# 33 Long Crypts and Corydoras



## NJPlantFan (Jun 29, 2011)

Very nice. Like your scape. Your Cory’s should love it.


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## Aquatic Athlete (Oct 7, 2017)

What types of Cory cats are you going to keep?


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## Frank158 (Oct 1, 2013)

Very nice set up and I like how you label your photos...cool.

Have you grown C. Spiralis before? I love that plant and prefer the look of that instead of using something like a Val.

I've subscribed and looking forward to seeing things grow in.


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## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

That looks great. How long ago did you place the plants in there? It seems to take a couple days for plants to orient themselves and group appropriately for me when I move them around. It certainly never looks like this!


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

The Dude1 said:


> That looks great. How long ago did you place the plants in there? It seems to take a couple days for plants to orient themselves and group appropriately for me when I move them around. It certainly never looks like this!


Set it up on the 28th and moved the fish in. Added two of the plants (C. hudoroi and C. usteriana) right before I took the photo. 

I already have C. eques in the tank (they are hiding in the back right corner. You can see their reflection). but I know the Wet Spot has some cw028 Super Schwartzi that I want for sure and maybe a few Scleromystax barbatus. Maybe some green lasers. Not 100% sure. I may just be patient and see when unusual ones come up for sale. It will probably be rarer ones though for the most part. 

I have C. retrospiralis in my 36 g but it is slow growing. Tried both C. retrospiralis and C. spiralis in a low tech tank and didn't have much luck with them so I wanted to try both again with Co2. I have found that even though you can grow Crypts in low tech they grow much faster and stockier with Co2 and some ferts.


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

Ugh. What a frustrating day. Spare Co2 regulator is an Archaea and you have to adjust the pressure with a tiny little hex key. One came with it but in the few years since I used the thing I seem to have lost it. I tore apart every cabinet and toolbox and drawer in my house and found every hex key from every piece of furniture that I have ever purchased but not that one. Have a set of small hex keys that came with a PC tool kit but the one I need is the size between the smallest and next size up. Went to the hardware store and bought new hex key kits and did manage to get the right size but I still can't get the working psi right. It is at over 100 psi and won't go any lower. While fiddling with it the entire thing fell apart.

Got fed up and ordered a new regulator from GLA. 

:sigh

So absurd because really I don't even need Co2 for this tank but the plants will grow so much better with it.


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

Shipment of fish came in today so added the new ones to this tank. 

5 x Corydoras cf. semiaquilas
5 x Corydoras weitzmani
3 x Hypoptopoma sp.Peru (orange Otocinclus)
10 X Hyphessobrycon amandae

Sadly 5 x Corydoras CW028 'Super Schwartzi' were DOA so I got a credit for them. Kind of a bummer because they were the main fish I wanted and everything else was justs addons. 

New Co2 regulator has not arrived yet. Cryptocoryne hudoroi in the center is melting pretty bad. Hopefully it will bounce back once I start injecting Co2. Everything else looks OK so far. New Corydoras are very active. 

New fish for 20gallon long by Kaveh Maguire, on Flickr

Corydoras cf. semiaquilas

Corydoras cf. semiaquilis by Kaveh Maguire, on Flickr

Corydoras weitzmani

Corydoras weitzmani by Kaveh Maguire, on Flickr

Hypoptopoma sp. Peru (orange Otocinclus). Kind of worried these will be as sensitive as regular Otos as they cost more than 6 x as much as a regular Oto. But they are pretty cool so I had to give them a shot.

Hypoptopoma sp. Peru (orange Otocinclus) by Kaveh Maguire, on Flickr


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## beckyhiker (Mar 30, 2017)

Congrats on your new cories & sorry about the DOA's. I'm also expecting a shipment of cories today; I hope they're all ok especially since in the end she was only able to ship me 4 individuals of each of the 2 species.

In your FTS in the front right, are those your C. eques? I really like how they look and I almost ordered them, but didn't. Too late now I guess as there are only so many days I can take off from work just to receive fish.

I've never heard of orange oto's before, they're really cute. Good luck with your new fish!


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

The C. eques are on the right but toward the back of the tank. Similar in coloration to bronze corys but they should eventually be darker with a distinct reddish brown band at the back of their head and down their back. They are currently the most expensive fish I own so I hope mine darken up and reach their full potential. I don't have any good shots of them because they kept moving around but I will try to post some soon. 

So right now just 3 types of Cory in this tank. I really wanted at least 4. I have to decide if I want to use my credit to try and get Super Schwartzi again or if I should hold off for now in case anything was wrong with them and wait for a new shipment or something different.


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## Aquatic Athlete (Oct 7, 2017)

Absolutely love the semiaquilis! Beautiful tank, my condolences on the DOA's. That sucks. I'll keep posted to see what other gens you find.


