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Why do you like Corydoras?

2K views 17 replies 12 participants last post by  IntotheWRX 
#1 ·
I have been reading thread after thread lately to get ideas on what to stock my new 36G Bow front with. It seems like every suggestion, almost no matter what the situation, includes corydoras. I have looked at them and I just can't figure out why they are so popular. I'm not trying to bash on Corys or anything. I just genuinely want to know why they are so well liked. It might just be personal preference, but with the frequency of the recommendations I've seen, there must be something more. Can you guys help enlighten me? Thanks.
 
#2 ·
1) friggin adorable.

2) Their crazy ADD antics tend to be quite funny

3) Other tankmates reactions are also pretty funny. Cory's never really bother anyone, but no one seems to every really know what to make of them. They never seem to look where they are going so it's not uncommon to see them crash into eat other and their tankmates.

4) They are a good part of a clean up crew as they are always hungry and searching for food and will eat food that other fish don't get. They also stir up the substrate.

5) You can try to straighten them out and they will just roll their eyes at you.

6) peaceful and get along with everyone (as long as you aren't trying to get tankmates to breed as they will eat their eggs.

I'm sure others can come up with more.
 
#4 ·
looks wise, i'm not a fan of them. I heard they are good for cleaning up dong their bottom feeder thing really well. the ones I had were too rough in my nano tank and pushed dirt and uprooted plants. they were pretty hard to kill to. I left it out of the water for minutes and still stayed alive. i threw it over the fence and got rid of it.
 
#5 ·
looks wise, i'm not a fan of them. I heard they are good for cleaning up dong their bottom feeder thing really well. The ones i had were too rough in my nano tank and pushed dirt and uprooted plants. They were pretty hard to kill to. I left it out of the water for minutes and still stayed alive. I threw it over the fence and got rid of it.
wtf?
 
#6 ·
Thanks everyone for your insights. It sounds like they have very interesting personalities, so that makes a lot more sense. That's something you can't see from pictures or fish profiles. I might have to try some in my new tank. Although the uprooting plants thing does worry me a little. Has anyone else had problems with that? Or is it maybe just that one fish? Also, which types of Corys are you favorite?
 
#13 ·
I might have to try some in my new tank.
Just make sure to get at least 6! All of the fun behavior you're reading about here requires that you have a school. They won't be happy on their own, and neither will you!

Although the uprooting plants thing does worry me a little. Has anyone else had problems with that? Or is it maybe just that one fish? Also, which types of Corys are you favorite?
As has been noted, dwarf corys are barely large enough to roll over a pebble of eco-complete, let alone uproot anything. It is my experience (and I hope someone can provide information suggesting otherwise) that dwarf corys do not school as well as medium-sized corys such as pandas and albinos. That said, they are by far the cutest.

I don't do tropical anymore, so I gave away all more corys, but here's a picture of one from back in the day:
 

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#7 ·
Will have to echo others on corys been a fun fish to add to your aquarium. I personally have albino corys and seriously, I swear they are blind. They mostly swim along the bottom keeping things clean. If another fish happens to get in the way - opps, sorry. Other times you have to stare at their gills to verify they are alive (or reach in a touch them, lol). Here is my current group of knuckle heads... And yes, they often pile up together.

 
#10 ·
They're so darn cute, other than that they produce a lot of waste and stir up the substrate, bad fish choice for planted tanks unless you go with the dwarf version. I got some agazzi's myself, little trouble makers stirring up organics all over the place, but love the.
 
#11 ·
Yeah, basically what (most) everyone has said - Very cute, fun to watch, interesting in ways that other fish aren't, and good scavengers. I have my first cory species right now, which are habrosus, and I understand they and the other dwarf cories aren't exactly typical for the genus (spend more time in midwater than on bottom, mostly). Still, they do some of the typical cory things and root around in the sand quite often. They're also safe with my shrimp, which is great. There's no real need for them though if you don't see the appeal.
 
#12 ·
I always thought I like them because they are a small catfish and I always loved catfish, but never had a big tank for anything bigger. They are one of the first fish I had; a great fool proof pet, which is a good thing contrary to what another poster thinks.

I would say they can go with shrimp, but shrimp always hide. Plus, they reAlly seem to prefer sand, but I kept mine with all kinds of substrate.

That is something to consider. If you aren't a fan, then that's fine. I am not really a fan of neon tetras or really any tetras and that's fine.

I also decided goldfish aren't my favorite. I got some for outside, then just brought them in for the winter and they make me so nervous with their constant sudden fast movements.
 
#16 ·
Another nice thing about corys is they mostly occupy the lower/substrate level of the tank, so they can help things feel more balanced out without distracting from your other fish. That area really doesn't have a lot of options, especially when you get into the smaller tank sizes. I hope to eventually have a small shoal of habrosus :)
 
#17 ·
Like almost everyone else has already pointed out corys are just ridiculously adorable and fun to watch. Also - there are so many varieties, sizes and colors, including black, metallic orange and bright green. You can't go wrong with corys.
 
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