Thinking of getting some cory's

**labnjab** · 08-01-2008, 01:09 AM

I was thinking of adding some cory catfish to my 30 gallon along with my angelfish and female betta. I've done a little research and know they need to be in schools of 6 or more and like to eat on the bottom, and if i read correctly they don't get very big (I'm also planning to put a few of the easier to care for plants in the tank). How many can i put into the 30 without being over crowded with the other 2 fish that i have? And also does anyone have any tips for these fish?

Thank you for any input.

**Fishguy2727** · 08-01-2008, 01:12 AM

I think a school of six to eight of a small to medium size species would be perfect.

They are pretty simple. They eat extra food and if necessary (in your case it is probable) will need to fed specifically. Any high quality sinking food works, I prefer New Life Spectrum for all my fish.

Do you have sand?

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**labnjab** · 08-01-2008, 01:28 AM

nope, gravel, but we haven't quite added any fish to the 30 yet, were waiting for the temperature to rise and equal. Should we have sand with the cory's?

**labnjab** · 08-01-2008, 01:49 AM

i did some more reading, and we have pea sized gravel and heavy filtration. 1 fluval 304 and a aqua-tech 30/60 hang on back.

We were thinking of getting either Corydoras trilineatus or Corydoras panda depending on what we can find in the lfs. The more i read about these fish the more i like them.

**Fishguy2727** · 08-01-2008, 01:59 AM

I prefer sand in any tank for many reasons. Many feel that cories do better on sand or that gravel is harmful to them in some way. I have not found this to be true or well-supported, but have found sand in general to be a better pick. For more information on sand there is a whole article on it in my blog.

Ty · 08-01-2008, 02:02 AM

cories will be much more fun to watch in sand, they sift through it all day, and seem to like it more.

I know mine are more active after the switch from sand to gravel.

**Fishguy2727** · 08-01-2008, 02:03 AM

Do you mean from gravel to sand?

**labnjab** · 08-01-2008, 02:11 AM

cool article, how difficult would it be to change from gravel to sand? or can i remove some gravel and add a inch or so of sand on top? I don't want to do anything that would restart the cycle either.

**Fishguy2727** · 08-01-2008, 02:15 AM

You don't have to worry about the cycle. Effectively all of the nitrifying bacteria are in the filters, not on the substrate (unless the substrate is the filter, as in undergravel filters).

Just clean the gravel out very thoroughly (vacuum it as best you can), remove the gravel, and then add the sand.

Are the fish already in the tank?