Teach me about: Corydoras pygmaeus

[ichthyogeek]

So I have 4, maybe 5 pygmy corydoras in a 10 gallon tank. This summer, they'll be moved to a 20 gallon tank. However, I don't know nearly as much as I want to about them. So without further ado: How big do they get? How large are the adults? How long between breeding cycles? How big are the fry upon hatching? What live foods should they get? What processed foods should they get? pH gH kH and other parameters? Suitable tankmates? How many per gallon? How do I induce breeding behavior? Preferred water movement? Teach me everything please!! Post links, personal experience, quotes from books. Thank you!

[jp11biod]

the best place to start..... http://www.planetcatfish.com/common/spe ... ies_id=283

[Birger]

You could also do a forum search using the search option at the top of the page...
there is information there already, then come back with any other questions.

Birger

[Richard B]

From personal experience, they've proved a very easy & rewarding species. They bred without anything specific being done (in a 24x15x12 species tank, powdered dry food fed to fry).

Tank had small internal power filter wih outlet deflected against the glass. 1/4 inch sand substrate, beech branches with java moss occupying half the floor space. Weekly 10% water changes, but nothing special at all. Varied feeding with manufactured dry foods, tetra delica gel foods, ground up earthworms, baby daphnia & (switched off power filter)

[ichthyogeek]

Ok, did a search, read the links, did more searches, and I still have questions!
Can I use microworms as a diet throughout a pygmy corys life? Not as a staple, but definitely as a way to get rid of excess microworms and such.

Is there any good one food for this species? I think I read somewhere that BBS is a good staple throughout their lives, but am not sure...

Again, how many minimum, how many maximum? I'm thinking of increasing the group to 9 once moved to the 20 gallon, but is that too small? Hopefully, I'll be running a trickle filter with bio-balls on this.

How do you wean wild caught/nonfeeding Corydoras from live to prepared foods? I had them eating blackworms, but then I ran out, and while there's some in the substrate, and baby cherry shrimp, I would like to see them eat actual food. They didn't even touch the BBS I tossed in the tank!

What are their preferred hiding spots: caves, driftwood tangles, plant thickets?

For the breeders: Which first food produces the highest survival rates? Most of my fish breeding reading has dealt with marine, so I'm most familiar with rotifers, but would microworms provide a better food source because (I'm assuming here) the rotifers are more of a pelagic food while microworms sink? Do I go with 2F:1M trios or 1F:2M trios when stocking? How do I induce breeding behavior: is it a light thing, a water thing, a temperature thing?

Thank you!

[dw1305]

Hi all,
Have a look at this thread <http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... hp?t=35069>, it covers a lot of the questions you have.

Again, how many minimum, how many maximum? I'm thinking of increasing the group to 9 once moved to the 20 gallon, but is that too small? Hopefully, I'll be running a trickle filter with bio-balls on this.

"The more the merrier", but 9 should be fine. Trickle filters are very effective for biological filtration so I don't think bioload is a problem.

What are their preferred hiding spots: caves, driftwood tangles, plant thickets?

I've found they like to resting on "broad" perches like Amazon Sword leaves, large pieces of wood or smooth pebbles, although they spend some time just on the sand.

I'm most familiar with rotifers, but would microworms provide a better food source because (I'm assuming here) the rotifers are more of a pelagic food while microworms sink?

Microworms sink, but a lot of rotifers are benthic as well. I've found a useful source for rotifers are the exposed sponges that I have on the filter inlets. I also think that the fish are browsing rotifers from the leaf litter and moss.

Do I go with 2F:1M trios or 1F:2M trios when stocking?

I doubt they will be sexable when you buy them. I'd go for some small individuals and some large ones when you buy them. Once they are well fed the females are obviously larger and broader than the males.

I've ended up without any females, I think this is because when I've thinned the fry out I've sub-consciously selected the larger fry, and over time I've got rid of all my replacement females.

Sex ratio doesn't really matter as you can keep them as a colony and they don't eat the eggs. If you were to separate them out for spawning I'd go for 1F:3M.

cheers Darrel