FAQs on Corydoras Cats: Foods/Feeding/Nutrition
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Brine shrimp... as a strict diet for Bettas, Corydoras
3/20/16
Hi-
Hope you all are well this spring season!
I have two Cory cat fish and one Betta in a 10 gal Aqueon tank.
<Okay>
I have been feeding them brine shrimp once a day for a month or more.
They love it. I started feeding them the BS because one of my Cory fish
behaved as if she were constipated. It was recommended and did help. All
three
love brine shrimp (I cut tiny piece off a frozen slab).
<Mmm; better to expand this diet; use the Artemia more as a treat. The
small/ish pelleted foods for Bettas would be a good staple for all here>
My worry now is the impact of the uneaten bits of brine shrimp caught up
in the QuietFlow water filter cartridge. I change it every 4-6 weeks.
I do feed the shrimp pellets, algae wafers, and the Betta gets his Tetra
BettaMin medley and a few dried blood worms from time to time.
<Oh!>
Could the BS in the filter create an unhealthy water situation in the
tank?
<Only if much of it accumulates... Measuring Nitrate/NO3 in your water;
keeping this below 20 ppm through water changes, gravel vacuuming, live
plant use, activated carbon... is a good method of ascertaining and
controlling water quality here>
The fish all seem fine at this time.
I appreciate any guidance you may give. I love these fish and want to
keep them happy and healthy!
Thank YOU! Marlow
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>
Re: brine shrimp 3/21/16
Thank you Bob for your advice..the Nitrate is very high, between
80 and 160.
<Yeeikes!>
I put a fresh charcoal filter in the water filter and will do a partial
water change.
<Yes! Pre-mix and store some water... change out about a quarter per
day...>
I do clean the take weekly 1/4 water changed, use a siphon to pull up
debris from the substrate 1/3 section each week too).
I guess the brine shrimp (Artemia?) is the problem.
<Likely a good part>
What do you think about Nitra-Zorb?
<Can work>
I have 3 moss balls, leaf plants do not last more than a few months. I
don't know why.
<Something/s missing or too much! See WWM's plant subweb>
I have two 10m watt mini compact fluorescent lamps in the tank. Perhaps
not enough light?
<Not for many plants... look to water sprite, Ceratopteris... other
floating types of true plants>
Any more input is so very much appreciated...
Marlow
<When; where in doubt, keep readingggggg! Bob Fenner>
Copepods or Pests? FW... Corydoras fdg. f' best
6/16/14
Normal tank parameters and 20-25% water change per week. R/O water with
Seachem equilibrium. What can I do about copepods and/or seed shrimp
infestation?
<Infestation? Do you sense these organisms are problematical here?>
Too small to photograph or identify. I got 5 pygmy Corys who do eat them
and will NOT eat catfish pellets. Is that ok?
<... Okay? It's fine that they eat the crustaceans... I'd look into fine
(small) pellets, sinking wafers of a good brand (Spectrum, Hikari...)>
Plus, the population of pests really never goes down that much. Betta
doesn't eat them too often and I don't think shrimp do either. Will I
never get rid of them? And Is that ok? Thanks SO much!
<There are poisons that one can employ that are more
arthropod-specific... but I'd not avail their use... Instead, spiff up
your maintenance... weekly gravel vacuuming with water changes should
reduce food supply and their population numbers.
Bob Fenner>
Re: Copepods or Pests?
Thanks Bob! I do have the Hikari catfish pellets that I break into small
pieces and the pygmy Corys have refused them entirely
<Then I'd switch to a different product>
for two months now. I remove the pellets after 30 minutes so I don't
feed the pests or overfeed my shrimp. I do weekly vacuuming and water
changes but these pests aren't going anywhere. Is this considered a
healthy tank or a sick one? Thanks again!
<... can't tell w/ the info. provided. BobF>
Re: Copepods or Pests? 6/16/14
PS I didn't feed the tank for 2 months with the pygmy Corys and only
added my beta back in and got shrimp a couple weeks ago. The Cory's
were an attempt to get rid of the pests. It was a dwarf shrimp tank
before that but they keep dying so I've given up on shrimp. I just
have the big cleaner shrimp now.
<? B>
Corydoras/Brochis Feeding
/RMF 4/17/14
Greeting WetWebMedia Crew, I tried to feed my Corydoras and Brochis
splendens
<Oh! Just reading re this genus in the current Amazonas mag.>
school a small piece of banana. They immediately started feeding. I was
a little surprised to see that. I have noticed them feeding on
decomposing plants (Hydrocotyle umbellata) in the past but was unsure
about banana. Its seems like a healthy snack but was very messy.(I did a
water change after feeding) Thought somebody may want to know. Thanks
for the great site.
