# Adorable Pygmy Cory is Adorable.



## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

The title says it all 
I love this little guy so much. He's so bold! This is his new favourite spot in the tank! He is not phased by Reuben at all.
I've been searching for almost 3 weeks, every pet shop in near by towns, and I feel like I have the only pygmy in all of Canada or something :s
It'll be sad when he gets school mates and then I lose track of which one he is D;


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## djembekah (Feb 13, 2012)

awe really cute!!


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## ILLBETHEJUDGE (Feb 27, 2012)

So hard to find those little guys. he is so cute.


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## SeaHorse (Dec 27, 2010)

Wow, never seen one of those before. Where did you find him?


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

!!! I want him!


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

At a LFS in a tank full of bumblebee gobies and catfish. x.x
I go back there every time they get a shipment (Wednesday-Saturday usually), they say their supplier hasn't had them in forever..
I even called other well known fish stores in the area, and they sounded like they've never heard of Pygmy cories. :/ 
I'm going on week 3 with him, he's gonna get catfish sinking pellets tomorrow, I've just been feeding him betta food until now. 
I guess they must be really rare, but they were so recommended on here that I got excited when I saw him. xD


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

Squee!!! Oh my god he is soooo tiny! When you get a school you have to take video of all of them squiggling around the bottom of the tank. He is freakin' adorable! This picture made my night! <3


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Thanks guys, he appreciates the love <3
I showed my friend that helps me out, got me the tank and such. He has a huge tank full of fancy expensive discus. He looked at him and was like "why would you want that?" and I was like DDDDD:


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

No worries. Discus people can be snobs sometimes. Just like the people with 6-figure koi in their ponds. :roll: Your fish is the same species as my $10 koi. Your little guy is adorable and full of personality and we love him ^-^


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

I have sad news. I noticed his stripe was gone this morning, then I realized he was dead.. He has a huge chunk of his tail missing, and he was fine, so I'm gonna go ahead and blame Reuben. I'll have to test my water when I get home, but I just did a 40% change last night. :s I've baptized him Jake.
I'm really at a loss. I don't know what to do, I really want more fish. Reuben is so chill, he doesn't even flare at Gilbert, I'm so shocked. Jake was only about 1cm big.. I don't know if this is truly a safe species to keep. 
I think I may try julii cories. I don't know.. :s


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## SeaHorse (Dec 27, 2010)

Awwww I'm so sorry! 
Do you want some help trying to sort out why? What is Rueben? Who else was in the tank? 
How long has your tank been set up? Can you give us some details about your tank? There is a thread tool in here that lists all the questions that gives us the info we need to help sort things out. PH, AM, NI, NA, tank size, etc etc. Live plants? 
Anyone know if this is a tough species to keep in captivity? Some find Panda Cory's hard to keep past 6 months. I do know most Cory's like a group of 3+ to feel safe. 
Anyway....We are here to help if you wish it.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

My pH and hardness are ideal for the species.. 
I can't test things till I get home, but the tank has been fully cycled.
It was the betta and him, with another betta separated by a divider. The tank is 15 gallons, and he was on the 10 gallon side. 
If it means anything, he wasn't floating, he was still at the bottom.
I added Marimo, apongeton and crypts yesterday, I figured they wouldn't have any pathogens since they had been in shipping for 3 weeks and were grown emerged.
The tank took a month to fully cycle, then I had one betta for a week, then added him, then added the other betta a week later. The betta are healthy looking..
Reuben is the betta he lived with.. 
As far as I know Pygmy cories are hardier than pandas, but I don't know by how much.


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## Sheldon31 (Mar 21, 2012)

A breeder friend of mine offered me 6 Pygmys at a bargain price once but I turned her down because of distance and a stupid issue with gravel (I bloody hate gravel right now). He's so sweet 

edit: ooh just read your last fewposts I'm sorry for your loss


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Oh, do cories REQUIRE vegetation in their diet? I've been feeding him omega one betta diet... x.x


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

D: D: I'm so sorry!! He was so adorable. 

