pamd

My fishless tank is cycled now. I want three corys, and intend to add a female betta after they settle in. There are only two local fish stores in town -- neither of which have the corys I'm looking for -- and I'd prefer not to buy from a chain such as Petco. Any recommendations for an online order?

BTW, I realize the corys will need to be dwarf or near-dwarf in size since the tank is so small. My first choice is Habrosus. Other good ones for my situation look like Hastatus or Melini. Are any of these hardier than the others?

Tank info: Eclipse 6-gallon with included BIO-wheel filtration system and built-in fluorescent light, heater set to 78.8 degrees, black sand, live plants, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 5 ppm nitrates.

Any advice or answers to questions I didn't even ask will be much appreciated!

lilsoccakid

congrats on the cycled tank, ik that in june when i went through it i thought it would never finish!

6 gallons is tough, not sure how that 3 corys and betta would work.

if your heart is set on that setup, then i would start with 2 corys and the female betta and see how it goes. if they arent really crowded then add a third

if your still open for suggestions, i would go with maybe 2 guppys and 2 corys. most corys get to about 2-2.5 inches. i only say guppies would be better is because they tend to stay at the top of the tank, while cories are bottom dwellers, so they tank would have more room for them.

i think both setups would work with enough hiding places (caves and such). the corys will def want a place to go during the day where its dark, because they are nocturnal.

good luck!

MissMTS

I know that a lot of people have gotten healthy fish from www.liveaquaria.com. They have a pretty good variety and a 14 guarantee on the fish. They guarantee that they will arrive alive. I have never personally ordered from them, but I have heard good things. It is a reputable company. Also, you may want to ask your LFS if they could special order you some pigmy cories. A lot of LFS do special orders. If you are working with pigmy or dwarf cories, I think that 3 cories and a betta will be fine. Just don't go for any of the full size kind.

pamd

Thanks for the replies. After a couple of weeks of waiting after the tank cycled, it turns out my LFS received Habrosus -- first choice, since my tank is so small and since they only get to be about 1.4" as adults. So I bought three adorable tiny mites two days ago! They're the only fish in the six-gallon cycled tank so far, but I really, really want to introduce a female betta when the Corys are settled in and apparently disease-free.

I don't know what behavior to expect of Corys, though, especially in this pygmy variety.

I was amazed when, after acclimating them for a couple of hours in the bag, all three "went to work" instantly, grazing, swimming around and very busy. I expected them to hide for a while. They're all babies. The largest one is probably about 1/2". The next day, I noticed the largest one swimming around with one of the smaller ones and they seemed to become friends. But the third one (I think I can tell a very slight difference in the markings between the smaller two) seems left out. Is this normal, or could he/she be sick? While the other two were grazing around independently and together tonight, the third one went up to a leaf on a live plant about 3" from the water surface, and just sat there.

The rest of tonight's story is cute, but could possibly have a sad ending. While taking a gulp of air, the big one noticed the little one resting on the plant and came down to rest beside the little loner, touching his (probably her) pectoral fin to the little one's. They were perfectly positioned side by side. No kidding, it looked like she was holding his hand! But the little one hardly reacted. They just sat there like that for at least 10 minutes, then the big one went back to grazing on the substrate. The little one subsequently moved from his perch and started swimming around, and I'm pretty sure he's now the one grazing while the other two are resting, but he doesn't seem as active as the other two. Is this normal behavior for three little Corys introduced two days ago to a new tank? BTW, they very well could be from the same spawn.

Other questions: Yesterday, I gave them a shrimp pellet and a couple of free-sample-type flakes. It's hard to tell because my tank is so messy with brown algae, but I don't think they've eaten them. They seem very interested in the substrate, which probably has yummy rotting shrimp from my fishless tank cycling. Is this normal?

Tank tested just fine both before and adding the Corys: 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 5 ppm nitrate.