panda cory

mister ben

mister ben

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Jan 22, 2005
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I just brought home my first cories today and I think they rock. I now have 3 panda cories and they are very active and amusing fish.

Since I am such a newb, I was wondering if anybody that has experience with these fish could share a few behavioral quirks, poor health warning signs, or just general tips for keeping this fish. I've already been to planetcatfish.com and figured it couldn't hurt to get some other opinions.

Thanks.
 
Well, they are pretty simple little fish:) They also happen to be just about my favorite species of corydoras.

Things to watch out for are the obvious things like fin rot and barbel erosion. This is due to dirty substrates and/or sharp gravel.

If you have the room, I may suggest getting 2 more for a total of 5. These guys are very social and would appreciate the company though 3 is probably fine. But if 3 are fun to watch, 5 is better:)

Mine love to eat shrimp pellets, algae wafers, frozen bloodworms and whatever else gets fed to the fish.

A quirk they have that I find interesting is that they strike the surface verrrry quickly and zoom back down. They take in air at the surface, much of which is what regulates their buoyancy. (They mainly breathe through gills though.)

They're some of the most peaceful, unassuming fish out there. Perfect for any tank where they wont be harassed.

Keep the water good and clean and you shouldn't have any issues:)

Congrats on the new fish:)
 
Thanks buddy, that was a great post, exactly what I was looking for.

I noticed the quick darts to the surface (which I had already read about) and thought it was hilarious. I also enjoy the way they seem to "float" around the tank aimlessly sometimes (do you know what I mean?).

They really are cool fish. So much so in fact, I think I will buy a few more. Right now I have 5 harlequin rasboras and 2 zebra danios as well. I was already planning on giving the danios to my roomate when his new tank has cycled. I think when that time comes I will replace them with a couple of panda's.

I made sure they had healthy looking fins and that their barbels were intact before I had them bagged to take home. Can you give any tips for keeping my substrate up to par for these guys? I currently have a smooth pebble base of natural riverstone color.

Thanks again.
 
I hope you have better luck than I do with Cories. I can never get them to stay alive. Every other fish I have is fine but cories will last a week or two and die just like that?? Good luck though.
 
I love my cories(3 pepper/2 bronze) and they're amazingly social.

They really like the strong current in my tank and are always busy. They also really like plants and will rest in them if they are thick(like some bacopa or hygrophilia).

Good luck with your cories, but more is merrier. I've also noticed that they are more social with those corys they are introduced to the tank with, although they do seem to form bonds regardless. I've only kept the above species and the albinos, which are damned near blind :)
 
All species of Cories are sensitive to poor water conditions. You must keep up on your weekly water changes. If you notice your Cories remaining inactive for long periods of time something is usually wrong. They are very active fish that don't normally stop for more than an hour or so at a time.
 
I've noticed that in the 48 hours since I introduced my 3 pandas, one of them has become quite inactive and his dorsal fin just hangs limply to the side. He/she also seems to have a more grayish color to him/her than the other two.

Are these signs of illness or is it just from the stress of adjusting to a new environment, or possibly something else? Or maybe nothing at all? Does anybody have an answer? I sure don't.
 
That can't be too great. Is the fish being beat up by other fish? I have a small(>1") bronze and it was acting listless and not looking too great. I finally got to see the underside of him when swimming and his gill looked like it had been chomped, as well as his tailfin.

I've found my cory cats get beat up by my shark a bit, but he mostly just pushes them around and shoos them out of his territory. The small one might have just got picked on though :(

corys%26wussyshark.JPG
 
He wasn't being bothered by any other fish at all. I can only see that his dorsal fin looks a little deteriorated, but he's been like that since I brought him/her home.

Nonetheless, I relocated my two danios into my roomates tank, which I had planned on doing anyways. I thought that maybe without those little guys making everybody nervous it might ease the pandas, which I far prefer to any other fish in the tank at this point. I also did a water change, after which the sickly panda quickly recouperated (in about 10 minutes). Now he is resting, but looks much healthier.

If I ever figure out to post a pic, I will post one of him, see what you think.
 
btw, i really like the rtbs, I want to get one as soon as I have room for a large enough tank.
 
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