Will different species of cory catfish school? In fact, Corys are curious fish and when they are first introduced to a tank often end up following the other fish around the tank. This is particularly noticeable with younger cory, and they tend to do it more than their older counterparts. It has often led to the idea that they are schooling fish, and this blog will look at whether this is true or not.
Will Different Species Of Cory Catfish School?
This is a complicated question. I don’t think the situation is ideal. Different corydoras species have similar temperaments and can live together in the same tank if they get along well.
Additionally, they may attend school together from time to time. Despite this, they tend to have different mannerisms and social interactions because they’re other species.
Compared to other bird species, cory prefers to attend school with their own kind. They are bronze with bronze, pandas with pandas, etc. Consequently, you may occasionally see a school of one species among another, but they are likely to form with their own type more often.
The cories will isolate themselves into their species groups and exclude outsiders. There will also be a much greater degree of interaction with other members of the same species during this time. As an example, one bronze corydoras in a tank with ten panda cory fish would be mostly excluded from social interaction.
The fish will go off by themselves in an isolated corner of the tank and start mopping around. This action will stress them out, which will negatively affect their long-term health.
Consequently, while corydoras of different species can sometimes play together and school, you don’t want to expect it to happen often. Instead, if you’re going to form a shoal, you should get at least six of the same species.
How Many Species Of Cory Catfish Can You Keep In A Tank?
The answer is yes if you have quite a few of each species, that is six each at a minimum, you can keep different species of cory in the same tank.
If possible, ensure that the tank is large enough to accommodate the shoaling fish so that they can move around freely without bumping into each other or the glass.
Another important point to consider is that different species will not always want to live together. This is why providing them with their own hiding places, or resting places is essential. In such cases, a plant or decoration large enough to shelter half a dozen chickens under the shade of darkness is an example.
Video: Large School Of Cory Catfish
FAQs
Are cory catfish schooling fish?
Cory Catfish tend to school in groups of six or more if the aquarium is large enough. As the fish move through the tank in sync like a precision dance ensemble, it is fascinating to see the schooling behavior of the Cory Catfish.
Are albino cory and bronze cory compatible?
Corydoras, such as bronze and Albino Corydoras, do not swim synchronously, so they are not schooling fish. It is more of a shoaling fish, so they tend to stay relatively close to each other most of the time.
Can you keep 4 Cory catfish together?
Certainly, I have nine people with albinism that were newborns (less than an inch long), and when a full-grown albino needed a new home, they fit right in with no problems. It’s gigantic! It doesn’t matter whether they are of different species.
Conclusion
There are several species of Cory catfish, and they are a fun fish to add to your freshwater aquarium. It is well-known that they like schooling, but the question is, will they school together? To a certain extent, the answer is yes, but they do have a hierarchy they like to follow. It’s not necessary to have more than one species of Cory in the same school, but it is nice to see them mix it up.
Reference:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corydoras
Annette M. Chaney is an experienced marine biologist with over 20 years of experience as an aquarist and fishkeeper. She started her first aquarium at a young age, filling it with frogs and goldfish obtained from the ten-cent pet store.
Annette grew up caring for and breeding African Cichlids, which led to a hobby in high school that doubled as a profitable means. Attending Reed College gave her time to solidify herself as an accomplished aquarium caretaker with an eye for sales. After that, from 2009 – 2013, she studied at Roger Williams University – one of the most prestigious universities for Aquaculture and Aquarium in USA. She is the founder of AquariumCircle since 2010.