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Anybody has personal experience with these little buggers?. I saw some for sale & i need some info. about them.



http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

they are a great fish, I have five that I bought back in October(had seven darn intake on the filter)I have them in my 75 gallon planted community tank, they eat anything I give them (pretty funny watching them eat blood worms its like they are sucking in spagetti). If I see my LFS get more in I will definitly be adding some more to the school

The difference between 'involvement' and 'commitment' is like an bacon and egg breakfast: the chicken was 'involved' - the pig was 'committed'."

Well, i bought a dozen Pygmy Corydoras & they're in a quarantine tank. So, any more info. about them, would be great.



http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

For an experienced corydoras keeper like yourself, there is nothing to know about this species that isn't applicable to any other small callichthyid.

Thanks alot Cup.

I asked for personal opinions, as i with to keep them with other Corydoras & don't want to harm the little ones in any way. At the moment they are in a quarantine & i think i will add them in the fry tank, so they'll be with other Corydoras, of the same size.

I only have a sandy substrate & a sponge filter at the moment, but i think that a box filter will be fine as well.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

First of all, the fact that you got a group of 12 as your starting group is a good sign. Like all the smaller Corys, pygmaeus are among the more avowedly social of the Genus, and like their groups to be as big as possible. Of course, with a species that doesn't grow very large such as this, a big group is easier to house than it is for something chunky like a Bronze Cory.

In my experience, they're not too keen on it being overly warm. Given the hot summers you have in Malta, you might want to acquire the bits and pieces to rig up a DIY cooler for them if the tank temp rises above 82°F. Something like 74°F to 76°F is much more the kind of temperature that these fishes like.

Also, I'd be wary of putting them in an aquarium that's too deep. Remember that like all Corys, they have to take a gulp of air periodically, and their small size makes a shallow aquarium a better choice for them.

Also, choice of companions is important. Remember that these Corys behave differently from the norm, being midwater shoalers, because they mimic the appearance of certain Characins in the wild, with which they shoal (If memory serves, it's Hemigrammus levis that they mimic and shoal with). So if you can find some small, silvery Tetras for them to shoal with, ideally with some kind of black line along the side (assuming that Hemigrammus levis isn't available where you are of course). If you can find Aphyocharax paraguayensis anywhere, I suspect these would be a good mix.

I had pygmaeus a while back, and I'd definitely avoid letting them get too warm. They're not quite as fussy as Pandas in this regard, and will stand limited exposure to temperatures in the high 80s F so long as they have a cooling off period overnight, but if you can rig up a DIY cooler to keep them below 82°F during a really hot summer, then this would be noticeably beneficial.

Oh, by the way, when they breed, watch the female - her eyes dilate as she comes into mating condition, and then return to normal after the eggs are laid - it's quite strange to see when you notice it!

If you're thinking of integrating them into a community, then again, you're looking principally at small Characins, Otocinclus, other small bottom dwelling Corys such as habrosus or Pandas, certainly nothing much bigger than a Lemon Tetra. Oh, and you'll find they'll attack live bloodworm with gusto once they're big enough to eat them, but it's safer to stick with Daphnia and juvenile Brine Shrimp for these tiny Corys, unless you happen to be able to raise Bloodworm and can supply them at a small larval size.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Thanks alot Calilasseia.

They are in a cooler place, as they're with the other Corydoras in the basement. In Summer it's 28 Deg.Cel, so it's not that bad.

Can you explain a bit better, what you mean by "her eyes dilate as she comes into mating condition".

Thanks alot in advance.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com