swords3711

Im thinkin about gettin a panda cory for my tank
how big do they get?
are they aggressive?

Tom

They can get to be about 2" long and are peaceful. They like to be in groups of at least 3 though.
Tom

Dino

All the panda cories I have dealt with over the past two years have died within 3 months of purchase.
This is in both my and Butterflies tanks.

I would be leery of buying panda cories unless you know they are domesticly bred.

COBettaCouple

hmm.. they sound a lot like otos.

swords3711

what are otos i hear a lot about them on here

TheEssigs

They (pandas) didnt last long for us either. I had 6, now have 2. In my area, they usually are very small at less than an inch... I am not sure if that contibutes to thier early demise or not, but in my experience, I have not found them to be very hardy. I have albinos, peppered, emeralds and swartz that I have found them to be tougher and more adaptable. But still, I love the pandas. IMO, they were the most active and more comical than the others we keep.

Butterfly

I love Panda corys but as Dino said they just don't seem to last long.
swords3711 Otos are otocinclus (dwarf algae eater)
check out www.otocinclus.com
Carol

COBettaCouple

Otos, unfortunately, have a tendancy to not survive past a month a lot of the time. the result of poor breeding practices and conditions at pet stores.

sirdarksol

They also do not respond well to change, and are really bothered by too much waste. I'm amazed that my first two otos are still going strong.

swords3711

wow surprisingly i used to have one. it died a couple weeks ago
it had nice coloration to him but i think he was nocturnal and he just sort of sat around during the day
I switched to one of the classic algae eaters they are the most active in my opinion but when i got it home after about a day it died.
i think the lady at the pet store might have killed it because she was a newbie.
I think it was a cross though it almost looked like a cross between an algae eater and a minnow because of the coloration

COBettaCouple

there are so many types of plecos.. www.planetcatfish.com could help ID the exact species of yours.

wolfman21

I had a panda cory and he only lasted a couple months. I was thinking of getting a new one. Does anyone know what water parameters they require?

tkfury

My father picked up two panda cories for his 10g about 2-3 years ago. Saddly one of them died just days before my 22g was ready for them (little over a month ago). I still have the one and he seems to be getting along great with my new peppered cory. He and the other one use to hide all day but other than scouting the cave for food he's always out in the open. I plan on getting at least two more pandas and two more peppered when I get my 55g. I didn't realize people weren't having much luck with pandas - now I'm going to be paranoid and checking up on him ever other minute o_0

COBettaCouple

i'd look them up over at planetcatfish and get their ideal conditions, etc.

armadillo

I didn't realise people were having such a hard time with pandas either. I've only had mine a few weeks. I'll keep watching them.

captain jack

I have 4 of these guys with my 2 peppered corys forever it seems.never had a bit of trouble with 'em.one I've had for over a year and he was in the worst conditions as at that time I didn't know too much about fishkeeping.But early mornings are the best for viewing my litle troup they are all over the place!!Just fyi my first was in a 1 liter for a long time I was totally rotten to do that but hes in a 29 gallon now and lovin' it with his buddies!!

jsalemi

I went to another of my LFS today to get some new fish for my 10g, and they had the teeniest Panda Corys! I had to get 2 for my tank -- they're just too cute. I swear they're no more than 1/2 inch in size.

They hid for a couple of hours after they got into the tank, but I saw one poking around with the two spotted corys just before 'lights out', and the other poking his (her?) head out from under the rock cave. They'll be out and about tomorrow, I figure.

The store has at least 4 or 5 more -- hope they're still there when I get my 56g going.

fungusonmytoe

i just got 3 panda corys from the lfs the other day, they were really tiny as well.

one of the didn't survive though but the other two seem to be doing well, they're pretty active even during the day. i was going to get some corydoras julii but i the fish store had these tiny guys and i couldn't resist

jsalemi

My two were sitting at the front of the tank looking at me this morning when I got up. I almost missed seeing them, they're so small, but I guess they've settled in.

captain jack

Panda cory's are some good looking fish.If they survive get a few more and watch the party begin if ya got the room for them.They do grow pretty fast when fed well.I can't tell who's who between mine except for my oldest one who is about 1 1/4 inch the others about an inch.The ones I got were really tiny too when I purchased them but wow did they ever grow!!I wish the best of luck with yours as they are a very entertaining fish to watch when out and about.A little sand is nice if you have some for them watching them "blow"the sand around is way too cool...

jsalemi

I noticed when I got home yesterday after being out of town for a few days that the pandas are noticeably bigger already -- maybe grew at least another 1/4 of an inch. I was at a sort-of LFS today (close, but not that close) that had a lot of corys, including pandas that were almost full grown, so I got an idea of how big they'll get.

I'm planning on getting 6-8 corys for my 56g when I start stocking it, most likely 2 different types (pandas being one, of course ).