Cold or Tropical?

[VoidParadigm]

I'm getting mixed reviews on whether peppered cories are coldwater or tropical. Sources have claimed they are good in temperatures from 64F-80F. Is this true?

Mainly wondering because my Golden Gourami is getting witchier the more sexually mature she gets, and her terrorizing of the cories seems to be getting more frequent. Therefore I need to know if peppered cories really do need a heater, as I wouldn't want to rehome them to someone without a heater, and I wouldn't want to waste extra money on an un-needed heater if I decide instead to set up another ten gallon just for them.

[Northernguy]

They are definately tropical fish!
A heater is a good thing unless you live in a hot climate and have trouble keeping your tank cool.

[DrNic]

Tropical. I've seen people keep them without a heater but that doesn't usually end well for the fish.

[VoidParadigm]

Many species only catfish sites I've seen have them marked down to 15oC (My brain hurts. You do the conversion =P) Where does that assumption come from, then?

For now I'm going to test what the water temp could be around by using an old bucket and spare thermoneter downstairs where the tank would go if I couldn't find a new home with a heater. Downstairs is MUCH warmer, as the wood stove and main furnace vent are in the same room, so, for all I know (even though the possibility is highly unlikely) I might not even need a heater down there.

[Crispy]

Many catfish can tolerate colder temps. Even though I don't keep cories, if I did, they would be tropical.

[Sharon]

I think that the temp would need to be stable, which you're not likely to get without a heater. I use a heater for my Fantail Goldfish, and he's in a tank with Panda Cories. The heater is to ensure a stable temperature....

[Northernguy]

You will hear many different stories about what is best for your fish on the internet.
It what you choose to beleive and try that counts.
Thats why the AC is here!:22:

[lahlumdi]

I wonder if the lower end is what they can tolerate. I know they tend to breed when the water temperature cools. Also, Corys in the wild live in fairly shallow waters. Shallow waters would cool in the morning, and get hot in the sun. Thus, we would see a range. However, I think the ideal in the aquatic world when it is NOT the wild, is a stable temperature, as others have mentioned.

Has any ever tried them in a goldfish non-heater tank? How did they fare? I would think they would not thrive there.

[Jacko]

Most cories actually do better in cooler waters... around 72-78 is the best range, most turn lethargic and sluggish when in high temperature tropical tanks, with the exception of sterbais and a few others. That's why sterbais are the ones people usually use with discus, they handle the temperature better than other species.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

well, there is a third option that is often overlooked; sub-tropical. Temps in the 70-74 are actually considered sub-tropical, and there are a number of fish that do well in this temperature range, spotted cories being one of them. Since an aquarium will average about 2-6 degrees above ambient temperature, an unheated tank would run somewhere in the 70-74 range in most homes. The exception to this is in a house that is not truly climate controlled.

[Rue]

Has any ever tried them in a goldfish non-heater tank? How did they fare? I would think they would not thrive there.

I had cories in with my goldies in an unheated tank when I had the tank upstairs. No problem. They also survived several years after that tank was converted to tropical with a heater.

I wouldn't try them in the basement goldfish tank...it gets down to 65F for most of the winter. The upstairs tank stayed 69-71 degrees.

[lahlumdi]

I had cories in with my goldies in an unheated tank when I had the tank upstairs. No problem. They also survived several years after that tank was converted to tropical with a heater.

I wouldn't try them in the basement goldfish tank...it gets down to 65F for most of the winter. The upstairs tank stayed 69-71 degrees.

Basement, what's that? Ha! Deep in the heart of Texas we don't have basements because the ground is so hard! I miss them! I'm originally from Minnesota! I'll bet up there in Canada, the basement DOES get cold, LOL!

Thanks for sharing your experience, Rue!

[Rue]

Thanks! We did have a house without a basement once. It only had a crawl space underneath. Never again. I need a basement.

Why don't they have basements in Texas? Is it because of the water table? Basements stay cool in the summer...you'd think it would be a plus...

[lahlumdi]

Our soil down here is full of Caliche.

Google says: Caliche is a sedimentary rock, a hardened deposit of calcium carbonate. This calcium carbonate cements together other materials, including gravel, sand, clay, and silt. It is found in aridisol and mollisol soil orders.

It is so hard, it is very difficult to dig into the ground. You should see when I tried to transplant a bush the other day. I chose a time after the rain had softened the ground, and I practically put my back out digging. Then trying to get the soil off the shovel... Yikes. It had hardened like cement.

They do basements for stuff like underground parking... occasional homes. But it is too difficult and expensive for the mass of cookie cutter homes going into the new subdivisions.

I wish we had a basement because of two reasons. Yea, even three.

- Cooler in summer
- Protection from tornados (we ARE in tornado alley)
- A place to store stuff - the attics are so HOT

This factors into our lives for our fish. Someone in the SW said, "our water is like liquid rock." I think it may have been Lab Rat. Our water is very hard. But the water in the LFS is hard too.

These dynamics effect the soil (that I'm aware of) all the way from Arizona and Nevada down to Texas. We used to live in Tucson and it was the same story. Las Vegas area is like this too.

[Rue]

Okay! Thanks! I hadn't really thought about it...I know in Louisiana the water tables are the issue...so I thought it might be the same in Texas...

But rock-hard dirt makes much more sense...:thankyouyellow:

[VoidParadigm]

Thanks for the opinions, everyone. And aye, NG, I guess it is just something I'll have to sort out the truth and falsehoods from in the end.

I suppose if I did it gradually somehow they might fare better during the changeover.

Oh well, it is just a possibility that I might have to, not a definite. My gourami's are rather territorial over their "nap-holes," and I recently changed the decor around in Kiwi's tank, so that could be why she was flaring up at them and chasing them around late last night.