Cory cat questions

tetramoon13

tetramoon13

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Jun 14, 2006
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Milton, NH
I would like to add 2 or 3 cory cats to my 10 gal. after I get it planted, within the next couple weeks. My questions are, is eco-complete an okay substrate for them, and will they make suitable tankmates for neons and platies? Also, I feed my fishes bloodworms and brine shrimp (both frozen), in addition to their flake food, but they eat it up very quickly, I would be worried that the corys wouldn't get enough to eat. I was thinking oto cats, but I hear they're so delicate. Maybe panda cories, peppered, or albinos would be nice. I'm open for suggestions. :)

Tank specs
5 neon tetras
2 platies

pH 7.0
dGH 8
dKH 4
temp 80
 
Regardless of what you get you will have to feed it something different from the rest. Otos need fresh fruit once in a while and Corys need sinking tabs (preferably when the lights are off so other fish don't eat it on them.)

My otos are not so delicate I guess.

I've read people whoc an't get them into the tank and they die soon after being introduced but I bought 3 and had no problem. In fact I just moved them over to my 80 gallon which has a higher Gh and they are happily eating algae on the glass today.

I think otos are awesome!

Corys look spooky but wont care about substrate.
 
/agree twig

I've had oto's for the last year or so and they are great. But i would only keep 1 in a 10gal because they will only eat certain kinds of algae off the plants and aquarium, and in many cases won't touch the wafers, so if you have more than one they may go hungry.

If you wanna go with cories, definently go with the pandas, they are small and neat.

Either way, make sure you keep up with regular weekly water changes- with that many fish in a 10g, the water will get polluted pretty fast.
 
I almost bought 3 otos yesterday, but I really want to get the tank planted first. Thanks for the feeding advice. Which kinds of fruit do the otos prefer? They are cute little guys, aren't they?
 
I wouldn't get just one. They like to be in groups just like cory cats so i'd get at least 2 ...

Mine _love_ cucumber or Zucini but I also throw in tomato every now and then. Celery works too, I hear? I never tried.

my problem was feeding the otos without feeding the snails so I just moved them out lol.
 
I do 30 percent WC twice weekly. If I don't, the neons start to show it. Don't otos prefer small groups? Maybe I should just get a couple more neons to add to their school. Or maybe a couple snails for algae, (but I really like the cories.....). I know that would be pushing the limit, as far as the bio load is concerned, but wouldn't that be okay in a heavily planted tank? Maybe dwarf corys?
 
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When I first started I had a 10g and only put in 2 Pepper cories. Now yes they do prefer to be in larger groups but they will also do ok in a pair. Mine did not seem to be really messy and did a great job of "Cleaning up". They will eat Algae Wafers but I have not seen them eat any real Algae as of yet. I have since then upgraded to a larger tank and now have 6 Pepper Cories and they are simply awsome. Don't let them freak you out as they have some weird habits at times.

I would go with a pair of pepper cories if you want. You may want to drop the temp alittle in the tank though as they seem to like it 78d F or lower. Just my 2 cents
 
yeah, I agree about the temp....If I didn't have the a/c blasting in the kitchen, the temp would be about 84 during the day.
 
An easy fix for the temp problem is to simply add a cooling fan to the system. It may not look the best but it really does help. I have a cooling fan system on my 20g and it does great for lowering my temp in the tank. The cost for making one yourself will be about $20 and is well worth it. Check out the following link it may help you out. For a 10g all you would need is one small fan most likely.

Cooling Fan System
 
hmmmm, that does sound easy. We may have an old pc fan laying around somewhere, and there is a drawerful of old ac adapters, that I have no idea where they belong, so I may be able to hook one up for nothing. But how would I mount it?
 
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