[snafuspyramid]

I think I've asked this question before, a good year back. But I'm still struggling to find the solution, so I'd like to submit to the community wisdom once more.

When I buy young corydoras, they starve to death. (Well, they get skinny and then die. But I don't think I'm jumping to conclusions).

When I feed cory pellets (which I do every night, shortly before lights out), they get hoovered up by the two large SAE. The small corys aren't mean enough to brave the thrashing, so tend to go without. The remains were quickly scavenged by the cherry barbs (which I've since removed, which I'm hoping will help matters).

I have no trouble with adults (or any other fish for that matter).

I've decided I'd like to try again.

How can I get the babies enough food? I know they require a lot. Is there any preparation that might be useful? It doesn't matter if it makes a mess (in fact, so much the better if it does - more likely the SAE's won't get it all).

I've had someone suggest establishing a colony of blackworms in the substrate. Is this feasible?

 

[Cynth]

Maybe you need to keep the small corys in their own tank or container until they are large enough to fight for some food in your tank.

They will eat flakes and it would be hard for your other fish to stop them from getting some flake food after it sinks to the bottom.

Once my cory fry are large enough they are no longer on live foods I give them crumbed up Tetra Tabimin. It sinks easy and they do well on it.

 

[JRMott]

Yea, I think you need to raise them in a separate tank as well.

If you MUST keep them in the same tank, I'd feed them sinking discs instead of pellets. The pellets can easily be eatten by all other fish. The discs take more time to eat, so I'd try feeding a few discs at separate ends of the tank. The SAEs can be busy at one end with some discs and, hopefully, the cories can be at the other end.

When I had cories I always fed them discs. I forgot what brand, though now I have some NLS discs that I'm planning to feed whatever bottom feeder I end up getting.

 

[kamikazi]

Get rid of the SAEs?

I feed 3 sinking wafers in my 29. I have a couple cichlids that like them, but if I feed three wafers the corys have a 1 or 2 to go after while the cichlids have 1 or 2 to go after.

 

[wespastor]

I would feed a couple of different foods at slightly differing times and at opposite ends of the tank.

This is what I do and I generally only have single spicies tanks but differing ages in the tanks.

Best wishes,
Wes

 

[lauraleellbp]

Are you quarantining them before adding them to your tank?

Have you tried worming your tank? Getting skinny and wasting away sounds to me like some sort of disease or parasite (and cories are particularly prone to the types of parasites that can be transferred through fish feces).

If you QT the next school you buy, this will give you time to make sure they get established on the foods you're using, and you can also take the precaution of worming them and your main tank at the same time (I personally worm all new fish and then also worm all my tanks once a year. I use the medicated flake food from www.AngelsPlus.com.)

 

[Jericho199]

I don't see cories ever out-competing CAE's for food. Removing the CAE's would be your best bet for keeping cories.

 

[snafuspyramid]

I don't see cories ever out-competing CAE's for food. Removing the CAE's would be your best bet for keeping cories.

Thought that might be the case. However, I'd prefer to keep the SAEs - they are absolutely fantastic for algae. My old man does keep a school of corys with them, so I know it's possible.

I'll keep you posted.

I'll also investigate the worming issue.

 

[F22]

i doubt its worms. Have you tried feeding a frozen diet? Blood worms would work best, but feed as you turn off the lights and i think you will have great success...

 

[HolyAngel]

i feed my cory's in the morning with the rest of my fish. just put down a couple pellets in different spots around the tank, they'll find it. I also only feed Kens foods, mainly 4-bit blend, breeding and conditioning mix, bottom dweller growth sticks, and veggie sticks. They love it and i've never had any problems.

 

[Justinkscott]

I keep sae and cories; no problem.

You could try a large chunk of cucumber. Something they all eat, but it too large for them all, won't spoil, and you can remove easily in a few days.