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## beckyhiker (Mar 30, 2017)

Are Super Schwartzi different from regular C. schwartzi? One of the 2 types of cories the LFS by work has is C. schwartzi; they have a large group in the tank next to the C. melanistius of which I already have 8. I had thought of buying some of them, but ended up ordering cories instead.


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

They have a similar striped pattern but the first ray of their dorsal fin is yellow and their dorsal gets really extended and flag like. I love big sail like dorsal fins on Corydoras. The C. loretoensis and C. concolor I bought for my 40g both have that too.

Bump:

Bump: Since my new Co2 regulator won't arrive until the end of this week I set up the Archaea regulator even though I can't get the PSI lower than 55. 

Really love this tank and am still debating getting a 55 in place of this 20 long so I can get more Corys. Since the C. Super Schwartzi were DOA considering putting my Scleromystax barbatus from my quarantine tank into this tank. In the meantime here is a video of the existing fish. 


www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC8cor1Tvt8


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

Did a 5 gallon water change today. Went to Petco and came very close to buying a 55g on their half price sale but I decided to check first how much it would be to get all the rest of the equipment I would need to upgrade. The sale is until Nov. 18 so I have a few more days to decide.


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## Raith (Jun 27, 2014)

Gosh I love your corys.


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

Sadly two of the orange Oto's seem to have died. No bodies were found but they were tiny so probably made a quick snack. I knew there was a good chance it would happen because I didn't imagine they would be any hardier than regular Oto's but that was an expensive loss.


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## beckyhiker (Mar 30, 2017)

Triport said:


> Sadly two of the orange Oto's seem to have died. No bodies were found but they were tiny so probably made a quick snack. I knew there was a good chance it would happen because I didn't imagine they would be any hardier than regular Oto's but that was an expensive loss.


Ouch, I feel your pain, too bad. I've been having problems with losing oto's also, but although quite sad, at least they were cheap and no shipping charges involved. I hope that the rest will be ok!


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

No big changes with this tank. My GLA regulator arrived today but I think I may just save it for my next build. The Archaea regulator has been working. The only issue is the lowest I can get the PSI is about 55 instead of 35. This won't hurt anything right?

Came VERY close to buying a 55g at Petco to replace this tank. Went twice and stood there staring at them. But thought long and hard about it and talked myself out of it. There is a chance I may move if I buy a house (or need to do renovations if I buy the place I am renting) so I want all my tanks to be ones that I can lift myself without too much effort and a 55 is just a touch too big. However while looking at the glass lids for the 55 I realized that Aqueon also makes a 33 long with the dimensions of the 55 but shorter. That would be an amazing tank for Corydoras so I may see if my LFS would be able to order me one. 

That way I would have room to move some of the corys from 2 of my other tanks to this one and get some more as well.I want the tank to be even crazier with more species. 

20 long Cory & Crypts tank by Kaveh Maguire, on Flickr


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

Took the plunge this afternoon. Went to a LFS in town and ordered a 33 long. Dimensions are 48 1/4" x 12 3/4" x 12 7/8". Same footprint of a 55 but shorter. Arrives on Wednesday and I will set it up as soon as I can. So this tank was sort of short lived but it is being replaced for something even cooler.


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## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

You made a great decision. That will afford you some awesome options for what you choose to house in there.


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

Yeah I am pretty excited. I think it will be a nice dramatic tank size. And it will also be my widest tank for now. Because of space constraints and wanting to keep things on the smaller side all my other tanks are 3' wide or smaller. This will be a nice change.


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## jem_xxiii (Apr 5, 2013)

love your tank and the corys. Corys are pretty underrated in my books, especially the rarer ones.


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

Corydoras lineup by Kaveh Maguire, on Flickr


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## beckyhiker (Mar 30, 2017)

I almost bought a 33L last spring; it was sitting at the LFS for weeks. I wish that I had done it!


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## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

Whoa! What are those teal Corys?? They are awesome!


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

_Corydoras eques_. Currently my most expensive fish.


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## the_deeb (Mar 19, 2009)

Triport said:


> Shipment of fish came in today so added the new ones to this tank.
> 
> Sadly 5 x Corydoras CW028 'Super Schwartzi' were DOA so I got a credit for them. Kind of a bummer because they were the main fish I wanted and everything else was justs addons.


Beautiful tank, and sorry to hear about the losses. I'm going in a very similar direction with restocking my custom 150g lagoon tank - I ordered the 3 remaining Super Schwartzi from Wetspot (1 of which arrived DOA, suggested that these guys really don't seem to tolerate shipping well) and 9 remaining semiaquilas (all of which are doing fine) to add to my existing group. Looking forward to seeing the progression of your 33.


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## StevieD (Jun 17, 2017)

Triport said:


> Did a 5 gallon water change today. Went to Petco and came very close to buying a 55g on their half price sale but I decided to check first how much it would be to get all the rest of the equipment I would need to upgrade. The sale is until Nov. 18 so I have a few more days to decide.


Inquiring minds want to know, did you take the plunge on the 55?


