How do you keep small corydoras cats from dying for no reason?

Question

Hi. The pet stores in my area sell very small corydoras cats. As long as this line on average:

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Small cories die quickly, from what I've heard.

Can someone give me some help so I can keep them alive? Soon I'm getting a 30-55 gallon and I love cories... that's why my Yahoo nickname thingy is Corydoras Catfishy... could you give me ideas on keeping them alive?

And no stupid comments, like "flush them down the toilet".

Answer 1

Tireless Little Workers the Corydoras Catfish make great additions to the community aquarium with their unsurpassed scavenging abilities, and NO, they dont DIE quickly...read on:

Corydoras, or "Cory" Catfish are a large group of South American armored catfish. There are over 70 species of Corydoras Catfish, all similar in size and all requiring the same care. They are small, ranging in size from 1-3 inches in length. Due to their tireless scavenging, Corydoras Catfish are most often used as "cleaner" fish for the aquarium. It is recommended to keep these fish in groups of four or more. Mixing species is fine.

Tank Setup
Being the small fish that they are, Corydoras need only a small aquarium of 10-15 gallons. Polished gravel works best, as these fish are prone to injuring their mouths on sharp and jagged rocks while digging for food. A sandy substrate is appreciated. Bunched and floating plants are beneficial.

Feeding
As omnivorous bottom-feeders, these Catfish should be fed foods such as blood worms, sinking tablets or finely-chopped beef heart. Vegetable matter such as blanched lettuce should also be supplied in their regular diet. It is not recommended to leave your Corydoras to simply eat the leftover "scraps".

Water Chemistry
These Catfish have no special requirements when it comes to water conditions. A neutral pH and common water temperature will suffice. They are hardy fish that thrive under most conditions. Certain species can live in temperatures as low as 59 degrees F.

Breeding
Females are larger than males and may have more blunt dorsal fins than those of the males. It is recommended to keep 2 males for each 1 female when attempting to spawn these Catfish. A designated aquarium works well. After a week or two in their usual water conditions, drop the temperature below 70 degrees F and soften the water. Feed the fry sinking foods such as Tetra Bits.

Lifespan: 2-3 years, with no special care.

Answer 2

Who told you this? I have never had a cory die from anything but old age. They are pretty easy to care for and not very demanding, I have had many successful breeding corys and they just keep replacing themselves, I don't even know if I have any of the original corys left a few of the big ones died after about six years, I only bought 4 and I do not know how many are in there maybe 15-20. Just keep the water clean & at the right temp and Ph you should not have any problems. If you are getting a brand new tank do not imediatly put a bunch of fish in it it needs to cycle and age a bit. Good luck and if you need help, just google Corys or aquarium

Answer 3

Small Corydoras

Answer 4

No one really tells you this but corys love to be in groups, I have not had much trouble with small cory cats dieing, but keep an eye on the tank lots of larger fish love the taste of cories, keep the temp about 75 and the water clean.

Answer 5

Catfish and loaches are different from other fish because the have a skin instead of scales. Therefore they are very fragile and very susceptible to diseases and getting injured. The thing to worry about the most is nitrates which they are very picky about. If you make regular water changes (about 2 weeks) then they should be fine. I have an emerald cory cat (I think that's what its called. haha. something like that though) and I have a panda catfish. I've had they both for about 2 months in a 30 gallon community tank and they are both very active and fine.
(Also make sure you have decor and hiding places for your cory because they can get stressed if there isn't.)

Answer 6

cories are pretty cool.
keeping the water clean is the key.... do regular partial water change, the larger the tank, the better.

you can tell if there's a problem by looking at their barbles. If it's red and getting stumpy, there's too much poop and such in and on the gravel. They like clean water and gravel.

Answer 7

That's a strange rumor, but since I don't keep them, it's no wonder I haven't heard it. Are your water parameters OK?

Answer 8

There is some interesting information on this page :)

http://www.scotcat.com/articles/article9.html

Good Luck!