Aloha Brandon
<Thanks for sharing. Bob Fenner>
Corydoras/Brochis Feeding
/Neale 4/17/14
Greeting WetWebMedia Crew, I tried to feed my Corydoras and Brochis
splendens school a small piece of banana. They immediately started
feeding. I was a little surprised to see that. I have noticed them
feeding on decomposing plants (Hydrocotyle umbellata) in the past but
was unsure about banana. Its seems like a healthy snack but was very
messy. (I did a water change after feeding) Thought somebody may want to
know. Thanks for the great site. Aloha Brandon
<Catfish will try all sorts of foods. I've been to a public aquarium
where they pretty much throw a fruit bowl into the big catfish tank and
let them graze over the week -- grapes, oranges, all sorts of fruit! Do
remember that South American catfish, like South American cichlids and
piranhas, will adapt their diet as the River Amazon water level goes up
and down across the year. In the dry season catfish and other Amazonian
fish will have to eat what they can find, sometimes small fish trapped
in pools, sometimes carrion, sometimes aquatic invertebrates. In the
rainy season they swim into the flooded forest and eat all sorts of
fruits and seeds as well as the abundant insects and insect larvae. In
other words, these fish are programmed to try all sorts of foods, and
the more variety, the better for them! Cheers, Neale.>
Angelfish and Cory cats, fdg.
5/21/13
Hello:
<Judy>
I have one huge angelfish in a 46 gallon and three small corycats. I
bought algae wafers and after I feed the angelfish he dives down for the
wafer also.
<What an oinker!>
I hope the corycats are not going hungry. They are about 1.5 inches
and are really active. Could this angelfish be to much of a bully even
for corycats?
<Could but not likely... Callichthyid/Corydoras catfish are "armored"
and quite spiny. You'd know if any of the cats were missing eyes...>
Thank you
<I would feed other sinking foods (small pellets, likely Spectrum brand)
simultaneously while feeding the angel. Bob Fenner>
Battle for food
1/31/11
Hi,
I have a 20g tank with 4 Swordtails and 4 Green Cory
Catfish. I'm feeding them micro wafers that float for a
bit and then sink, so the Swordtails knock the wafers down to the
catfish. In addition, I'm feeding the catfish Sera Vipachips that
sink to the bottom. Problem is, the Swordtails also really like the
Vipachips, and it ends up being a battle between the Swordtails and the
catfish -- of course, the Swordtails end up eating most of it. Can you
maybe suggest a way I can ensure that only the catfish get the
Vipachips?
Thanks,
Ivan
<Easy, this one. Feed the catfish at night! When the lights are out,
provide sufficient food for your Corydoras. Do this 3-4 times per week,
and you should find they're just fine. Corydoras are nocturnal by
nature, despite being day-active in aquaria, and happily feed at night.
And no, they won't hide away during the day just because
they're being fed at night. Do also remember to keep the tank quite
cool, 22-24 C is ideal for both Swordtails and Corydoras aeneus,
otherwise their metabolism will be much higher than it needs to be, and
that'll place extra demands on their diet as well as shortening
their lifespan.
Cheers, Neale.>
Stolen Food, Corydoras
fdg. -- 08/04/09
Hello Crew,
<Hello James,>
Hope all is going well for you. I have a question on feeding please.
The only 2 types of fish I have in my 75 gallon FW aquarium are
Corys and angels and I feed them both about an hour
before the lights go out. I usually start feeding the angels first on
one side of the tank. I feed them small amounts for about 2 minutes at
a time trying to keep any of it from going to the bottom. When they get
engrossed in eating I try to secretly put the Corys food in the
opposite side. But usually the Corys do no come out right away to eat,
and many times the angels come over and start eating their food after
they have finished their own. Because of this I always put extra food
for the Corys. The next morning all of the food is gone off the sand
bottom. I cannot always tell how much of the Corys food the angels are
getting so I am concerned about the Corys getting enough. Do you have
any thoughts on this please.
Sincerely,
James
<Provided you leave some food out most nights for the Corydoras,
they will be fine. Healthy Corydoras have nice rounded bellies, whereas
starving specimens have convex bellies. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Stolen Food -- 08/04/09
I had thought about doing that, but have read that despite the fact
that many types of catfish are nocturnal the Cory is not. Will they
still eat at night?
<Corydoras are in fact nocturnal in the wild, and will happily feed
at night in the aquarium. It just so happens they become very tame in
captivity, learning to feed whenever food is offered. Farmed fish
simply view daytime feeding as normal, but they forage at night as
well, and will consume any catfish pellets left out at night for them.
Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Stolen Food -- 08/04/09
Thanks Neale, will the food for the Corys at night be less noticeable
for the angels? Do they move around much and look for food at
night?
I appreciate your help.
James
<Angels, like virtually all cichlids, are incapacitated by darkness.
