Cory's In Hiding.

[Aqua Andy]

Hi,

I have three Juve Corydoras Sterbai which I have owned for coming up to 3 months and they are now not as active as when I first bought them.

At first they used to be exploring all the time hoovering around the tank and were fantastic entertainment for me. Now I'm lucky to see them for a few minutes a day. I have since added a coconut cave and painted the back and one side of the tank black to try and make them feel more comfortable.

I've read frequently on the forum that the more hiding places fish have the more comfortable in their environment they feel and consequentially should be bolder in their activities.

Two of the Cory's use the driftwood for shelter and spend most of time together. The other Cory uses the coconut cave and seems to spend most of the time on it's own.

They all seem to be healthy.

Would they benefit from an increase in group size?


Andy

 

[Mr.September15]

One of my cory's actually do the same while one is getting food the other is hiding in the cave...Until I get my flashlight and light it in there. But I just seem its normal. I'm not sure for now since I just got them yesterday. Im going to examine them more... I feel like a scientist...

-Arrowhead.

 

[Barracuda518]

Would they benefit from an increase in group size?

The more the better. Cories love to be in groups of 5 or 6. Just make sure you have a big enough tank to house them.

EDIT: Are these going to the 10 gallon you have? If so, then you tank probably isnt big enough for more cories with all the other fish you have.

 

[osteoporoosi]

In my opinion 6 is the minimum schoolsize, so adding a couple of more sterbais would probably solve the problem.

 

[Aqua Andy]

I'm going to get a 20-25 UK gallon tank for Christmas. I'd like a Fluval 800 Duo deep.

What I'll probably do is get another 3 Cory's to make a school of 6 and transfer them to that tank.

I'll then get a couple more Oto's for my original tank.


Andy

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Aqua Andy

Have you checked the tank temperature lately?

C. sterbai are warm water corys and if the temperature has dropped, they are apt to become a bit slugish. Also, if they are mature, they are likely to be less active then they were when they were younger.

 

[Aqua Andy]

Hi Aqua Andy

Have you checked the tank temperature lately?

C. sterbai are warm water corys and if the temperature has dropped, they are apt to become a bit slugish. Also, if they are mature, they are likely to be less active then they were when they were younger.

Ahh Inchworm the Corydoras Guru

I keep the tank at 25c is this optimal?

My Cory's are only approximately 1.5" including their tails and I've only had them about 3 months so I don't think they are adults yet?


Andy

 

[osteoporoosi]

25 celcius is fine. If you are purchasing a new tank, you might want to try fine sand as substrate. Corys really enjoy digging around and fine substrate is preferable. My paleatus corys went crazy when I moved them into a sandbottom tank. They were more active and bolder, just digging the sand all day long

 

[Aqua Andy]

Cool.

I was thinking about that. I like the idea of a dark coloured sand.

Is a sand substrate more difficult to maintain?

 

[dwarfgourami]

My peppered corys followed a similar pattern: very active when i first got them, out and about, then after a couple of months they seemed to start hiding in their cave all the time. perhaps that's how long it took them to find the cave. Now I've had them 8 months and they are more outgoing again, but mainly in the morning (before and after the tank lights come on) and after lights out in the evening, so I just have to suit my viewing times to them.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Aqua Andy

IMHO, sand is easier to maintain than gravel because the dirt settles on top of it and doesn't filter down. It will be either picked up by the filter, or you can simply vacuum it out.

The thing about sand is that if it's deeper than an inch, it could develop dangerous gas in it. This can be prevented by stirring it a little, from time to time, but that's just something to be aware of, not to worry about. And the corys do seem to enjoy it.

Your temperature isn't cool enough that it should be causing your fish to slow down, nor are they completely mature, so that's not the problem. I have seen that they do tend to hide if there are places to do it, but they still come out in the evenings and early mornings and evenings to play. If you have the room, why not think about adding a few more of them to increase their school?