Cory catfish are peaceful and hardy creatures. Provide them with their ideal living conditions, and they will thrive in your home aquarium. There are numerous things that your corydoras would like to have in their tank, which we will discuss in this article.
So, What do cory catfish like in their tank? Let us find out.
Sand is the most necessary thing your cory catfish will like and require in their tank. Being bottom dweller fish, they spend most of the time scavenging on the bottom, searching and feeding on leftovers and other waste. So make at least a 2-inch substrate using soft sand or rounded pebbles.
This article will discuss what cory catfish like in their tank. Also, we will discuss the things necessary to be put in your corydoras tank. So, let us get into it.
Contents
What do cory catfish require in their tank?
Corydoras are hardy fish that can live in a wide range of water parameters and conditions.
Provide them with their ideal living conditions, and they will thrive.
You can consider adding many things to your cory catfish tank to fulfill their ideal living conditions.
Adding a heater to your cory catfish tank will ensure stable water temperature, preventing your catfish from being stressed.
Consider adding a good filtration system with biofilter media to keep the water clean and protected from ammonia and nitrite, as cory catfish are freshwater fish and require clean water to thrive.
Being bottom dweller fish, they require a good quality substrate to dig into comfortably in search of food.
Corydoras can be shy sometimes and need a hiding spot to feel comfortable, so creating hiding spots will make your cory catfish thrive.
They are social fish, so adding other peaceful creatures to your corydoras tank will provide them with the right surroundings, and they will live happily swimming and interacting with other fish.
Also, they are schooling fish and require more of their species to form a good school and swim together.
What to put in my cory catfish tank?
Corydoras are the most common fish that every aquarist love to add to their home aquarium.
They are hardy fish and will not demand much to thrive.
You just have to provide them with all these things in their tank, and they will live comfortably:
- Create plenty of hiding spots for them.
- Add soft substrate to your corydoras tank.
- Add plenty of live aquatic plants to your corydoras tank.
Hiding spots
Cory catfish require plenty of hiding spots in their tank to feel safe and live comfortably.
You can create hiding spots by adding driftwood, terra cotta pots, a sunken ship, and other decors.
Also, adding plenty of live aquatic plants will create great hiding spots for your corydoras.
Substrate
Cory catfish are bottom dwellers requiring soft substrate to dig into and eat on leftovers.
Consider making at least a 2-inch substrate for your cory catfish so they can dig into it comfortably without hurting themselves.
They use their whiskers to navigate food under the substrate and then use their mouth to dig into it and suck the food up.
Live aquatic plants
Cory catfish will love to have live aquatic plants in their tank as it provides a great hiding place and makes them feel safe and comfortable.
Also, your corydoras will be interested in grazing on plants sometimes.
Usually, cory catfish will munch on decayed plants but will occasionally feed on plants too.
These are some best plants you can consider adding to your corydoras tank:
- Anubias nana
- Java fern
- Java moss
- Vallisneria
- Micro sword
- Amazon sword
Also read: Do Cory Catfish Need Live Plants?
Should I use gravel or sand in my cory catfish tank?
Cory catfish are bottom dwellers that spend most of their time scavenging on the bottom of the tank, searching for food.
They use their delicate whiskers to navigate food under the substrate and then dig into the substrate and suck the food up using their mouth.
When you add hard and sharp substrate to your cory catfish tank, they can harm themselves by trying to dig into it for food.
In the worst case, they will lose their whiskers and injure themselves badly.
So, adding a soft substrate to your cory catfish tank is advisable.
Sand will be the best substrate for your cory catfish as it is soft, and your corydoras will find it easy to dig into for food.
Also read: Best Substrate For Corydoras.
How to know if my cory catfish is happy or not?
You have to look for these three things to know if your cory catfish are happy and comfortable living in their tank:
- Look for their swimming behavior.
- Look for their eating behavior.
- Look for their change in appearance.
Swimming behavior
If your cory catfish is not showing strange swimming behavior, they are excellent and happy.
Cory catfish are schooling fish and prefer to live in a large group of their species.
Keeping at least5-6 cory catfish together is necessary to form a good school for them.
However, if you notice strange swimming patterns like:
- Swimming erratically
- Swimming at the top of the tank
- Swimming upside down
- Swimming in circles
If your corydoras show any of these strange swimming patterns or other odd swimming behavior, they are under stress.
This stress can be because of sickness, poor water conditions, inadequate water parameters, and aggressive mates.
Also read: Why is my cory catfish swimming in circles?
Eating behavior
If your corydoras are always hungry and regularly eating when you serve food, they are happy and living comfortably.
However, if they avoid eating and stay in one place in the tank, they have lost their appetite and are under stress.
Overcrowded tank, aggressive mate, constipation, and constant stress can be the reason here.
Also read: Are Cory Catfish Bottom Feeders?
Change in appearance
If your corydoras are swimming and eating fine and look healthy, they are happy.
However, if you notice that your cory catfish fin is getting torn or rotting, and your fish is getting discolored, looking weak, and lethargic, there is some issue.
Fin rot, ammonia poisoning, bloating, and other diseases and infections can be the reason.
So from all this, we can clearly see that if we want to keep our corydoras happy, we have to ensure all these things:
- Good water conditions
- Adequate and stable water parameters
- Avoid overcrowding
- Avoid adding aggressive fish
- Keep a large group of cory catfish
- Feed them regularly
- Keep a regular check on cory’s catfish behavior.
Also read: How To Tell If A Cory Catfish Is Stressed?
Conclusion:
You can add numerous things to your cory catfish tank which they like in their tank and require.
The most necessary thing is the substrate. Being bottom dweller fish, they spend most of their time scavenging on the bottom, searching for food.
And to ensure that they comfortably continue their scavenging activity all day and night, consider adding a soft substrate like sand.
Also, make at least a 2-inch substrate for your corydoras.
They will also like plenty of hiding spots in their tank where they can hide and feel safe and comfortable.
Other things like filter and heater are necessary for all fish as it helps in ensuring the ideal living conditions.
Reference: Wikipedia, Britannica