As for why you lost him, this is the only thing I can really find: 

"The Corydoras are quite sensitive to water parameters and quality, and highly intolerant of salt, chemicals and medications. Signs of stress usually begin with rapid respiration, then lethargy (often just "sitting" on plant leaves, wood or the substrate respirating heavily, sometimes near the surface) and sometimes rolling onto one side. At such signs, a partial water change of at least 50% with a good water conditioner should immediately be made, and appropriate steps taken to remove the cause. Any sudden fluctuation in water chemistry or temperature often induces shock, causing the fish to "faint" and fall over on its side. Corydoras introduced to new aquaria will settle in better if the tank is established; corys do not adjust well to a new aquarium with still-unstable water conditions and fluctuations. When introduced to a relatively-new aquarium or one with water parameters outside the preferred range, this species will sometimes die within a few weeks." -- TFK Profile on pygmy cories

I couldn't find anything about vegetation. Maybe they eat bits of algae in the tank.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

He actually was lethargic last night.. Omg i feel horrible.
I did the water change, maybe it was too late?
Do you think it could be that I have a carpet of hornwort needles? It's hard to vacuum daily :/


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

Don't feel bad, Olympia. Those little guys aren't very hardy. The hornwort needles might have had something to do with it, but we can't really say for sure. We also don't know what he encountered before he got to you.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

I don't take failure well. Dx
I really wanna get back with this species if I can find more, going to test my water today, then head to the fish store. I don't know if the tests will show anything since I changed 40% yesterday. :s Betta have no signs of anything.
I will try to find a decent brand of sinking pellet (can't do NLS, it's crazy priced at the LFS).. I never did see him eating. :/ I doubt he died of loneliness either, he seemed quite unstressed and fine on his own, honestly.. 

Would it be better to do maybe 2 20% water changes a week instead of 1 40% change? I could vacuum the hornwort more often, and things wouldn't build up as much.
If they have endlers I may pick up 3 males, I think they're hardier and could help "establish" the tank better, but if it's fully cycled I don't see what else that could mean Dx
They also have julii cory at the LFS, I may go for that species in the end >_<

That photo was taken 2 days ago, and he was still zipping around like crazy. Yesterday he didn't swim away from the gravel vacc, and seemed less active, but I didn't think that much of it. I'm going to remove my blame from Reuben though, he probably just nibbled the cory's tail after he died..


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

Your tank is only about a month and a half old, right? Even after the cycle is done, it still takes tanks another 2 or 3 months to fully establish themselves because not only does the nitrogen need to balance but the pH, KH, and GH need to balance out and keep steady. This process can take a while but because every tank is a unique biological entity, we really have no clue how long your can take. It looks like these guys are pretty sensitive, so maybe let the tank age a bit before you try them again. 

Byron talks a bit about tank maturation in this thread: http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/freshwater-aquarium/tank-maturation-95541/


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Wow, fish keeping gets more and more complicated. :s 
I will wait on cories, probably a few months to be safe.
Can I try the endler's? I've found sources say they are very hardy, like guppies.
It'd just be 3 males. >_<
Gonna go test the water though, that'll tell me what I should shouldn't do next.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Alright, test results are in.. 0/0/around 5ppm for the usuals. :s I'm gonna chalk it up to maturation problems.


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

Ya. Fishkeeping is a lot harder than most people think. There is a lot of science in this hobby. The more advanced and out-of-the-ordinary species of fish you get, the more scientific the hobby becomes. 

Endlers are supposed to be hardier than the guppies you find nowadays (what with all the mass-production and inbreeding guppies go through). I've never had them, but would like to one day. I don't know how much they will help along the maturation process, but they would be neat to have.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Well they had none. 
I don't think they'll have pygmy cories or endlers for a long time. I can tell the owner feels bad that I come in every week asking for them. Dx
I bought a chocolate rabbit snail today. I love the Sulawesi inverts. Then I read that some of them are heavy plant eaters, don't know why I've never heard this, rabbit snails are supposed to be good for small planted tanks, but my growth was just planted -__-'


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

My Endlers certainly seem like pretty tough little guys. 