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

the_deeb said:


> Beautiful tank, and sorry to hear about the losses. I'm going in a very similar direction with restocking my custom 150g lagoon tank - I ordered the 3 remaining Super Schwartzi from Wetspot (1 of which arrived DOA, suggested that these guys really don't seem to tolerate shipping well) and 9 remaining semiaquilas (all of which are doing fine) to add to my existing group. Looking forward to seeing the progression of your 33.


Bummer that Super Schwartzi seem to be sensitive. Probably because they were such large fish. Hopefully in the future they get smaller ones in and I will try again. Either that or C. pulcher which is similar.

Bump:


StevieD said:


> Inquiring minds want to know, did you take the plunge on the 55?


I went with a 33 gallon long instead. Same footprint of the 55 but shorter and perfect for Corys. It will be easier for me to move it if needed in the future (my life is sort of up in the air right now). It arrives tomorrow and I will try to set it up soon.


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

Picked my my 33 long today and it is awesome. I have been trying to imagine what it would look like all week but it is so dramatic looking in real life. I can't wait to set it up. 

33 gallon long aquarium by Kaveh Maguire, on Flickr


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## mbkemp (Dec 15, 2016)

Where did you find it?


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

It is an Aqueon tank. I just went to their site and used their tool to show who in my area can order their tanks and went to a LFS and asked him to get it for me. It isn't that commonly sold so you will probably have to request it be ordered but it came in just a few days.


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## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

Nothing wrong with plants in a 33L, no wet armpits either!


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## StevieD (Jun 17, 2017)

Very nice! I can imagine white sand and half a dozen Discus and 75 - 100 neons gracing this


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## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

Very dramatic looking. The foot print is perfect for several groups of Corys. I'm interested to see how you do it. I'm never able to maintain open space on the substrate for them and from experience they love those open patches of sand to scurry around in


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

StevieD said:


> Very nice! I can imagine white sand and half a dozen Discus and 75 - 100 neons gracing this


It might look deceptively larger than it really is. Definitely not a great tank for Discus and I think more like 20 neons would be appropriate. It is still only a 33 gallon tank.


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## Ben Belton (Dec 12, 2008)

Interesting size tank. Does it have the same footprint as a 55? I bet it is great for a Crypt tank since most of those don't get too big. Might have a little trouble with that C usteriana eventually though.Does it have the same footprint as a 55? Years ago Amano did an amazing tank with only Crypts. Looking forward to seeing where you get with yours.


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

Yah same footprint as a 55 but about 8 inches shorter. 

Yah long term some fo the Crypts might be too tall because it is such a low tank but I have other tanks I may be able to move them to. Once I get a larger tank for my Congo/African fish (thinking about a 5' long 100 gallon for them) I want to make my 46 bowfront a SE Asia tank and will probably use some tall Crypts for the background. 

Since I am a horticulturist and garden designer I am getting as into specific plant keeping as I am fish keeping. For a while it was fish first but now that I am getting the hang of keeping aquatic plants I am starting to think more along the lines of "What fish can be a good accent for this plant?" if that makes sense.


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## Axelrodi202 (Jul 29, 2008)

I am guessing you got your 'hudoroi' from Buceplant.com. It is not actually hudoroi.


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## Ben Belton (Dec 12, 2008)

Triport said:


> Since I am a horticulturist and garden designer I am getting as into specific plant keeping as I am fish keeping.


Check out the biotype section of the AGA competition. Sounds like something you might be interested in.


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

Axelrodi202 said:


> I am guessing you got your 'hudoroi' from Buceplant.com. It is not actually hudoroi.


Actually I ordered from them but they were out of stock. I ended up getting it off of Ebay. Right now it is mostly melted so I can't really tell what it will look like. 

But it wouldn't surprise me particularly. Misidentified plants are very common in the trade. Worse for aquatic plants even than it is terrestrial plants.


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## Detritus (Oct 7, 2017)

Triport said:


> My 40 Breeder was supposed to be a Corydoras tank but I decided to go plant heavy instead so plans have changed. Was kind of looking forward to having a Cory tank though so I got a 20 long out of the garage and decided to set it up.
> 
> I am going to run Co2 on the tank (need to pick up a new canister tomorrow) but it will be low light plants. Anubias and Cryptocorynes.
> 
> ...


Hi, Triport! Great looking tank! As someone who is a little new to the plants themselves, I really appreciate how you labeled all the varieties in your tank photo, that's very helpful!

Best of luck with your corys!

-Detritus


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## irishspy (Oct 22, 2007)

Very nice! Can't wait to see what you do with it.


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

I will probably set this up next week. I have a few of the parts for the larger tank but some others are arriving on Wednesday. In the meantime I have started off by cleaning the tank and painting the back with black acrylic paint. This is ending up taking a few days because I ran out of paint and my kitchen (the only spot I have room to store a 4' tank) gets too dark once the sun goes down to see what I am doing. It usually takes at least 4 coats of paint to be sure the background is fully opaque. I have the first two coats on and will try to finish up tomorrow. 