They cannot hunt or feed by night. So yes, your Corydoras, will be able
to feed at their leisure. It's heartening you're taking such
pains over your
Corydoras; most folks throw them into community tanks and leave them to
fend for themselves! Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Stolen Food 8/5/09
Thanks Neale, I love them. I think they are great little guys and
wouldn't have a tank without them. Thanks again for all your
help.
James
<Always a pleasure to talk, James. Enjoy your fish. Cheers,
Neale.>
Cory Catfish, sel., fdg.
2/7/09 I am thinking about adding a couple Cory Catfish to my
tank of livebearers. I was wondering-do Cory Catfish eat fish waste? I
know they eat leftover food... Thanks a bunch! <Hello Hannah.
Corydoras (and indeed catfish generally) do NEITHER of the things you
mention. No, they do not eat fish waste. Why would they? Waste is
removed by your filter, and through water changes. Every additional
fish you add INCREASES the amount of ammonia and faeces in the tank, so
your filtration will need to be adequate to the task. Secondly, they DO
NOT eat (just) leftovers. Catfish should be given sinking pellets --
catfish food -- at least 3-4 nights per week. Corydoras are nocturnal
fish by choice, and during the night will eat the pellets without
having to deal with competition from day-active fish in the aquarium.
Besides catfish food, they enjoy algae wafers and frozen bloodworms.
One last thing: Corydoras are SCHOOLING fish, and are not happy in
groups of less than 5 specimens. Adding "a couple" is simply
condemning these adorable little fish to a nervous, unhappy existence
in your care. Since tank-bred Corydoras such as Peppered Corydoras and
Bronze Corydoras cost very little, there's really no excuse for not
getting at least 5 specimens. If your tank is so small (or so heavily
stocked) you can't add 5 specimens, you probably should add 2
either. Five specimens will settle just fine into a busy 20-gallon
community tank without complaint. Cheers, Neale.>
Corydoras cats feeding habits
4/1/08 my 20 Gallon aquarium has been getting a lot of algae build
up. <Two options: Add fast-growing plants under bright lighting, or
else scrape away the algae manually. Every other method suggested
doesn't work.> My pet store said that these little albino Cory
cats will keep a tank extremely clean <Garbage. Catfish (or snails,
or loaches, or whatever) do not clean an aquarium. Think about this for
a second. Why would adding an animal (which produces wastes) make the
aquarium cleaner? There are only two things that keep an aquarium
clean: filtration and water changes.> so we got three very small
ones but they don't appear to eat algae like petstore said.
<Indeed not. Corydoras eat some green algae, but if you have
insufficient light (i.e., less than 2 watts per gallon) then most of
the algae will be of other types such as diatoms.> they appear to
search the gravel and eat what they can find. <Keep this up and
they'll starve do death. Corydoras need catfish pellets. These are
sinking foods you can add to the tank at night. Catfish aren't
"scavengers" and won't survive on leftovers. They MUST
have their own food.> my question is do they eat algae and I
don't see them doing that I also have a fresh water flounder will
that eat algae? <Freshwater Flounders are not freshwater fish. The
common species is Trisects maculatus. They MUST be kept in brackish
water. Beginners find them very difficult to maintain. Do see here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwflatties.htm
> if they don't what kind of small Pleco or other algae eating
fish do you think will do good in a 20 Gallon aquarium with about 19 or
20 small tropical fish. <None will clean algae in the way you want.
Pet stores will sell you lots of fish (or snails, or shrimps) that they
say will do this job, but they don't work. Only plants reduce
algae, and for that you need to choose fast-growing species like
Hygrophila and Cabomba and then expose them to strong illumination.>
thank you. Laura <Cheers, Neale.>
Getting food to the Corys and the Oto
2/22/06 Hello WWM crew, I have searched your site and I think the
single tiny wiggly white worm I just saw in my tank is
Planaria. It is a very very fine threadlike white worm
of about 5mm length. I probably only saw it because I was sitting
very close to the tank. Am I right in understanding these are from too
much waste product and uneaten food? <Yes.> Do you have any
delivery tips for the food? I was afraid if I hid
it the Oto and Corys would not find it either. I have a bit of
driftwood with a plant on it that I can put food under but it
seems nearly all the fish can wiggle in there to get it! I thought my
tank was very very clean. I change 25-30% of the
water once a week with another bucketful or two changed halfway
through the week as I don't like to see the Corys searching
around for food in droppings. Yuk. I vacuum the open area of
gravel once a week and stir up the other areas with the siphon
hose as the vacuum wont fit amongst the plants. I have
quite a lot of live plants. My problem I guess is I have been
overfeeding although everything gets eaten quickly. <I
agree. Your vacuuming technique sound very thorough.> I
am always worried about getting enough to the Corys and the
Otocinclus. The other fish are total pigs and tend