I'm sorry about your cory, Olympia. *hugs*


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

I was so bummed out at school today. 
My dad looked at me like I'm stupid because I'm gonna bury him instead of flush him. :/

Hopefully I will get another chance to work with this species in the future, I was getting really enthusiastic about the "plain" little guys. ^-^


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

I bury all my fish. Don't worry; it's something that non-fish people will never understand. We get it. 

I don't think they are plain - they are so cute! I wish I had some. I'm sure in future you will be successful.


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## SeaHorse (Dec 27, 2010)

Hi Olympia :wave:
Well you are learning this hobby the same way most of us have! Trial and error and sadly at times a few fish deaths along the way. It is not helped by LFS (Local Fish Stores) selling unsuitable fish to customers just to get a sale) So it is up to us to take our time! I know it is hard to do. Sounds like you are at the LFS regularly, so if you find a fish you like, like your Cory or new Snail, ask lots of questions but doubt what they say and go home and research the species. Make a pact to not buy on impulse or emotion. If you find info that is different, go back and have a conversation with them about it, politely challenge it. This is a great way to learn, and they begin to respect your knowledge and caring for the hobby. Who knows it might lead to a part time job in a fish store some day! You never know where these interactions take us! 
When I started the hobby over 40 years ago, the LFS told us to wait 24 hours, put in the fish and hope for the best basically. I can't count the number of times over the years I tore down the tank and scrubbed it clean 2x a year, washed the gravel.... only to experience a new cycle and fish death again. :shock:  :frustrated: It's only in the last 2 years being in here at TFK that I finally understand what is going on, and I'm now in my early 50's. Bacteria Cycle + Chlorine = Death. Think of all the fish you will save by learning this stuff now! LOL 
I know when you go back to the store, the chosen species might be gone.... but it might be gone anyway (death and your money) and it's easier to deal with disappointment than death/grief.... right?  
Pop into chat some evening if you can.... you can ask lots of questions in there!!


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Hmm well I researched the Cory and figured I could handle him. 
The snail, I'd heard they were great, kind of an impulse 
I know a lot species are out of my reach right now, my medium hard water really limits me. I think I will wait it out for endlers, I don't want to resort to guppies. I'll just let my plants grow for now, until they get the male endlers that I want. After that I'll start thinking about cories again. 
I'm only 17, and I get no respect at the fish store, unless I'm with my dad who doesn't know a thing about fish! :/


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## SeaHorse (Dec 27, 2010)

Ya, I totally understand!! It's too bad really! 
I'm not sure where you are located but the staff at the Big Al's in Newmarket is WAY more helpful than either the Barrie, Whitby or Scarborough stores. (Been to all 4) 
And they would rather you ask questions and go home and think about it, cause you will be far more successful at the hobby and come back and buy more!!

Loved your Backyard garden thread, can't wait to see it in full bloom!


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## littlegreen (Mar 11, 2012)

I'm so sorry that he didn't make it! D:


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

I buried him today, near some berry bushes.
I'm getting kind of attached to this rabbit snail, he's really cool. I think I may buy him a separate bowl to live in, and maybe try and breed them sometime


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## AquaNinJa (Apr 6, 2012)

omg that little guy is so cute!!


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## Hanky (Feb 1, 2012)

sorry to hear about your little fella, Did you try looking inline at Aquabid? It may have been the stress of being alone corys like to be in groups of 5-6, but you did all you could. good luck


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Nawh, it's a sensitive species and needs a tank that's been stabilized for a few months. Might look online then if I can't find more.


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## Fin2you (Mar 5, 2012)

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you finding more pygmy. I'm wavering on either pygmy or panda's for my 3rd tank. My 1st choice is the pygmy but they are hard to find here! (I'm in Alberta)
I have julii & habrosus in my other big tanks. They are best kept in groups of 3 or more. They will all school together except the albinos which need to be kept with just other albinos. 
I understand the frustration I've only had 1 habrosus die, but to get my school of 5 julii's I lost 1/2 what I bought over 3 or 4 groups of 3 purchases


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