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I picked up a group of C. reticulatus (Network Cory) about a week ago. They are being kept in a QT with the following parameters:

pH 7.1
GH 4 degrees
kH 3 degrees
Ammonia/Nitrite 0
Nitrate <20
Temp 75 F/23 C

Filtration is by biowheel power filter rated at 200 gph (tank is 10 gal - remember, it's a QT).

At the store, they were just hanging around on the substrate. Here, they're mainly schooling around in the mid-water level, mouthing at the glass, with occasional trips to the bottom to forage. Not sure what they're eating - it doesn't appear that anything I offer is being eaten (I've tried various sinking flakes/pellets).

Any suggestions on feeding/keeping them happy? Also, are they typically more mid-water fish, or should I be concerned about this behavior?

Thanks in advance,
Jen

They probably need a little more time to get settled Jen. I wouldtry only feeding every second day in the evening before lights out with a good frozen food like daphnia or bloodworms. If they are wild caught fish I have found that the adjustent time can be seriously longer, with upto a month being not uncommon.

Another thing you msy want to do is reduce the hours of light on the tanks. Just a thought!!

Good Luck.

Nice find, Jen! Nate's given you some good advice. Have you given them a little hiding place and a plant or two? Cories do take a little time to settle. When they get settled, can you please take a few pics? I'd love to see them.

These cories have the stylin' quarantine tank. In addition to the usual assortment of plastic plants and a little PVC elbow/tunnel, they have 5 large java ferns.

They all seem quite happy, except for one that appeared to be having some swim bladder trouble, possibly due to a wound on his side, just behind his gills. (He had that when I bought them, but didn't want to leave him alone at the store). After that one getting stuck to the filter intake, I moved him to the hospital tank and am treating with Maracyn-Two. He seems to be feeling much better, and doing better at regulating his position.

I put some bloodworms in there last night. The interesting thing is that the fish react to the scent of the food, and dive to the bottom and start foraging, I just don't see them actually eating what I put in. They seem quite happy, like I said, so I'm not overly worried - just wanted to see if anyone had any ideas about particular foods they might really like. So far "general tank scuzz" seems to be the winner.

I obtained these cories along with 3 farlowellas. It was quite a score - particularly since the cories were rung up at a price cheaper than they usually sell C. aeneus for (pays to be nice to the staff, eh?) The farlowellas are very busy cleaning off the quarantine tank glass, so that I can take those pictures you're looking for.

Jen

I've noticed that Cories on the whole will fly by an entire cube of frozen food looking for what smells so good. From observation, it looks as if they're following a "vapor trail" of some kind. They'll go by the blob of food 3-4 times, or circle it prior to eating it. I've also noticed one Cory going directly up to the blob of food, leaving and almost giving a "notification" to the others. It seems very subtle. I could be seeing things. I've also noticed Paleatus juveniles much prefer brown scuzz and baby brine shrimp to any other "mush" of food I make. Glad to hear they're doing better. Any ideas on the sexes? I hope you have a mix!

I have a group of B. splendens that will swim upside down at the surface of the water to eat freeze-dried tubifex. They're so enthusiastic about it, they actually chase off tetras and barbs, who are left to get the "scraps"! Apparently, no one told them they were scavengers. I have also started to think that fish learn from each other, as now several of the C. sodalis follow the Brochis up to the top...

Back on topic, I bought all the C. reticulatus that they had - so I have a group of seven. I'm hoping that I do have a mix.

I bought the java ferns for the farlowellas, after reading that they don't generally hang out on the aquarium glass as much as on plants. Well, in keeping with the theme that none of my fish read books or forums the farlowellas are ALL hanging out on the glass. But the java ferns are not going to waste. The C. reticulatus are "sitting" in the ferns!

I've never seen any of my other cories do anything like it - resting on an elevated platform in the mid-upper levels of the tank. They particularly seem to do this at night. I can only guess that this feels natural for them.

