ALternative to cory cats

[new2tanks]

Hi all,

I was planning on about 4 panda corys for my 10g. (other residents will include a snall group of cardinal tetras) . today i went to my lfs and found that they priced panda cory cats at 10$ each!

Is this normal?

I dont think i can spend that much on fish right now,so what are some alternatives that can replace the corys for my fish tank? Do i need them at all? Should i just get some amano shrimp instead?


Thanks.undefined

[budrecki]

$10 for pandas is very expensive. Are all of their corys priced that high, or just the pandas?

Why do you think you need them?

4 in a 10g would be just about all the bioload you want, no other fish.

[Lobo.]

what?

what filter do you use budrecki, 4 panda cories won't max out a 10 gallon's bio filtration on a normal tank! biologically, i no a 10 gal tank that isn't maxed out with a pleco, an angel, and a cory, but thats because it has a HUGE amount of bio media.. (there are MANY other problems with the tank though, like stunted fish...) the tank does not need more than a waterchange every other week, even then, the nitrates dont rise fast..., do you mean that the panda cories will OUTGROW the tank? or what?

but yea, for cleaning up excess food, shrimp should be fine, they just won't dig around like cories do... see if you can get some over the internet or through another petstore, they shoulld be from 2 to 4 dollars... you could also ask them how much it costs them to buy them... :huh:

[joephys]

A ten gallon could hold 4 cory's and 6 small tetra's. You could even add 3 platy's, it would be pushing it, but not too bad.

As far as an alternative, have you tried another LFS? There are different types of cory's out there, some are cheaper than others. My cory's (juli, or three stripe) were about 2.50 apiece.

[mandimoron]

I think I paid about... $4 a head for my panda cories, but that's in Canadian funds. They do seem to be more expensive than other cories from what I've seen, but $10 is a little ridiculous. O_o

[new2tanks]

thanks all,
mandim. may i ask which store you got your pandas from?
im in peel region.

and as far as bioloads go would it help if i said i had an AC 30? i bought one (or 2?) sizes ore just so that things would be better for fish.

[thesydmonster]

I would stick with pandas versus the julii simply because they stay smaller and would do better in the 10 gallon than the larger cories. I have found them to be about $6 here and seasonal, they are not always available.

I have 4 c. habrosus (dwarf cories) with 5 neons in a 10 gallon with lots of plants and weekly water changes and everyone does well (cories are breeding even).

Have fun with your tank!