#his tail is based on a corydoras catfish

[nyonprime]

I spent a good deal longer on this than I intended to! Here’s G’raha for MerMay. 

I may do some more MerMay drawings this month but I don’t expect to go for anything this rendered unless inspiration really strikes.

[creaturecompanion07]

Cory Catfish

Cory catfish also referred to as Corydoras, or armored catfish is a family of freshwater fish that are surprisingly tough. Fish are a common addition to tropical aquariums, such as community tanks.

Corydoras are adorable because they are easygoing and adaptable and, as the bottom-dwellers, they can leave the surroundings cleaner than they were before.

There are, however, numerous cory catfish types that vary in size and color. However, bronze Corydoras are most likely the most well-known.

This is why, in this article, we'll examine the top 5 cory catfish species you could think about if require new, easy to take care of, and tranquil bottom dwellers to your aquarium.

1. Bandit Cory (Corydorasmetae)

Bandit Cory’s has a different magnetism of its own. With that mysterious black band over his eyes, he has earned this demonstrative name for himself, which certainly has nothing to do with his nature! They are just as calm and quiet as the other members of their genus. An additional black stripe runs from the base of their tail to their very prominent dorsal fin, which looks somewhat spectacular. It is a minor member of the genus, and has marginally more specific temperature and pH requirements than some other species, making them less suitable for starters.

· Maximum Size: 2 inches

· Temperature Range: 72–79°F

· pH: 6.5–7.0

· Level of Care: Easy – Intermediate

· Tankmates: Other smaller, peaceful schooling fish

2. Pygmy Cory (Corydoraspygmaeus)

This distinct species of Corydoras is the smallest in the subfamily. Being just 1 inch long at maturity, they make a great choice if one is looking for a school of catfish in a small aquarium. Even a 50-liter tank is enough to hold 6 of these, as long as the aquarium has sufficient surface area. On the other hand, it is important that they be kept only with other peaceful species. Bountiful tankmates, with a probing habit of living in the middle of the water, can make them susceptible to other inhabitants of that layer.

· Maximum Size: 1.3 inches

· Temperature Range: 70–78°F

· pH: 6.5–7.5

· Level of Care: Intermediate

· Tankmates: Be sure to accommodate only the peaceful ones.

3. Panda Cory (Corydoras panda)

As the prettiest member of the family, this kori variety is adorned with dark spots around their eyes, giving them their popular name. This catfish requires a bit more skill from the fisherman as they prefer a softly lit environment and a carefully designed bottom. An abundance of hiding places and preferably some thick vegetation will protect this shy catfish and make it feel safe and at ease. It is friendly in its kind and also appreciates the close company of prankster loaches. To keep them in excellent health, regular servings of bloodworms or brine shrimp will help them look their best.

· Maximum Size: 2.5 inches

· Temperature Range: 68–79°F

· pH: 5.8–7.0

· Level of Care: Intermediate

· Tankmates: Other gentle schooling species

4. Three Stripe Cory (Corydorastrilineatus)

Often mislabeled in stores as Julie Corey, this type of Corey is available for far more than Julie Corey. True Julies have more distinctive spots while three-striped corys have continuous, twisted markings with three stripes. This is a very beautiful catfish in itself and certainly deserves generous praise. This is another very less demanding cory variety, requiring only a basic minimum level of care. But in return, the substrate of the tank will remain up to the optimum clean level as these play an important role as a living vacuum cleaner in a community aquarium.

· Maximum Size: 2.5 inches

· Temperature Range: 72–78 °F

· pH: 5.8–7.2

· Level of Care: Easy

· Tankmates: Other peaceful community species.

5. Skunk Cory (Corydorasarcuatus)

The Skunk Corey Cat adds a splash of drama to any home aquarium. Also known as the Sands Cory Cat, Corydorasarcuatus is active, yet peaceful, especially when kept in small schools. Although other members of the Corydoras genus boast black stripes on their eyes and down the back, the back stripe of this skunk cory cat splits just before the tail and runs down to color the lower edge of the caudal fin.. An unusual behavioral trait of this species, as with other Corys, is their sporadic sudden dash to swallow air at the surface of the water. This evolutionary rediscovery helps them survive in stagnant waters during periods of low rainfall in their natural habitat. This is normal and should not be a cause for concern about water quality.

· Maximum Size: 2 inches

· Temperature Range: 72–79°F

· pH Range: 6.8–7.5

· Level of Care: Easy

· Tankmates: Other peaceful community species.