Not terribly looking forward to disrupting my poor fish when I have to break down the 20 long and then set up the new tank but I have been moving tanks around so much lately I have become a bit of a pro. Hopefully it will go smoothly and they aren't too stressed.


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

Will probably be setting up the 33 later today or tomorrow. In the meantime here is a short video of my Corydoras snacking on frozen bloodworms.


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## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

Those C Eques are crazy looking! I have to have some. I've always aimed to keep 1 species of Cory per tank, but several species looks alot more entertaining...


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

Plants finally arrived so I broke down the 20 long and set up the 33 long in its place. The fish have been moved to a filtered 8 gallon plastic tub where they will spend the night. It was too chilly and got too dark out for me to properly wash the new sand so I just dumped it in and the tank is a bit cloudy. Luckily Caribsea always includes a little packet of a chemical to clear the water so by tomorrow it should be OK and I can plant it and move the fish back.

One unfortunate thing is I had plans to use a large piece of manzanita that I had soaking in a tub in my garage for months. I thought it was no longer floating but as soon as I filled this tank it popped right up to the top. 

Oh well. I have to smaller pieces of hornwood and a bunch of ohko stone and of course all the plants so I think that will be enough.

This is my current view from my desk. Can't wait for the fish to be back in it. They have so much more room than they did in the 20.

New 33 gallon long aquarium by Kaveh Maguire, on Flickr

Bump: Hmm...I guess there is no way for me to change the title of the first post to 33 long instead of 20 long? Does anyone know?


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

Set the tank up today and put the fish back in. Of course I went overboard with new plants and hardscape. I probably could have just used only what I had but any chance I will get to buy new plants I will take. 

New Plants:

Anubias congensis mini (attached to hornwood)
Java Fern 'Thor's Hammer' (attached to a big hunk of Malaysian driftwood I picked up at a LFS)
Bucephalandra 'Flora', 'Red Cherry', 'Peacock', 'Black Venti' (attached to hornwood with the Anubias)
Cryptocoryne striolata
Cryptocoryne X purpurea (tissue culture)
Cryptocoryne spiralis 'Red' (tissue culture)
Riccardia chamaedryfolia (mini pellia) glued to two pieces of petrified wood I picked up at a LFS)

Existing Plants from the 20 long:

Cryptocoryne spiralis
Cryptocoryne retrospiralis (from my 36 gallon)
Anubias barteri var. nana 'Golden'
Anubias nana 'Petite'
Cryptocoryne crispatula var. tonkinensis
Cryptocoryne hudori
Cryptocoryne usteriana 'Red'
Cryptocoryne 'Flamingo'
Lagenandra meeboldii 'Red' (very small piece. not sure if it will make it)
very tiny leaved Anubias unknown variety

side view:

Side view of the 33 long by Kaveh Maguire, on Flickr

front view:

Set up my new 33 gallon long aquarium for my Corydoras by Kaveh Maguire, on Flickr

Riccardia chamaedryfolia glued to petrified wood:

mini pellia (Riccardia chamedryfolia) by Kaveh Maguire, on Flickr


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## Brackon (Nov 30, 2017)

Just a little note on the Orange Otos. I can't remember where maybe a youtube or another forum but I think they are wood eaters so maybe when rescaping add more wood as I only saw the one piece.

I was wondering what you fed all those cats. I am more a pleco guy but my collection of crypts is only a few species behind yours. I wonder how that sand treats you and do you do root supplements? I find it helps a little but not a lot as I expected as I have sand and crushed coral as my substrate so no nutrients in there. Any ferts you use or just waterchanges? You are using CO2 so you most likely do.

This is a great thread and subscribed as I can't wait to see the crypts mature and the cats settle in even more.


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

Thanks! Yah I read that some of the other Otos are wood eaters. My remaining fish does spend a bit of time on the wood but I do also see him cleaning diatoms off the leaves of the plants. 

I feed a mix of frozen bloodworms and pellet foods. I ordered a bunch of sinking pellets from a small supplier called Almost Natural. I got pellets of earthworms, blackworms, shrimp, and spirulina.

I have done fine with just sand as substrate with no root supplements for the plants. So far in my other tanks Crypts have done fine under these conditions. I have read that Crypts are heavy root feeders and need some sort of good substrate or root tabs but I have not found that to be the case. I do have Co2 in this tank though as even though they will survive without it the difference between high tech and low tech is huge. Lighting is fairly low though so I am only using Flourish and Flourish Trace in this tank. No additional NPK or other fertilizers for now. If I see the need in the future I may modify that but it seems to work out OK in my other low light tanks (one with Co2 and one without). Too much ferts in low light just seems to make the algae explode, even with the Co2 in my experience. I did have a pretty bad diatom outbreak in the 20 long before I broke it down though so I do want to get some more Otos soon to deal with that. I am thinking of getting shrimp for this tank too as I don't think Corys will harm them. Thinking about orange Sakura shrimp.

