Corydoras Poison Barbs, Oxygen, and Fry

[BaylorPerez]

little to my knowledge does cory catfish go up to the surface then dart back down to the waterbed.
 
So i am aliitle confused on to why my catfish are almost bolting from their idle positions on the ground(sandbed) to the water surface(waterline) and then going back down to the sandbed.
 
I have a 50Watt air pump with a air stone attached to it so my water gets the added O2 that it would need. As well as for my plants in the tank. Their are some air bubbles on the surface but most of them go away once they hit the surface and give the water the 02.
 
Now i do have a question. Is this normal for the corys as their may not be enough 02 alongside the sandbed, or is this normal behavior of a cory?

 

[Brodeur30]

I've heard of them almost playing, especially in groups, but that is a little weird. Is the ammonia level normal?

 

[BaylorPerez]

0.0Ppm Ammonia, nitrite 0.0Ppm, nitrate 10.0 Ppms

 

[DWC]

"Bolting" to surface and then returning to substrate is classic normal healthy Corydoras activity.

David

 

[Byron]

I agree.  Corydoras fish have a necessity for air, and they will periodically dart to the surface and swallow a mouthful of air which is then passed to the intestines where blood vessels take up the oxygen.  The "used" air is passed out the vent when the fish surfaces for the next gulp of air.  Otocinclus also do this, for the same reason, and there may be others.
 
"Normal" with respect to this activity can be varied; many of my corys rarely do this, but I have others that are more regular.  When it becomes an issue is if the fish significantly increase doing it.  This would mean that something is wrong, be it oxygen shortage, or some other issue.  Once you get experience with corys and other fish, it becomes easy to recognize the difference, as usually there will be other signs such as more rapid respiration of something not quite right.
 
Byron.

 

[BaylorPerez]

it seems to be doing this only about every 10hrs or so, i shouldnt worry unless it happens like every 10 minutes or so?

 

[Byron]

it seems to be doing this only about every 10hrs or so, i shouldnt worry unless it happens like every 10 minutes or so?

 
Every 10 minutes is not problematic, except that if the individual cory is satisfied with every 10 hours, it probably won't increase to every few minutes.  I have corys that I have never seen do this, though I am not in front of the tank for more than a couple hours at a time.  I think the point is that it is normal behaviour, but if it increases it could mean a problem with the water.

 

[BaylorPerez]

alright, i just wanted to make sure i was good with my cory, as only 1 of my corys is doing this from what i can tell

 

[BaylorPerez]

So reading more about my albino corys i had noticed some articles have said that their fins above their head(pectoral i believe) have poison laced barbs when threatened, or when scared. Should i be worried about this when i put my hand into my tank to get out the large plant matter within it. Or this this barb not sharp enough to pierce human skin(mainly arm/hand/wrist skin)? also does this hurt my other community fish(when i feel safe enough to put some in)

 

[fluttermoth]

The barbs are sharp enough to pierce human skin, yes, but it'll be painful, not dangerous, and unless you're very careless or clumsy it's not likely to happen.
 
They'll normally only get you if you try and handle them, but the spines can get stuck in fish nets, so you should always use a container (like an old, clean margarine or ice cream tub) for catching them; releasing stuck fish from nets is how most people get spiked by their catfish. Many catfish and loaches, including plecs, have spikes or barbs, especially on the pectoral fins and gill plates, so they shouldn't really ever be netted, if at all possible.
 
It won't be a problem with other fish, unless you're daft enough to add something big enough to try and eat them; then the cories will use their spikes and can get stuck in the larger fish's throat. You usually lose both fish, if this happens, as there's no way of getting the cory back out

 

[BaylorPerez]

that may be why my old rainbow shark died, he had been pestering the cory when the cory would just sit still in the tank corner. well, i guess this is something i should be careful for when adding new fish to my sponge filter tank. 

but this was 4 weeks ago, so i will never know 

 

[sawickib]

Yea netting some plecos sucks, especially cactus plecos that have very frilly (sharp) scales, i had to use a net to catch a lil guy that was getting bullied in my 180 gallon and it get super stuck and almost hurt him but he got out and was ok.   

Your rainbow probably wasnt killed be the cory though.

 

[BaylorPerez]

well, whatever the reason he died it doesnt matter now as i know he ate a neon of mine

 

[fluttermoth]

I've never heard of a corydoras, of any species, killing another fish, unless it was being eaten. The spines and poison are to deter other fish from eating them, that's all, so it will definitely not have been anything to do with your cory as to why your shark died.
 
I have to say, we're all getting terribly confused as to what's going on with your tanks. You seem to be having constant problems, but your info is so scattered it's very hard for us to help you. 
 
Could you perhaps make a thread detailing exactly what tanks you have, with what fish and any issues you're having, so we can get a better idea of how to help you and your fish?

 

[BaylorPerez]

that may be of help even for me, as it gets hard for me to explain with each tank