Jen

OK, I got some pictures. Apologies in advance - fish are camera-shy...

goodlooking reticulatus.

The fella in last picture doesn't look too good though. Might wanna just watch the fella.

Thanks. I'm keeping a close eye on all of them, since I had the one that developed the buoyancy trouble (he's doing much better in the hospital tank after 5 days of treatment with Maracyn-Two).

They're stunning, Jen!

So, Jen, did you ever figure out a good diet for your reticulatus?
I have a wild-caught group of sodalis, and all they want to eat is frozen bloodworms.
I know they need to have more nutrition than that.
Is there a popular tablet or wafer food that they really like?

Deborah

My C. sodalis are all over the Veggie Rounds (they actually have quite a bit of protein) made by Omega One. They also seem to like the "leftovers" from my feeding Aquadine flake foods to the other fish. I use the Spirulina and High-Protein tropical foods from the Aquadine line. They will eat, though with seemingly less enthusiasm, Hikari sinking wafters.

My C. retiuclatus, on the other hand, seem most interested in feeding on floating food. They are most excited about Hikari freeze-dried tubifex, but will also take bloodworms and daphnia. While they do dig around the sand in a very random way, they seem much more excited about feeding at the surface or off of plant leaves at mid-level (their current QT has java ferns, in which they perch, rather than hanging out on the bottom). I've tried offering other foods intermittently, but with no interest...

Anyone else have food suggestions?

Jen[/b]

Lovely cories, but is their any hope of what kind of Farlowellas those are? They used to lump them all together as F. acus, but since we are enlightend, what are they?

Dave

I feed my corys Hikari Sinking Wafers (the package has a cute pic of a trilineatus cory)and Tetrabits. The corys love them. I give them live food sparingly as treats. I dig deep holes into the gravel for them sometimes and they love the muck and leftover worms that come out of it.

I recently acquired C.Trilineatus. They seem to have the same affinity for the brown stuff on the sides of the tank. They had no affinity for any food except what they were being fed at the LFS. There was no variety. I have some Entice. There's also the garlic compounds in liquid form which accomplish the same thing. I soaked freeze-dried tubifex overnight in the refrigerator in the Entice. It was like night and day. The food also sank easier when it was soaked overnight. I only had to use the additive once. Now, they eat a variety of foods like brine shrimp, blood worms and tubifex. I don't even use the wafers. They still snack on the brown stuff. Very active group!

My sodalis are the only residents of a sand bottom tank.
There's no competition for the food. It's all for them.

I may try the idea of crushing flake food and drifting it over the sand. Then they can search for the bits.

Bloodworms are delicious, but they can't just have bloodworms. That would be like feeding your kids nothing but hot dogs all the time.

Deborah

I recently got a number of C. Adolfi and B. Splendens that were supposedly wild caught (I'm pretty sure they are, quite a range in size).

Both species started eating dry food immediately; Hikari Sinking Wafers & Algae Wafers as well as Sera Viformo tablets & GVG flake. This is supplimented with live black worms wich of course they devour!

good luck with the C. Reticulatus, they look like nice ones.

my reticulatus are the shyest fish that i have ever kept they just dont come out ever.

My reticulatus are still doing well - I have six (I lost two shortly after bringing them home ) and am hoping that my LFS will bring in more in the next order. I'm so taken by them that I'm setting up a 20 gallon long just for them. They are quite calm, don't generally scatter when I approach the tank, and just stay perched in the java fern like little birds lined up on a wire.

They have a BN keeping them company now, and they have taken to eating the squash/zucchini that I've put out for the BN, in addition to the worms and other goodies they get.

Assuming the 20 gallon long is well-planted and well-filtered, what size group do y'all think could I keep?

Jen

I think six sounds good, since you have a BN in there. Just an opinion. Is a 20 long 30" long?

BN will likely get replaced by a farlowella in the 20 long. He/she is just hanging out for now.

Yes, the 20 long is 30" wide, 12" deep.

Jen