Here is a video of them checking out their new home:


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## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

Triport said:


> Plants finally arrived so I broke down the 20 long and set up the 33 long in its place. The fish have been moved to a filtered 8 gallon plastic tub where they will spend the night. It was too chilly and got too dark out for me to properly wash the new sand so I just dumped it in and the tank is a bit cloudy. Luckily Caribsea always includes a little packet of a chemical to clear the water so by tomorrow it should be OK and I can plant it and move the fish back.
> 
> One unfortunate thing is I had plans to use a large piece of manzanita that I had soaking in a tub in my garage for months. I thought it was no longer floating but as soon as I filled this tank it popped right up to the top.
> 
> ...


It may only allow it for a certain time frame. I editted mine the same way you would edit a post. Just went to the top and changed the title.


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## Williak (Jun 26, 2012)

Go to “edit” the first post

Go to “advanced” 

At the top you’ll see where to edit the title, right above the post text

Tank is looking great by the way!! I’d love to trade some crypt plantlets once they’ve grown in some


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

The older I get the less likely I am to remember plant cultivars and names (especially things like Bucephalandra names of which there are a million and many look the same). So I find Flickr a useful tool in remembering. Having a photo of plant placement and name along with the date the photo was taken so I know how long I have had the plant has been invaluable for my garden and now for my tanks as well. Their new editing tool so I can lable the plants right on the photo is nice too.

Left side of the 33:

33 Long Plant Labels Left Side by Kaveh Maguire, on Flickr

Right side of the 33:

33 Long Plant Labels Right Side by Kaveh Maguire, on Flickr


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## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

That looks fantastic. I know it was mentioned in your other thread, but I've never seen a tank start up and grow in so flawlessly. I don't think I've ever done a total rescape and had it come out as nicely as your newly setup tanks.


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

Thanks. I am actually not terribly impressed with this scape. It isn't exactly the easiest tank size to scape and I was sort of limited with what mats I had leftover or could get locally. But really the focus on this tank is more the fish and if the plants grow in and do well I will be happy. I am really doing forward to doing a scape for a SE Asian tank that I have in my mind but it probably won't happen for a while. Too many life and home things I have up in the air at the moment.


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## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

Triport said:


> Thanks. I am actually not terribly impressed with this scape. It isn't exactly the easiest tank size to scape and I was sort of limited with what mats I had leftover or could get locally. But really the focus on this tank is more the fish and if the plants grow in and do well I will be happy. I am really doing forward to doing a scape for a SE Asian tank that I have in my mind but it probably won't happen for a while. Too many life and home things I have up in the air at the moment.


I know how that is, but you've got the touch. It looks really good already. Once it grows in it will look killer. You wont need to balance the height as much since it's shorter. It will be at least 6 months before I can get my 265 going and I'm already wanting something Pelvicachromis Taeniatus and maybe Congo Tetras and Botia loaches... It's never ending.


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## stussy28 (Mar 17, 2016)

Tank looks great. How is the flamingo doing for you? Is it staying pink? That hudoroi looks great.


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

Check out my Flamingo in my 40 breeder, grown in high light, in my high tech tank. It is awesome. When I had them in my 20 long they got covered in diatoms and they have not yet recovered so we'll see how they do in this tank.


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## stussy28 (Mar 17, 2016)

Triport said:


> Check out my Flamingo in my 40 breeder, grown in high light, in my high tech tank. It is awesome. When I had them in my 20 long they got covered in diatoms and they have not yet recovered so we'll see how they do in this tank.


Wow!! That flamingo looks amazing. I haven’t seen one that big that has pink leaves. Has it sent out any runners?


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

Not yet but honestly it is such an easy plant. I got mine as a tissue cultured plant from Buceplant and there were enough divisions for about 8 or so plants. I gave a bunch to a friend.


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## StevieD (Jun 17, 2017)

Triport said:


> Not yet but honestly it is such an easy plant. I got mine as a tissue cultured plant from Buceplant and there were enough divisions for about 8 or so plants. I gave a bunch to a friend.



Interested in seeing how it progresses  Nice one!


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

Moved my 3 Scleromystax barbatus out of quarantine and into the 33 long today. Also added 2 Otocinclus from the quarantine tank because there are some diatoms on the plants and the single orange Oto can't keep up with it. I probably won't place an order for fish until after Christmas (don't want to fly fish into the LA area while fires are raging in the Ventura/Santa Barbara area. Might delay a shipment) so I don't want diatoms in this tank to get out of hand. 