to eat everything. I feed a couple of pinches of flakes <Try
backing off a bit. Try to lure those speedy Tetras away by
sprinkling a bit on one side of the tank, and then sprinkling the rest
far away from them.> , two sinking Cory-food pellets <Feed just
one pellet. Break it up into a couple pieces, always drop it
in the same place in the tank every day, so the Corys get into a
pattern/know where to find it. Feed the Corys about 1/2 an
hour after you turn off the light tank light.> and a
half of an algae wafer once a day with a day of no food now
and then. <Leave the wafer as a treat for every now and
then.> Also feed a frozen bloodworm cube once a week and some
cucumber every few days (the Oto loves that). <OK as long as
you are subbing this for the other foods you described.> I have a 26
gallon freshwater tropical tank (AquaOne 620) with a filter and
lights built into the hood Temperature about 78 degrees. Ammonia and
Nitrites are zero. Tank has been set up for 10 weeks and is fully
cycled. The tank is stocked with: I angelfish 3 black skirt tetras 5
Corydoras 2 dwarf Gouramis 1 Otocinclus <A bit heavily stocked for
that size. Probably contributing to the waste/food levels
for Planaria and algae. Your Angel will get quite large,
produce even more waste.> I tried leaving the lights on a bit longer
to grow some algae for the Oto...but instead of the brown algae I
once had green algae has grown on some of the Anubias and
Oto doesn't seem to make much difference. So that might have been a
mistake? Do you think if I revert to my original 8 hours of
light the Oto will eventually eat it all? <Go back to 8 hours.>
Or maybe should I get an additional Oto? <Otos do prefer the
company of their own kind, but you are already heavily stocked.> So
much to learn. Any advice you can give would be very
much appreciated. Many thanks, Gillian : ) <Jason
N.> PS I think your site is terrific, you folk obviously love what
you do although I expect if you get many more "My Betta sits
at the bottom of his bowl" questions you might
implode. <Thank you!>
Re: Getting food to the Corys and the Oto 2/22/06
Thank you Jason for your speedy response, I was very disappointed when
I did my own sums and realized "no more fish for
me"....well, in this tank anyway. Everyone laughs when
I talk about my next tank. <You've been bitten by the
bug. God have mercy on your pocketbook.> This one is a
practice to see if I can keep up the enthusiasm before going
mental on a giant tank. <I find that my largest tanks are the
easiest to care for. It is far harder to make most mistakes
in 50+ gallons of water.> You know what? I think I can!
<Glad to hear it! Now there is only the problem of what
you're going to do with your current tank when you get a new
one...> Thanks again from Australia, Gillian : )
<Jason N.>
Tiger barbs gorging on Adolfi/duplicarius Corys
food My barbs are gorging themselves on the sinking pellets I drop
in the tank for my Cory cats. They will push the Corys out of the way
and break the pellets into chunks. The tiger barbs will swim around
with a big chunk until it can choke it down! I am worried that the
tigers will hurt themselves as they are bulging and don't seem to
be able to stop eating. How can I make sure the Corys get
some food? Are they nocturnal feeders? How often do I feed them? <I
would try distracting the barbs by feeding then on the other side of
the tank, then sneak some pellets to the Corys. You could
also try a different type of food for them, but I doubt it would slow
the barbs down, I use the Hikari Shrimp wafers and everyone in the tank
goes after these as well. If the Corys get hungry enough
they will eat, they are pretty well armored. They love blood
worms in their diet as well, good luck sneaking those past the
barbs.> I may have gotten two C. duplicarius with my recent purchase
of three Adolfo's Corys. They pretty much look like the two side by
side in the enclosed photo. C. duplicarius has a broader
dorsal stripe and a fuller, rounder head. My two have paired
off leaving the "real Adolfi" on his own. I wonder if I got
taken or if the store is just ignorant. I hope that the two are close
enough in price and attributes. In my research the consensus seems to
be that there is not much difference. One article even
suggests that they are more attractive. <depending on your tank
size, I would add more of both, they like large groups. Best
Regards, Gage> Thank you Stephen
Re: Three Line Cory Catfish question, feeding
Hello Bob, <Teresa> I thought I'd follow up on this as I
thank you for your reply. It seems I was not feeding the Corys enough
and starts to swim high as more food is floating than hitting the
bottom. <Ahh> I started throwing in some herbivore small sinking
pellets and at times they nibble on these if the gluttonous angelfish
don't get to them first. I know these pellets are for algae-eating
fish but I never saw the Otocinclus eat anything else but algae. I
guess what I really need to ask is what should I be feeding the Corys?
Is the premium tropical flake food that I feed the angelfish enough you
think? Thanks and have a great day. <I would augment this with a
high protein sinking pellet... there are several companies that make
these for bottom dwellers... One of my faves is the new Shrimp Pellets
by Omega Sea. Bob Fenner>