For more information visit our website Creature Companion

[creaturecompanionsofficial]

Cory Catfish

Cory catfish also referred to as Corydoras, or armored catfish is a family of freshwater fish that are surprisingly tough. Fish are a common addition to tropical aquariums, such as community tanks.

Corydoras are adorable because they are easygoing and adaptable and, as the bottom-dwellers, they can leave the surroundings cleaner than they were before.

There are, however, numerous cory catfish types that vary in size and color. However, bronze Corydoras are most likely the most well-known.

This is why, in this article, we'll examine the top 5 cory catfish species you could think about if require new, easy to take care of, and tranquil bottom dwellers to your aquarium.                        

1.      Bandit Cory (Corydorasmetae)

Bandit Cory’s has a different magnetism of its own. With that mysterious black band over his eyes, he has earned this demonstrative name for himself, which certainly has nothing to do with his nature! They are just as calm and quiet as the other members of their genus. An additional black stripe runs from the base of their tail to their very prominent dorsal fin, which looks somewhat spectacular. It is a minor member of the genus, and has marginally more specific temperature and pH requirements than some other species, making them less suitable for starters.

Maximum Size: 2 inches

Temperature Range: 72–79°F

pH: 6.5–7.0

Level of Care: Easy – Intermediate

Tankmates: Other smaller, peaceful schooling fish

2.    Pygmy Cory (Corydoraspygmaeus)

This distinct species of Corydoras is the smallest in the subfamily. Being just 1 inch long at maturity, they make a great choice if one is looking for a school of catfish in a small aquarium. Even a 50-liter tank is enough to hold 6 of these, as long as the aquarium has sufficient surface area. On the other hand, it is important that they be kept only with other peaceful species. Bountiful tankmates, with a probing habit of living in the middle of the water, can make them susceptible to other inhabitants of that layer.

Maximum Size: 1.3 inches

Temperature Range: 70–78°F

pH: 6.5–7.5

Level of Care: Intermediate

Tankmates: Be sure to accommodate only the peaceful ones.

3.    Panda Cory (Corydoras panda)

As the prettiest member of the family, this kori variety is adorned with dark spots around their eyes, giving them their popular name. This catfish requires a bit more skill from the fisherman as they prefer a softly lit environment and a carefully designed bottom. An abundance of hiding places and preferably some thick vegetation will protect this shy catfish and make it feel safe and at ease. It is friendly in its kind and also appreciates the close company of prankster loaches. To keep them in excellent health, regular servings of bloodworms or brine shrimp will help them look their best.

Maximum Size: 2.5 inches

Temperature Range: 68–79°F

pH: 5.8–7.0

Level of Care: Intermediate

Tankmates: Other gentle schooling species

4.    Three Stripe Cory (Corydorastrilineatus)

Often mislabeled in stores as Julie Corey, this type of Corey is available for far more than Julie Corey. True Julies have more distinctive spots while three-striped corys have continuous, twisted markings with three stripes. This is a very beautiful catfish in itself and certainly deserves generous praise. This is another very less demanding cory variety, requiring only a basic minimum level of care. But in return, the substrate of the tank will remain up to the optimum clean level as these play an important role as a living vacuum cleaner in a community aquarium.

Maximum Size: 2.5 inches

Temperature Range: 72–78 °F

pH: 5.8–7.2

Level of Care: Easy

Tankmates: Other peaceful community species.

5.    Skunk Cory (Corydorasarcuatus)

The Skunk Corey Cat adds a splash of drama to any home aquarium. Also known as the Sands Cory Cat, Corydorasarcuatus is active, yet peaceful, especially when kept in small schools. Although other members of the Corydoras genus boast black stripes on their eyes and down the back, the back stripe of this skunk cory cat splits just before the tail and runs down to color the lower edge of the caudal fin.. An unusual behavioral trait of this species, as with other Corys, is their sporadic sudden dash to swallow air at the surface of the water. This evolutionary rediscovery helps them survive in stagnant waters during periods of low rainfall in their natural habitat. This is normal and should not be a cause for concern about water quality.

Maximum Size: 2 inches

Temperature Range: 72–79°F

pH Range: 6.8–7.5

Level of Care: Easy

Tankmates: Other peaceful community species.

For more information visit our website Creature Companion

[the-freshwater-experience]

Kribensis

Kribensis (Pelvicachromis pulcher)

Max Size: 5 inches (males), 3 inches (females)

Minimum Tank Size: 20 gallon (for a breeding pair), 15 gallon for a single female.