S. barbatus males are territorial with each other and can be violent and kill each other. Apparently the same is true of long nosed Corydoras like my C. semiaquilus. I had no idea of this when I bought them. It isn't that widely publicized. If I had known I would have just bought a pair. Should just be conspecifics but I am a bit concerned about how they will all get along because they are sort of similar in appearance at the moment (though the C. semiaqulius are currently larger). We'll see how things go. As I was typing this I did just see one of the S. barbatus lash out at one of the others. Something I never noticed in the quarantine tank. The two in this picture seem to always hang out together and the third is usually off on its own. 

Two of my 3 Scleromystax barbatus by Kaveh Maguire, on Flickr


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## Brackon (Nov 30, 2017)

Triport said:


> Moved my 3 Scleromystax barbatus out of quarantine and into the 33 long today. Also added 2 Otocinclus from the quarantine tank because there are some diatoms on the plants and the single orange Oto can't keep up with it. I probably won't place an order for fish until after Christmas (don't want to fly fish into the LA area while fires are raging in the Ventura/Santa Barbara area. Might delay a shipment) so I don't want diatoms in this tank to get out of hand.
> 
> S. barbatus males are territorial with each other and can be violent and kill each other. Apparently the same is true of long nosed Corydoras like my C. semiaquilus. I had no idea of this when I bought them. It isn't that widely publicized. If I had known I would have just bought a pair. Should just be conspecifics but I am a bit concerned about how they will all get along because they are sort of similar in appearance at the moment (though the C. semiaqulius are currently larger). We'll see how things go. As I was typing this I did just see one of the S. barbatus lash out at one of the others. Something I never noticed in the quarantine tank. The two in this picture seem to always hang out together and the third is usually off on its own.
> 
> Two of my 3 Scleromystax barbatus by Kaveh Maguire, on Flickr


I would think that this aggression is much like cichlids in the way that with numbers it is lessened as I know more normal behavior is observed in schooling fish when a suitable group is kept. Maybe the fact that there are other fish in the tank is not enough, they may need a large group of their own species to help move aggression around and make sure one fish cannot harass others to death. 

I have a question as well. Where do you order your fish from? A local fish store or the wetspot maybe? I am hoping to find a cory cat that fits into my 29 gallon that I could keep about 5-8 of without them being any of the pygmy species and not too big that they will uproot plants as I tend to trim often and replant my stems.


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

I order from The Wet Spot. They always have a pretty great selection of Corys. Lots of the common ones and a rotation of the rarer ones as they become available.


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## Brackon (Nov 30, 2017)

Triport said:


> I order from The Wet Spot. They always have a pretty great selection of Corys. Lots of the common ones and a rotation of the rarer ones as they become available.


You responded quick. So any thoughts of a small cory for a 29 gallon with Silvertip tetras? 
I'm not against the idea of a Scleromystax species or aspidoras if I like them enough.


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

Honestly there are so many to choose from you can't really go wrong just picking the ones you like the look of. As I said though supposedly the long nosed ones can be territorial with each other so stick with the regular ones.

Bump: I think my faves are probably C. duplicareus and C. Gold Laser.


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## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

I really had no idea there was so much variability in the appearance. Most of the ones I see available look fairly similar (Pandas, Skunk, Adolfoi, Duplicareus) but yours are significantly different from what I have come to expect. 
My top 75 is pretty dense with plants and hardscape so not a ton of open floor space. I've got 12-14 Pandas in there. Could I add another group of something more interesting? Like the Eques? Maybe 8?

Also I plan to turn my 265 into a big community of my favorites. Mostly Rainbows... but it will have a spawning pair of Thomasi and 1 maybe 2 pair of the Nigerian Red Kribensis. Is that a large enough footprint to keep Corys with Kribs? I think it's 90"?? I don't have the dimensions handy.

Bump: 85" L 24" W 30" H. Just checked the website.


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## Brackon (Nov 30, 2017)

The Dude1 said:


> I really had no idea there was so much variability in the appearance. Most of the ones I see available look fairly similar (Pandas, Skunk, Adolfoi, Duplicareus) but yours are significantly different from what I have come to expect.
> My top 75 is pretty dense with plants and hardscape so not a ton of open floor space. I've got 12-14 Pandas in there. Could I add another group of something more interesting? Like the Eques? Maybe 8?
> 
> Also I plan to turn my 265 into a big community of my favorites. Mostly Rainbows... but it will have a spawning pair of Thomasi and 1 maybe 2 pair of the Nigerian Red Kribensis. Is that a large enough footprint to keep Corys with Kribs? I think it's 90"?? I don't have the dimensions handy.
> ...


In a 265 you could easy keep cories and kribs. Is there a known problem with keeping them together in small tanks I'm not aware of? I would think you should be able to do it in anything 40 gallons or larger. If you wanted you could even go for some larger species like brochis multiradiatus if you wanted as I think they are quite cool even if they have little color and have only seen them in person once.

