Loaches Online Forum

Hello all,

I have two kuhlii loaches, and am thinking of getting some cory cats, as well. Currently, the kuhliis are my only bottom dwellers. Will it be safe to keep these together (aka, will the kuhliis be able to get enough food still?) Thanks for any help and advice!

If you can, i would suggest that you add more Pangio's aka Kuhli's to your lonesome two. Pangio's are social loaches that Really love or enjoy being in large groups. Fortunately, Corydoras do get along with Pangio's but i'm sure the Pangio's would appreciate some more fellow specimens.

Graeme Robson wrote:If you can, i would suggest that you add more Pangio's aka Kuhli's to your lonesome two. Pangio's are social loaches that Really love or enjoy being in large groups. Fortunately, Corydoras do get along with Pangio's but i'm sure the Pangio's would appreciate some more fellow specimens.

I agree. Corydoras get along great with Pangio's. I have a group of 10 Pangio oblonga mixed in with a bunch of Corydoras in a 55 gallon. Those kuhlis really like all that space

I hope I'm not hijacking the thread.

I'm considering setting up a mostly kuhli tank again ... not fully sure yet if what I would like to do is actually possible, hopefully it is.

The plan is to use a 40 breeder (which has nice floor area but rather shallow: 36X18X16), and heavily plant it. Cories are part of the plan. (there is more to it, the real idea is to use this tank as a filter extension for a larger one.)

The question is which ones?

Any recommendations on a cory species that is
* reasonably hardy
* reasonably available (so replacements can be found if the need arises)
* reasonably attractive/interesting?
* breedable
* kuhli-compatible? (but then they all are).
In other words, a reasonable low-end cory species is what is wanted.

Sterbai's and Julii's seem to be around all the time, so these are two possibilities...

My recommendation would be Pandas. They stay rather small so you can have a really big school, they have very playful and amusing behavior, and they breed readily.
Some say they are not so hardy, but I have never found this to be the case. I have 8-10 at the moment in a 33 gal planted community and they are the center of animation.

You will be hard pushed to find any Corydoras julii, unless you can locate hen's teeth! Never the less, i do believe what you mean is the Corydoras trilineatus which is normally sold under the C julii name. Both Corydoras trilineatus and Corydoras sterbai should be fine. My personal favorite would be the Corydoras sterbai as they carry a little bit more colour and personality.

I still prefer a Biotope tank set-up though!

I have to agree on the C. sterbai. They are very nice and will spawn once conditioned. They also like warmer water as do the Kuhlis.

If you are looking for a Corydoras that is very hardy and will breed like crazy, then you cant go wrong with the C. aeneus.

Corydoras similis are also very nice, but might be a little harder to come by...

And like Graeme said, Corydoras trilineatus are probably the most common cory out there besides the C. aeneus. They are a good looking fish too.

Thanks ALL,...lots of useful info

Yeah, I did not mention C. Aeneus...these are offered all the time, both regular and albino,..they are just less attractive than others.... On C. Julii: I assumed that with a tradename "July Cory" it ought to be it...guess not

Yeah, C. Sterbai sounds like the best option right now. With what Barracuda said about C. Aeneus maybe I should take another look.

Graeme wrote:I still prefer a Biotope tank set-up though!

I hear you.... but this tank, if I can put it up, will really be the last: no floor space left in the house....and I kind of want to try cories.

I must admit! I've been pondering on keeping these little chaps again. I'm still on the pondering stage though!

I'm surprised that no one else has chipped in for Pandas.
Aeneus and Paleatus are widely available and as hard as nails, but a bit dull.
Trilineatus are equally available, handsome, but IME tend to become secretive as they get older.
Sterbai have the color and pattern, but again are not very lively.
I still vote for the little boys

The albino aeneas are a little flashier and just as hardy, and they're available everywhere.

I will confess to being sorely tempted by some longfin albino paleatus I saw on Aquabid. My regular paleatus may very well be common as dirt, but they have fun personalities. And they bred for me! I don't know how tough the longfins are, but I am hoping they are reasonably hardy.

Pandas are adorable, but you can't find them reliably around here, and they're pricey when you do.

Habrosus are cute and small, but they're hard to find sometimes, though they're not expensive when you do. But I think they're delicate, or they do not respond well to shipping. I initially bought seven and am down to three, though those three seem to be pretty tough. I'd like to get 2-4 more.

I've also got five adolfis, who are really striking, but hard to find. I am trying to convince them to breed, but with no success thus far.

I've had kuhlis with all of my cories, and they do fine. The kuhlis have been known to coil around the cories while both were eating, and everything was peaceful.

Graeme Robson wrote:I must admit! I've been pondering on keeping these little chaps again. I'm still on the pondering stage though!

Are you talking about Corydoras or Kuhlies?

The Kapenta Kid wrote:I'm surprised that no one else has chipped in for Pandas.
Aeneus and Paleatus are widely available and as hard as nails, but a bit dull.
Trilineatus are equally available, handsome, but IME tend to become secretive as they get older.
Sterbai have the color and pattern, but again are not very lively.
I still vote for the little boys

I agree about the C. panda. I know you mentioned this earlier, but a lot C. panda's are not that healthy because of mass production and they arent as strong. Now, if you can get a group of wild C. pandas, then thats great. They will be healthy and should spawn very easily. C. pandas can also be shy with bigger, aggressive tank mates. This is not a problem here because the other tank mates are Kuhlis. I want a group myself, but I want a wild group.

C. aeneus might be "dull," but they are very active and will spawn reguarly.

Barracuda518 wrote:Are you talking about Corydoras or Kuhlies?

I never ponder on keeping Loaches!

Graeme Robson wrote:

Barracuda518 wrote:Are you talking about Corydoras or Kuhlies?

I never ponder on keeping Loaches!

You should never ponder on keeping Corydoras, either

Hey all,

I found some Panda corys at my local pet store, and love them. I'd like to get another variety of cory as well, and I was wondering if someone could recommend another type of cory that would be hardy but very small like the Panda. Thanks!!