black Fin Cory or False Spotted Cory??? Can you think of any websites to go to to see pics of the various spotted corys? So far I've been to aquahobby.com, animalplanet.com, fishprofiles.com, and corysrus.com. Thanks!


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## Guest (Aug 21, 2007)

Planetcatfish is another site: http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/genus.php?genus_id=1. There is a link to the Corydoras genus thumbnails....so hopefully you can ID them. There are alot of spotted cories as you can see and alot of them look very similar, so sometimes its hard to tell.


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## iluvcories07 (Jun 18, 2007)

Kristin,
You stated that you had three types of "spotted" corys of your own. Can you please share which ones you have and/or post pictures of them? I know Petco has them right now, so I'm going to do more researching... Thanks!
~Darin


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## Guest (Aug 21, 2007)

Sure! The spotted cories I have are C. trilineatus (False Juliis):









Schwartzi and Sodalis. 

I have pictures of the latter 2 somewhere of my own, but would take me a while to find in my numerous Photobucket pages.


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## iluvcories07 (Jun 18, 2007)

Great picture! I looked for pics of your sodalis and schwartzi---beautiful as well---you must have a lot of variety to choose from in your area!

I'm 95% sure that the spotted cory that Petco sells is leucomelas. Would they be more active than trilineatus in a classroom aquarium? I don't want something shy to be hiding in the corner all day long...


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## Guest (Aug 21, 2007)

I'm sorry, but I don't have any experience with C. leucomelas. Having 7 or 8 of them should help with them being more active. Generally cories are more comfortable in a tank when there is more of them. My False Juliis are probably the most active in my 55g (thats the spotted cory tank). Like in the picture I posted before, they like to hang out on top of each other in the corner of the tank and I wouldn't say they hide all the time, but they hide alot. If you can get those, then I'd recommend them, just because I've had experience and can tell you how mine act. I have 5 or 6 of them (lost count now ) and they like to swim around the tank, even up in the middle and top parts of the tank. They nose around in the plants.

My C. sodalis are probably the most shy cories and I have atleast 6 of them, if not 7 or 8 (again lost count...), but still they choose to hide out under the plants.  They were just labelled "spotted cories" at my LFS and I got an ID on a site I visited that had a couple Corydoras loving folks who knew their stuff.

Anyhow...if you'd rather go with the leucomelas, then go for it. I'd go ahead and get atleast 6. Who knows...they could be fairly active little guys.  Observe how they act at the store...I know fish are always a bit different when you bring them home, but see if they run when you get close to the glass. That will give you an idea of how they'd be in a tank at school.


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## iluvcories07 (Jun 18, 2007)

Thanks for your great input! I'm definitely going with 5 trilineatus---I really like how they look, and of course I'm happy hearing about how they act. My big purchase will happen Wednesday morning---wish me luck! :fish:


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## Corydora_FREAK (Feb 21, 2007)

They are good Cories but mine are tipping the ruler at almost 3 inches. Got photo proof to back it up Kristin! lol not getting aggro just saying. Anyway they are cool and very pretty. Have fun with your new cories!


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## Guest (Aug 21, 2007)

iluvcories07 said:


> Thanks for your great input! I'm definitely going with 5 trilineatus---I really like how they look, and of course I'm happy hearing about how they act. My big purchase will happen Wednesday morning---wish me luck! :fish:


Excellent choice! Good luck on the big purchase. 



Corydora_FREAK said:


> They are good Cories but mine are tipping the ruler at almost 3 inches


How long did it take your cories to get that large? Mine are about 2.5" and haven't grown any in awhile, so I assume they are full grown. I've had mine for just about a year (maybe a little over).


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## Corydora_FREAK (Feb 21, 2007)

Well they are not Exactly three about 2.7 so close i am an exaggerator sorry, i have had them about 3 years. I do believe you gave excellent advice to Iluvecories07 i still think albinos would be a bit better  still I would love to see a huge albino, like 2.75!


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## Buggy (Oct 17, 2006)

Brochis spendens, often sold as Emerald Corydora
http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=114
These are nice too. Pretty hardy and they stay fairly small.


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## iluvcories07 (Jun 18, 2007)

*Funny Story*

Update:
I went to the LFS today to purchase my five, c. trilineatus that I've been talking to all of you about. I found them right away and knew exactly what I wanted. I asked the girl at the counter for some help, and she told me that I was going to be her teacher this fall!    

It turns out that the LFS is owned by my soon-to-be students' parents! Small world! Needless to say, the family is so kind, and I received 5 beautiful c. trilineatus with my newly acquired "teacher discount!" :fish:

Anyway, the False Julii's love their new home in my classroom. Next week I'll add the platies...:fish:


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