Bump:


The Dude1 said:


> I really had no idea there was so much variability in the appearance. Most of the ones I see available look fairly similar (Pandas, Skunk, Adolfoi, Duplicareus) but yours are significantly different from what I have come to expect.
> My top 75 is pretty dense with plants and hardscape so not a ton of open floor space. I've got 12-14 Pandas in there. Could I add another group of something more interesting? Like the Eques? Maybe 8?
> 
> Also I plan to turn my 265 into a big community of my favorites. Mostly Rainbows... but it will have a spawning pair of Thomasi and 1 maybe 2 pair of the Nigerian Red Kribensis. Is that a large enough footprint to keep Corys with Kribs? I think it's 90"?? I don't have the dimensions handy.
> ...


In a 265 you could easy keep cories and kribs. Is there a known problem with keeping them together in small tanks I'm not aware of? I would think you should be able to do it in anything 40 gallons or larger. If you wanted you could even go for some larger species like brochis multiradiatus if you wanted as I think they are quite cool even if they have little color and have only seen them in person once.


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## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

Brackon said:


> In a 265 you could easy keep cories and kribs. Is there a known problem with keeping them together in small tanks I'm not aware of? I would think you should be able to do it in anything 40 gallons or larger. If you wanted you could even go for some larger species like brochis multiradiatus if you wanted as I think they are quite cool even if they have little color and have only seen them in person once.


I didn't get too far into the tank size restrictions for Corys and Kribs. I found an equal number of people saying they were ok together as people saying they were a recipe for disaster. I know some of the rules change with really large tanks, but before I spend $400+ on them (Eques) I wanted to ask. I plan to scape that tank differently. Open sand in front.to encourage them to stay up there and dense planting around hardscape and territories in the other areas. Everyone has an opinion, but not everyone keeps both species so I appreciate the help!


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## Brackon (Nov 30, 2017)

The Dude1 said:


> I didn't get too far into the tank size restrictions for Corys and Kribs. I found an equal number of people saying they were ok together as people saying they were a recipe for disaster. I know some of the rules change with really large tanks, but before I spend $400+ on them (Eques) I wanted to ask. I plan to scape that tank differently. Open sand in front.to encourage them to stay up there and dense planting around hardscape and territories in the other areas. Everyone has an opinion, but not everyone keeps both species so I appreciate the help!


I haven't kept cories with kribs before never even owned a krib but I would imagine they are similar to Apistos which I've had before with sterbai and pygmy cories no problem in a 20 I think. This was something like 4-5 years ago now. Other people chime in if I'm crazy but I wouldn't see and issue between kribs and cories especially in a 265


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

Open sand up front won't keep Corys there. They will explore every corner of the tank. They will happily push their way into dense thickets of stem plants. They get spooked easily and will rush to the back to hide behind plants are hardscape. They are intrepid little explorers and don't have an understanding of territories or personal space. That is the only reason I think there could be an issue keeping them with kribs. But again I do not have mine with Kribs so I could be wrong. Or maybe it won't be that bad. But just from the experience of keeping both fish when my kribs are breeding the fish they harass the most are my Synodontis because they are the ones that get closest to the babies. But S. nigriventis aren't completely bottom dwellers so the harassment is not constant. 
My keyhole cichlids, who also breed at the lower levels of the tank (they make pits in the sand or on flat surfaces at the bottom), hate the Corys I have with them, even when they aren't breeding, and are always nipping at them. Hasn't been that big of an issue. No one has died. But I do hear stories of Kribs going on murdering sprees when they are breeding so I would just proceed with caution and make sure you have a tank you can move the kribs to if you need to.


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

Some video of the Corydoras feeding including the new Scleromystax barbatus. You can see how much smaller they are than the big fat Corys but eventually they will grow almost twice as big. This tank brings me such joy. I think everyone should have a Corydoras tank next to their desk. They are such charming little fish.


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## StevieD (Jun 17, 2017)

I have kept Kribs and Cory's separately and together. My only concern would be keeping Kribs in a planted tank. If they decide that *this* is their spot to breed they will move rocks and /or wood that you would not believe them capable of doing. They can be *extremely* territorial especially if their babies are around, I have kept several pairs in a 180 and while they would get what my wife calls a little snippy with one another I never once saw any dead as a result. 

https://www.scotcat.com/factsheets/scleromystax_barbatus.htm

In this report it is stated that S barbatus males can be quite aggressive towards one another , it is not a behavior I have seen in the past but if there are two different reports of them being this way I think we can pretty much take it is as read this is something to be aware of, and maybe put the one in a tank on its own.


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

My tank is 48" long so I wonder if more than one male will be OK. That article says more than one should be kept in a tank at least 36" long. At this point though they are too small to sex so it isn't a worry. And if I need to separate them I have other tanks I can utilize. That is why I only got 3.


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## StevieD (Jun 17, 2017)

I found these two articles on Scleromystax barbatus and thought others might like to read about this particular species 

https://www.planetcatfish.com/common/species.php?species_id=26

https://www.planetcatfish.com/shanesworld/shanesworld.php?article_id=258


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## klibs (May 1, 2014)

those corys are beautiful!


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## StevieD (Jun 17, 2017)

If you want some really cute Cory's check out the Corydoras Habrosus, aka Salt and Pepper Cory's. Maximum length one and a half inch, best kept in shoals of six or more, often found swimming in mid-water. 

http://www.fishbase.org/photos/Pict...e=1&StartRow=0&ID=46083&what=species&TotRec=3

I have a dozen on order in the new year, maybe more depending on the spare pennies come January. Darned Grand-kids are expensive at this time of year.

Altogether too many fish left at the end of the money!


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

Tank is doing well. Some BBA on the leaves of some of the Crypts and Anubias but it seems to be more or less under control with triple dosing of Excel. I am overdue for a water change on this tank (trying to slowly catch up tank by tank but 7 tanks is a lot to manage) and I will try to prune some of it out then. Really want to add more Corys but I am in the process of trying to buy this house that I have been renting for 6 years so things are a bit up in the air for the time being. Trying not to add any more fish until I know for sure if I will be buying. I have been going back and forth with which species I want to add next anyway. Love the C. duplicareus and C. gold laser I have in my 36 gallon so would like to add more but I also saw some C. similis at The Wet Spot that were really adorable so considering them as well.

33 gallon long Aquarium by Kaveh Maguire, on Flickr


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## finfan (Jun 16, 2008)

Triport said:


> Tank is doing well. Some BBA on the leaves of some of the Crypts and Anubias but it seems to be more or less under control with triple dosing of Excel. I am overdue for a water change on this tank (trying to slowly catch up tank by tank but 7 tanks is a lot to manage) and I will try to prune some of it out then. Really want to add more Corys but I am in the process of trying to buy this house that I have been renting for 6 years so things are a bit up in the air for the time being. Trying not to add any more fish until I know for sure if I will be buying. I have been going back and forth with which species I want to add next anyway. Love the C. duplicareus and C. gold laser I have in my 36 gallon so would like to add more but I also saw some C. similis at The Wet Spot that were really adorable so considering them as well.
> 
> 33 gallon long Aquarium by Kaveh Maguire, on Flickr



very nice, just went through the thread enjoyed it, looking forward to seeing it mature


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

This little guy is so awesome. Tiny, and adorable little thing. Sadly of the 3 I bought 2 of them were dead by the third day but the survivor is doing fine. Considering getting some more but they were so expensive ($13 each) to be so delicate. Hypoptopoma sp. 'Peru' (Orange Otocinclus). Thinking of maybe getting a few other of the fancy Otos as well. 

Hypoptopoma sp. `PERU' (orange Oto) by Kaveh Maguire, on Flickr


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## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

You know I prefer groups, but your tanks have shown me the advantages of variety... a group of at least 3 would be really cool, but I very much understand the concerns of cost vs hardiness. I say get 3 or 4 more.. but I have learned of several of my now favorite fish from you.


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## mbkemp (Dec 15, 2016)

Those orange ottos are sweet. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

Broke down my two 3 gallon Betta tanks and moved the Bettas into other community tanks. 7 aquariums is just too much to deal with. I moved a great little piece of driftwood covered with Anubias and Buce from one of them into this tank. Otherwise not much exciting to report. Bit of an algae problem from time to time but I have been triple dosing Excel and I trim off the worst leaves as needed. Overall the plants are doing well but obviously Buce and some species of Cryptocoryne are slow growing. The Corydoras have all been fine but today I randomly lost a C. semiaquilas. No visible signs of sickness he just started laying on his side two days ago and struggling. Not sure if one of the others did some damage to him (no visible wounds) or it was something else. Everyone else looks OK so I hope it was just random.

33 long Corydoras Aquarium by Kaveh Maguire, on Flickr

Little Crypt and Buce arch from my Betta tank.

Driftwood arch covered in Anubias nana 'Petite' and Buce by Kaveh Maguire, on Flickr

Corydoras eques trio looking fat and happy.

Corydoras eques by Kaveh Maguire, on Flickr


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

FYI not all Corydoras are peaceful. The long snouted ones can be very aggressive toward their own species and can even kill each other over territory disputes. I didn't know this when I bought 5 C. semiaquilus. Over the past few months one by one they have been dying. I didn't see any marks on their bodies and I hadn't seen any aggression by any of them so I assumed it was just random unexplained deaths (you know how it goes. sometimes fish just die and you are never sure what happened). Well I am down to two now and I thought well maybe they are a pair. Doesn't seem to be the case. Witnessed them really going at it the other day. I haven't seen this level of aggression from them before. Plan on separating one of them and putting it in my quarantine tank.

In other news since I did a big water change about a week ago and since then one of my ember tetras has been swimming upside down and struggling from time to time. This is usually a sign of imminent death in a fish so small but oddly he has survived over a week like this and much of the time looks perfectly healthy. Weird.


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