What to do with my Emerald Cory

wingamajig

wingamajig

AC Members
Apr 7, 2012
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Arlington, MA
Hello! This is my first post here, I am new to aquarium keeping, and I have a 20 gallon tank with 4 lyretail mollies & one molly fry in a breeder net, and 3 zebra danios (used to be 5, but someone likes to bite so I have lost my smaller danios). I also have a 10 gallon tank and one emerald green cory.

My cory used to be in the 20 gallon, but I needed to remove him to add salt to treat ich on one of my mollies (the cory shows no sign of infection after 3 days alone). The cory is currently housed in my 10 gallon tank, with most of my plants. He seems pretty happy there, but is very active. Maybe he's stressed to be alone & in a small space? He used to zoom around in the 20 gallon too, but not this much.

I planned originally to add 2 more Emerald Corys to finish off the 20 gallon tank, and use the 10 gallon for raising molly fry. Before buying the fish, I read up and several sources said Molly and Corys could live together. However, my mollies seem to need more electrolytes - which means salt - to keep healthy & active, and I read that the cory would not like it. After some more research, I am reading that these fish are not very compatible due to different water preferences.

My question is - what should I do with my cory? I am not sure if 10 gallons is enough space for emerald corys. I also don't want to keep him alone, everything I read says keep at least 3 emerald corys together. Should I get another 20 gallon tank? Does anyone have success with keeping Mollies and Corys, and what is the salinity of your water? Does anyone know of an electrolyte supplement that is available for healthy mollies that is not going to make the Cory unhappy? I hear about Molly Bright, but can't find it for sale anywhere.
 
Yes, mollies prefer a little salt in their water but they will do okay in with no salt in their water as well. I've even seen mollies in full salt in a saltwater tank before (a friend experimenting..they bred and did well), but...it's not completely necessary. Your emerald will get some size to him and he would be much happier in a school with others of his kind. Usually keeping them in schools of 5+ is best.
So your choices are..1. No salt in with the mollies. 2. Setting up another 20 if you want and adding a bigger school for him. 3. Re-homing your emerald. I suppose you could add a few more to the 10g but there isn't really a big foot print to that tank. Cory's are busy little fish and will use all the room you give them and I doubt they would be happy in a 10g. Emeralds tend to get bigger than most of the cory species too.
If you are attached and like your emerald (they are beautiful)and have the space, time, and finances to set up another 20g..go for it! lol You would be far from the first on this site to set up a new tank for one of their fish. :D MTS rears it's head at one time with all of us. (MTS= Multi Tank Syndrome)
 
I'd rehome him or get another tank, a 20L would be best for cories bigger the footprint the better.

In my experience mollies do alot better with some salt, seem to be much healthier, in the wild they usually live in river areas where they can go from freshwater, brackish, full salt easily. I've plopped and dropped young ones from FW to SW and they did ok well the ones who weren't eaten right away did.
 
Thanks for the responses! Hmmm... The new tank idea is sounding better and better. I had planned on a 55 gallon well planted tank 6 months in my future. Perhaps sooner is better, as I really like my catfish. I'd rather find a new home for the 10 gallon tank, and let those mollies eat their young than to let go of that emerald cory ;)

Can a small school of emerald cory catfish (3-5) be happy alone in a 55 gallon tank with a bunch of plants? I prefer to concentrate on aquascaping/plants and the 20 gallon of mollies, and then add some more fish to the 55 gallon later when I am more experienced.
 
I forgot to mention that the reason I want to keep some salt with the mollies long-term is that last week some of them showed "the shimmies" - and they have perked up considerably with the salt treatment for ich.
 
wingamajig said:
Thanks for the responses! Hmmm... The new tank idea is sounding better and better. I had planned on a 55 gallon well planted tank 6 months in my future. Perhaps sooner is better, as I really like my catfish. I'd rather find a new home for the 10 gallon tank, and let those mollies eat their young than to let go of that emerald cory ;)

Can a small school of emerald cory catfish (3-5) be happy alone in a 55 gallon tank with a bunch of plants? I prefer to concentrate on aquascaping/plants and the 20 gallon of mollies, and then add some more fish to the 55 gallon later when I am more experienced.
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Yep. They would be very happy in a 55g. Actually, I think I would up it to a school of 7. They are one of the prettiest of the corys IMO. When they get bigger, that sheen they get....stunning. Fish would actually help the plants by "feeding" them with their waste and food excess. Although, with the way corys are constantly grazing around there usually isn't much left over.

You may also want to add a school of otocinculus to that 55 as well. I just put 5 in my planted 125g and those little guys are busy as bees. They are GREAT at eating some of the algaes on my plants, without harming the plants at all. Good little clean up crew. I think I am going to up their school to 10.
 
I have a Emerald Cory too.. ( do you ever watch them move their eyes back and forth? freaky) Anyways I have been to several LFS and everyone of them recommend added a touch of salt to my tanks and said every tank they have has some. So I do and it has not affected my cory at all. he does spin around the 60 gal tank all day cleaning up LOL
 
Thanks Therese!

Update - the ich treatment is done, and all fish are healthy. I did a good-size water change, and put my Emerald Cory back in the bigger tank. The salinity of that tank is lowered now - specific gravity shows 1.003 - 1.004 at 79 degrees C. He is swimming around normally - not flashing or zooming erratically (which I read are the signs of salt irritation). I still plan to move him out to a larger home in the next month - with a sand substrate, and conditions better suited to him, but he seems ok where he is for now.

Also, I found this informative page on Molly fish, and their preferred environment: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/mollies.htm
 
i liked the oto cory mix for the 55 gallon. I think I have otos in all of my tanks much more practicle than a pleco, although I know there is a place for them I just found them to be too messy for my tanks when I had 55 gallons. I started with small tanks and a "small" plecostomus, had to get the 55 because my "small" plecostomus grew HUGE ! ! =)
 
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