Where do Corys come from?

Z

zazz

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Mar 29, 2005
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Well, other corys, yes, and South America, I understand. but here's my question:
Are the ones you buy likely to have been bred in tanks, or 'harvested' in the wild?
What are the ramifications of each? ecologically, economically, fish health-wise, and any other way I don't even know enough to ask about. Thanks !
~ Z
 
Cory's are very easy to breed in aquariums. You always see posts about cories laying eggs in members tanks.

So I'm pretty sure the vast majority of them you encounter are tank raised.
 
Thanks, so, is it generally the case that fish that are difficult,or impossible to breed are theones who are wild cought? Is there somewhere elas I should look to find information about this?
 
Generally, yes. My puffers are all wild caught due to the impossibility of tank-breeding. Also, fish that have no information on breeding styles or without knowing how to sex are wild caught.
 
Sterbai cories are mostly, if not all wild caught because it has proven very difficult to raise them to adulthood.
Most the time, species that are easy to breed are done so on a farm, but often, especially with cichlids, there is also a demand for wild genes. There are various reasons ranging from genetic purity to price (a lot of times wildcaught fish are cheaper than their tank bred counterparts).
 
I would assume tank raised unless specified it's wild caught.
Ask the LFS employees / owners if unsure.
 
There is an online store called www.fish2u.com that has different sections for wild caught and captive bred fish. Their corys seem to be both. If you are really committed to keeping only captive bred fish you could hook up with your local aquarium society to find some local breeders.
 
Thank you greendeltatka. for the site and the suggestion.
Now, here is the ignorant question.
Why would I be commited to keeping only tank raised fish? (Or only wild cought for that matter. :dive: )
Thats what I'm trying to figure out. :confused:
I'd really like to know what any of you have to say about it.
My first thought is that is is sort of 'mean' to kep a wildborn creature in confinement. But I am sure that there is more to it than that.
I started keping fish with feeder goldfish, figuring they couldnt be any worse off (what did I know) lol so I didnt think of any of this.
Now as I'd like to set up some tanks again, I'd like to understand these issues more first.
Plus I'm getting really fond of corys. ;) .
Thanks for all your reponses so far it has been helpful.
 
I personally feel that the decision to try and find only tank raised or only wild versions of a particular fish depends on several factors.

My favorite fish (Boesmani Rainbowfish) is endangered in the wild but common in the aquarium industry. So there is no other decision than to acquire tank raised. To do otherwise would be illegal and morally wrong.

On the other hand there are some fish, like many of the neon tetras, that are common but often very fragile from inbreeding. I'm not sure if neon tetras are endangered in the wild, but if not, then it would be preferable to find wild caught ones for a more robust fish.

However, if a fish is wild caught, it becomes important to replicate the same conditions in a tank that it found in its natural habitat. With tank raised fish, this is very rarely needed.
 
Most corries, espescially common ones like albinos, peppered, bronze, etc. are probably tank bred. They breed easily and readily in captivity. Fishes that don't breed in captivity are most likely from the wild. The neons used to be captured from the wild and were quite expensive, until aquarist finally got them to breed. They are now readily available and cheap, but their genes are quite bad. Most of them are very delicate and live a shorter life span. Breeding too much fish without consideration to their needs produce poor quality fishes.
 
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