Cory Behaving A Bit Funny

[KateW]

I have just posted this in the emergency section too, but I wonder if there are any cory people here who might be able to tell me what is going on?

I am very worried about my little corydoras trillineatus - I have two of them in a small community tank. Yesterday they were both fine, bumbling about on the bottom and resting together. Just a few moments ago I was looking for them in the tank, and one of them is hiding right in the middle of a (fake) plant, pointed straight down towards the bottom. I cannot see the other one at all.

I tested the water this morning as usual (one day later than normally would) and results were fine - pH 7.4m ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 40-80 (not unusual - the tap water has 40 nitrate to start with). I didn't notice the corys then but that is not unusual because they get a bit nervous when I mess with the tank.

So I thought the little cory was dead so I got the net to get him out, and he wriggled away. I tried to move the plant so he could escape if he was stuck, but he just stayed put. He isn't moving much at all.


The only thing that has changed is the addition of a dwarf gourami and a live plant this afternoon, but that was literally three hours ago. The gourami has settled in fine and the other fish (5 guppies, 3 neons) are behaving perfectly normally.

Can anyone help? I don't want my little cory to die and I have no idea were the other one has gone.

Any help would really be appreciated.

 

[Harlequins]

Have you checked your stats since adding the gourami?

Adding stock or messing with the tank in any way could cause a blip in your stats,therefore stressing the fish...

Or possibly the gourami has spooked the corys.

Corys ideally do better in groups of 6 or more.How big is your tank?

 

[KateW]

I haven't checked the stats since adding the gourami, but I'll do that now and let you have the results in a moment. Would corys be more likely to get scared than the other fish?

The tank is 35 litres, and just has the one new plant added today to help with the tap water nitrates, on the advice of the other members of this forum.

 

[KateW]

OK, so I have just retested (API Master test kit) and the stats are the same - pH 7.4, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 40-80. Temperature is a steady 25 degrees.

The cory hiding in the plant hasn't even fluttered a fin, and the other one is nowhere to be seen.