bassbonediva

I have a 55gal community tank that has been up and running for a little over a month. It is completely cycled (went about it the quick way by using the gravel and filter from a tank I tore down that was already established). When I set up the 55gal, I knew I wanted cories (six, to be exact), but wasn't sure if I wanted peppered or albino. Then, I was in a LFS and saw this little 1.5" albino cory all by his lonesome working away in his little 10gal tank and had to take him home. Vladmir has been happy, active and healthy since I got him and is just the funniest little guy. He is ALWAYS on the move and constantly busy. No one in the tank bothers him and he doesn't bother anyone else. I've been meaning to get him some friends, but I think Petsmart is too expensive ($4 each!) and the place I got him hasn't gotten any more in.

So, I was in Petco about a week ago checking to see if they had any tiger barbs for my son's 29gal paludarium I'm setting up for his birthday since they're on sale for $1 each right now. I glance down at the bottom tank below where the tiger barbs are supposed to be (they didn't have any) and there are two little tiny *maybe* 1" albino cories. I check the price ($3 each...same as the LFS I got Vladmir at) and tell the girl I'll take them both. After a week long QT in a 10gal, they were ready to move to the 55gal.

Enter my "problem." I put them in the 55gal tonight. They are SO tiny compared to Vladmir! He hasn't grown noticably since I got him, but these little guys are easily a third his size! Vladmir is still pacing up and down the front of the tank as he usually does when I'm sitting on the couch (if I'm elsewhere in the room, he goes about his business and cleans up the bottom of the tank and the rocks/driftwood/etc). Stefan and Charles (I don't know why, but all catfish are male to me ) tried to follow him around at first, but got worn out, so now they're doing their thing on the driftwood, rocks and plants. They aren't shy or scared (they're right out in the open and working away without a care in the world), but Vladmir just refuses to acknowledge them.

Is this normal? Regardless of whether they school or not, they're staying, but I just want to see if it's something that usually happens or if my fish are just weird (as usual). Thanks!

Jaysee

I got an albino cory to add to my school, from the LFS, and it urned out to be a dwarf cory. I think they are new to the hobby.

Good for you for quarantining, but I would extend the duration to AT LEAST 2 weeks. Internal parasites often take weeks to develop. I quarantine for at least 3 weeks, sometimes more. Depends on the species and where I got it from. The last DG I got was in a QT for 6 weeks.

bassbonediva

I don't care of they stay little. They're so freakin' adorable! But, if they stay "too" little (as in smaller than Vladmir), they might end up going into my son's 29gal paludarium. I wanted pygmy cories in there anyway, but nowhere around here sells them (at least not *as* pygmy/dwarf cories). I think these are just really tiny albinos, though (unless there are albino pygmies?) because they've got the red eyes like Vladmir does and the pygmies I've seen in pics have black eyes.

I also learned my lesson about QT-ing when I didn't QT two USD cats I got from Walmart and one of them ended up bringing ICH into my tank. I ended up losing both of the new USD cats (Alistair, my original USD cat from Walmart who was sold to me as a "small pleco" because he was less than 1" long) and SIX of my nine female bettas!

Jaysee

I do believe there are albino dwarf corys. The one I have hasn't grown a bit since I got it about 8 months ago. The rest are at least twice as big. New fish show up in the hobby from time to time.

bassbonediva

Well, we'll see what I've got...eventually. lol! When I bought Alistair (my upside down cat), I was under the impression that he'd stay at about 1-2"...now he's almost 3" and a VERY handsome specimen of a USD cat, if I do say so myself (although he doesn't like his picture taken...at all ).

This is my Vladmir: