[Avocado Man]

Hi all,

I was contemplating adding some cory catfish to my freshwater aquarium, but then have heard that cories can't tolerate aquarium salt very well. My question is this: can they tolerate just a little bit, or none at all?

Right now I keep my aquarium with one tablespoon per 5 gallons and have a tank of platies and danios. Supposedly it helps keep them healthier.

I suppose another question is whether I can even add 3 cories, given that I'm already at six platies and six danios in a 20 gallon tall tank - I don't want to overstock.

What do you guys think?

 

[susankat]

Cories can't handle salt very much. Actually there is no reason to add salt to a tank unless you are treating an illness that salt will help. Or if the tank is salt or brackish but that is a totally different set up.

If there was no salt in the tank, you could possibly add a few of the smaller cories as long as you keep up with your water changes.

 

[lithium]

I have two albino cories that are doing quite well in a ten gallon but my tank is entirely unsalted.

Make sure you give them plenty of room to swim, they're very strong for their size and I've seen them accidentally knock around other fish while swimming and crash into ornaments and plants.

 

[James0816]

Yep...no salt for Cories.

 

[Northern Hawk]

i know of people who had small amounts of salt in their tank and those cories lasted almost 9 years.... my dad put salt in his 70 GL tank and his lasted just over 10 years! Its not recommended according to alot of experts as i asked about nor is it needed unless your treating the fish for something....

 

[Subaru4wd]

Crap I just read this. I had added salt to my tank when I bought some guppies. I have a 36gal tank with maybe 3tbsp of aquarium salt.

I added it probably 4 weeks ago, but havent added any since and do weekly 10% water changes. I have had my cory for about a week, what can I expect this salt to do to my fish?

 

[BBradbury]

Good morning Avacado. Here's the skinny on the use of salt and livebearers. I've kept Fancy Guppies and Corries together for several years and early on I added a tablespoon of standard aquarium salt for every five gallons of my water replacement tank water. Salt is supposed to be good for maintaining the "slime coat" of livebearing fish. The slime coat is the natural covering over the fishes' skin that protects them against disease causing bacteria.

This much salt in the water is fine for the Livebearers, but the Corydoras can be sensative to it initially. They do get used to it, I had Corries in slightly Brackish water for years with no problems.

A couple of years ago, I went to more heavily planted tanks and can tell you most aquatic plants won't tolerate salty water. Over time, I stopped adding salt and my Guppies have been fine. The Corries likely breathed a sigh of relief when I stopped and the plants are doing well.

Some experts claim it's import to add salt if you have Livebearers, but I think a well planted tank will do the job of maintaining good water conditions, so you don't need to be concerned about fish diseases.

B

 

[BBradbury]

Avacado Man. The standard stocking number for Corydoras is one per every five gallons of tank water. Four small Corries would do well in a 20 G tank. They're generally bottom feeders and will help clean up the food scraps in your tank.

They're very peaceful and do well in most community tanks. Keep two or more together. I have a number of different varieties and they all swim together.

B