My tanks

[NoodleCats]

I'm surprised it was head first, I didn't think a skirt's mouth was big enough. Tail first I could understand more easily, but then it seems like it would be spit out or chewed in half. Eww, too close to dinner but I do appreciate you posting pics. Corys are usually oblivious to almost any threat, but gee whiz...bigger fish coming face on? Not a great survival technique...

On a different related cory topic, I thought not all corys had venom in their spines. That may be ancient & possibly incorrect info or maybe it isn't always released? I know I've been "spined" at least once with only a "stab" type feeling & a small dot of wound, it healed very fast as I recall. My husband had a much worse reaction...but he is also less pain tolerant. I don't remember which species of corys may have been involved, we've had many over the years.

NoodleCats (or others) do you have more info on that issue? I'm just curious & always cautious with spined fish, venom or not. Many loaches & catfish have spines, is it raphael cats that have barbed spines? I know some fish do. I remember being especially careful with ours so it didn't get caught in the net...or hand.

Sorry if this is too off topic NC, I don't mean to derail your thread.

You are thinking the toxin release versus the spines I think. Not all release toxin when stressed, but most have nasty spines. I've been spiked once and for the wound size it burns more than it should and easily becomes inflamed. I do believe it's debated if it is actually a venom or just a bacteria with most catfish spines.

Either way, hurts and theyre very difficult to remove!


That's the other thing that shocked me the head first thing. But is also what made it so much more difficult, there was no getting those spines out that way. I know skirts can be really fast if they want to be but I just never expected that.

 

[fishorama]

Difficult to remove?!? Do you mean the spine broke off or the catfish stayed attached to you even momentarily? Maybe my spine stab was shallower or something. My husband's didn't look like a bacterial infection to me but who can say, it was a long time ago.

My big issue with catfish spines is netting them safely without them getting tangled or stuck. I think a fine brine shrimp net works well for small cats...not so much with bigger plecos thrashing around in a big net. I admit to being a little scared of any cat larger than a BN. & some have pronounced rough edged scutes(?) that can get caught too.

With loaches spines aren't usually an issue. They have slots under their eyes the spines stay in almost always. The only time I've seen them in a live loach was a clown that did a kind of stretch/flex on 1 side. Dead fish may have them out.

So what tank are your pygmies in now? & who's in with the skirts? Just to bring us back to your tanks I think new pics are in order soon please

 

[NoodleCats]

Difficult to remove?!? Do you mean the spine broke off or the catfish stayed attached to you even momentarily? Maybe my spine stab was shallower or something. My husband's didn't look like a bacterial infection to me but who can say, it was a long time ago.

My big issue with catfish spines is netting them safely without them getting tangled or stuck. I think a fine brine shrimp net works well for small cats...not so much with bigger plecos thrashing around in a big net. I admit to being a little scared of any cat larger than a BN. & some have pronounced rough edged scutes(?) that can get caught too.

With loaches spines aren't usually an issue. They have slots under their eyes the spines stay in almost always. The only time I've seen them in a live loach was a clown that did a kind of stretch/flex on 1 side. Dead fish may have them out.

So what tank are your pygmies in now? & who's in with the skirts? Just to bring us back to your tanks I think new pics are in order soon please

Difficult to remove just in general if they go in deep, like in the case of my tetra situation. I could not get the cory out even post mortem. The way the spines lodged in, not feasible.

The nick to the palm of my hand happened with netting once, a tiny poke. Was very red and inflamed for a couple days lol.

The skirt tetras, well the 6 that remain anyways, are still in my 55g.

55g stock as of now:
6 skirt tetras
10 black neon tetras
3 Farlowella catfish sp.
2 Ancistrus martini/bodenhameri
1 L240 vampire pleco (growout)
25 corydoras (sterbai (9), schultzei (12), aeneus(4))
2 bamboo shrimp


Currently waiting for some moss that should be coming in the mail this week for a couple places. Had to redo the tank because I had to tear it all apart to catch the pygmies and the tetra.


I moved my remaining 7 pygmies to my corydoras eques tank.

Which now stands at:
8 corydoras eques
7 corydoras pygmaeus
10 ember tetras
6 lemon tetras

A little heavy for a 20g long, will be keeping an eye out for a good priced 29g-35g to upgrade. But it's better than being eaten.

Theyve made themselves at home though and seem happy enough with the eques

 

[fishorama]

The pygmies make the eques look huge!

 

[NoodleCats]

The pygmies make the eques look huge!

The eques are a fair size, in fairness lol but you are looking at a male pygmaeus and a female eques, so the size difference is much more drastic.

 

[NoodleCats]

Side note, look who came out today! The male Ancistrus martini/bodenhameri

 

[The Masked Shadow]

Wow! That’s a lot of corries! 25! Beautiful pics, btw

 

[NoodleCats]

Wow! That’s a lot of corries! 25! Beautiful pics, btw

My other 55g has 40 corydoras ?

 

[The Masked Shadow]

My other 55g has 40 corydoras ?

View attachment 230472

Nice aqua scale!

 

[jake72]

I'm amazed how outgoing those enques are - my pymy, orange laser and sterbai all skiddle the minute i'm near the tank. They wait just behind the plant line when i feed the fishes and wait till i walk away before moving forward to eat.