Corys

[fatfishman]

Hello i bought 4 julii corys about two weeks ago, and i never actually see them, they have been eating because i always drop some catfish pellets at the front of the tank everyday and when i come back they are always gone, but whenever i am around they just hide. ATM they are only in the tank (Juwel vision 180) with 5 black neons and a pair of dwarf gouramis so they have nothing to hide from.

Would they come out more if bought a couple more to make a bigger group or is it not a good idea to add more to an already established group ?

Are they generally extremely shy, or with time will they come out more ?

Oh and one more question my smallest cory sometimes swims to the top of the tank very fast and seems to take a gulp of air and the hide away again, is this normal ?

Thanks for reading.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi fatfishman

It's not unusual for corys to be shy when they are new to a tank. Eventually they will probably get over it and be more visable.

There are a few things you might want to check on too. Are the water parameters OK? Do the fish appear to have made the transition from the wholesaler, to your lfs, to your tank, without becoming ill? You might have to look for them, but be sure they look healthy. Could the dwarf gouramis be chasing them? (Not too likely.) Is your tank very heavily planted? If so, it might be that they aren't actually hiding, but you still can't see them go about their normal activities.

I've had success with calming shy fish by adding other, more active, corys to the tank. All corys get along with each other, so having different species is never a problem as long as the water temperature they require is the same. C. aeneus, either bronze, albino, or both together, is good for this because they are normally quite active.

It's OK to see a cory shoot to the surface to grab a gulp of air. They are actually able to absorb small amounts of oxygen through their intestines, and this helps when their natural rivers become stirred up and muddy. As long as they don't too it constantly, or lurk about the surface, they are fine.

 

[fatfishman]

Hi fatfishman

It's not unusual for corys to be shy when they are new to a tank. Eventually they will probably get over it and be more visable.

There are a few things you might want to check on too. Are the water parameters OK? Do the fish appear to have made the transition from the wholesaler, to your lfs, to your tank, without becoming ill? You might have to look for them, but be sure they look healthy. Could the dwarf gouramis be chasing them? (Not too likely.) Is your tank very heavily planted? If so, it might be that they aren't actually hiding, but you still can't see them go about their normal activities.

I've had success with calming shy fish by adding other, more active, corys to the tank. All corys get along with each other, so having different species is never a problem as long as the water temperature they require is the same. C. aeneus, either bronze, albino, or both together, is good for this because they are normally quite active.

It's OK to see a cory shoot to the surface to grab a gulp of air. They are actually able to absorb small amounts of oxygen through their intestines, and this helps when their natural rivers become stirred up and muddy. As long as they don't too it constantly, or lurk about the surface, they are fine.

Ok cheers Inchworm tons of info there thanks.

My tank is quite well planted so maybe they do just go about unoticed, going to get a couple more tomorrow now that i know they will be ok.

thanks again