Optimum pH: 7

Optimum Temperature: 23-27C

Hardiness:  Very forgiving as a first cichlid. Can adapt to a range in pH and temperature, and can withstand poor water quality for some time. I know this because my filter broke once for 2 weeks without me knowing and killed almost everything else but these guys. However, my female did get pop-eye from it, which eventually killed her. I once had to do a quarantine in an unheated tank at 20C, they took it fine. Don’t subject them to bad water quality intentionally though, that goes without saying. 

Aggression: This species is rather peaceful as far as cichlids go, but have their aggressive perks. First off, never introduce conspecifics (others of the same species), or other small cichlids to a breeding pair. They get extremely aggressive when breeding, and I would not recommend it even in a densely planted 30 gallon tank with many caves, hiding spots, and natural boundaries. Small and fast swimmers such as tetras, danios, minnows, etc are fine, as are armoured catfish such as corydoras and plecostomus (although plecos will eat any eggs laid). If you must house more than two (1 male, 1 female), make sure to introduce the smallest males first, and make sure to keep at least 5 or 6 to spread out aggression.

Feeding: Will eat pretty much anything you offer. Flakes, pellets, algae wafers, live, freeze dried, or frozen foods. They are normally bottom feeders though, and must be acclimated into eating floating foods. To do this, keep the water level at around 12 inches high, so they can actually see the food. This can take some time for them to learn. 2 days for my female, almost a week for my male. Once they start coming up to you at feeding time, you can start increasing the water level up to whatever you desire.

Sexing: Sexing in this species is so easy its not funny. Don’t do a google image search for it, you’ll get conflicting results.

-Males are noticeably larger even at a young age. They have a pointed dorsal fin. They usually show less colour. The pink colouration is usually much less vibrant. The black line is less solid, and top and rest of the body is more of a greyish pale colour.

-Females are much smaller. They have a rounded dorsal fin, with a clear tip. Base colour of the body is yellow, the black line is solid. The pink is solid as well, concentrated on the stomach only, and turns purple when breeding. The stomach is slightly bulging.

Breeding: -These are cave spawners. You can easily make a cave by turning over a clay flowerpot. Once the female has laid its eggs in it, it will disappear into the “cave” for a number of days until the fry hatch and begin free-swimming. For the first day or two outside the cave, the fry will mostly stay on the substrate. They can swim just fine at this point, but don’t expect them to move much.

-To trigger spawning more easily, do some 50% or larger water changes. Make sure the fresh water is slightly cooler than the tank’s. This replicates the rainy season in African rivers.

-The general consensus is that high protein foods (bloodworms, blackworms, brine shrimp, mosquitoe larvae, frozen, freeze dried, or live) are good for triggering breeding. This is only true to a degree. It is not the food itself, but rather the change in food that triggers it. For an example, I fed my pair a diet of 90% freeze dried bloodworms and 10% algae since they were juveniles. The result was my male growing beyond the 4 inch“max size” within a year and a half. Not once did they spawn. After running out and substituting freeze-dried tubifex (a lower protein diet), I had a spawn almost instantly. Therefore, I don’t think that the high energy diet is just for giving them energy for breeding, but also to replicate seasonal diet changes in the wild.

-You have control in the sex of the fry. A neutral pH (7) results in a 1:1 male-female ratio. A higher pH that is more alkaline would result in more males, and a lower pH that is more acidic results in more females. You can change it using buffers (neutral), alder leaves or driftwood for tannins (acidic), or calcium carbonate (alkaline).

-Unusually, its the female that initiates courtship, and the male that is choosy about his mate.

-You get more stable breeding pairs if you let the fish choose their own mates, instead of forcing a 2 fish together. Buy a group, and when a pair develops, re-home the rest. Now rehoming is not always possible, so sometimes forcing a pair is necessary, which is what I did.

-According to some sources, they are occasional harem breeders in the wild, with one male to several females. Don’t try this at home, you don’t have enough space. I tried it and caused a massacre.

(Male front-bottom, female back-top)

Other Notes: -There is a large amount of genetic variation within the species. Some males have red colouration running from the tip of the lower jaw to the anal fin, others only have a salmon coloured spot on the belly and a bright yellow jaw. Some will show blue or greenish iridescence on the dorsal fin and gill plate, others won’t. Some will have up to 6 eyespots on the tail, others have none. Some males will be a dull grey colour with no markings on the body until they are breeding, others will stay in full colouration at all times.  -Females will grow much faster and larger if you keep them away from males apparently. My female in my breeding pair was barely larger than when I first got her two years before. Meanwhile, some who keep females alone have grown them to almost the size of males. They can lay more eggs if they pair off at this point. 

Other species in the hobby: -Pelvicachromis taeniatus