My next cory school poll.

[toeknee]

Hello All. Below is a quick video of what my 55 gallon currently looks like. I have had my Peppered Cory shoal for many years. During a two week long vacation a couple years ago I lost 6 of them. I now have 6 left who remain hidden most of the time amongst the plants.

So......I want to go in a new direction with Corydoras as I've kept Peppered Cory's for a very long time. I'm looking for suggestions on a new breed of Cory to get for this tank. I'll list two basic options below but would love to hear specific breed recommendations. The primary thing I'm looking for is quality shoaling action. I know that once comfortable most corys will just flutter about doing their own thing....but if you have ideas for which breeds tend to shoal more tightly please let me know. It's been a long time since I've had to research new fish breeds as all my fish live for ages and never really need replacing. Thanks in advance!

Tank as of a month or so ago...

 

[BigManAquatics]

I haven't kept any cories, and while i do like the dwarf and pygmy varieties i have seen, i have always thought a nice shoal of sterbai or even false julii's would look quite nice in a tank.

 

[toeknee]

I haven't kept any cories, and while i do like the dwarf and pygmy varieties i have seen, i have always thought a nice shoal of sterbai or even false julii's would look quite nice in a tank.

I've always been a fan of Sterbai but have never owned them. I do love the look of a large shoal of small fish in a larger tank so I'm somewhat leaning toward pygmy....but Sterbais really do look great.

 

[Zach72202]

If you get pygmaeus corys they will most likely colony breed and they do not eat their own fry. Super fun and cool to watch generations raise up.

On the other hand, my sterbai are super outgoing and look amazing. Both really good choices.

 

[Rgtx]

I have 5 false Julii which I believe are still juvies for about 5 months now. They do occasionally school together but for the most part they stay in 2 groups most of the time. Gotten 4 Gold lazers recently and they behave about the same. Will increase both schools to 6 eventually. Sterbai look awesome when matured, I was stunned how nice a fully matured one looks compare to a juvenile.

 

[FinalFins]

If you can find them, c.hastatus would be amazing to see in a large group of 15-25, however they won't really give the bottom dweller effect if that is what you are looking for.

 

[DoubleDutch]

Tempwise I wouldn't combine Peppered (coolwater) and Sterbai (warm water).

C.trilineatus, C.venezuelanus, C.aeneus, etc ... are better combis. Or Peppered albino if available.

 

[Chiz]

The Sterbai are beautiful fish. I bought 8 last October, but you can only see them if you quietly sneak up on the tank, mine are super skittish- still. I have 10 Habrosus in another tank that are very playful, ignore humans, and use the whole water column. I have 6 emerald greens in another tank, and they too, are very social and active but generally stick to the bottom like the Sterbai. None of my tanks are heated, as the Stebai breeder told me that he raises them in unheated (approx 72f) tanks and actually drops it an additional degree or two with water changes when he wants them to spawn.