Hypo Cories??

[Megan]

I have a bronze cory that is about 4+cm, who was on his own (with clown and kuhli loaches and rasboras) he was the only cory. Last night I put the contents of my small 2' tank into the new (cycled) 4' tank which had rasboras and 4 small bronze corys which I bought to be company for the one that I already had. I have read that they need to be in groups. I thought that I was doing him a favour!!! But as soon as he went into the new tank the 4 small corys started harassing him. They chase him everywhere - he does not get a minutes peace. They are going at his face and mouth. I have not seen that there is any damage to his mouth, but he is never allowed to sit still they chase him all the time. Should I give the 4 new ones back to the lfs or will they settle down. I work on the principle that first in best dressed. I have had the large cory for about 2 years so I figure that he should get the preference. If I have to get rid of the new ones what else can I put with my cory or perhaps he is a lone fish and does not need company.

Any help would be great as I hate to see him so stressed. He is panting all the time (is panting a fish word?)

Thanks

Megan

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

I have never heard of bronze corys been aggressive towards each other, more likely they are playing with each other which is normal behavior for corys to chase each other around in groups. Also when a female is full of eggs and ready to mate the males will swim around the tank with her feeling her all around to stimulate her to lay her eggs- they will do the classic "T" position where one of the males will aproach her from the side and try to wrap himself around her in a sense. Males and females will also practice this behavior when making social bonds with each other even if it does not result in the female laying eggs, it is a sort of bonding behavior corys do rather to the equivilant of grooming each other.

 

[Megan]

Since my last posting I have taken the 4 baby cories back to the lfs. I exchanged them for another 4 kuhlis. That makes 11 of them in all now.

The small cories didn't seem to be actually hurting the older one just chasing it to the point that it could no longer swim and was lying on the bottom upside down with all of its fins out, panting heavily. That was when I decided that, last in first out, and had the great job of catching them. I managed, and the lfs agreed to swap them for something else which suited me.

The original cory is now sitting happily in a heap with the 2 clown loaches in amongst the plants. He (or she) does go off and swim around the tank but goes back to where the loaches are. How do you tell male from female corys??

I have taken some video of the cory (cut and paste the link below) sometimes he goes up and down the sides of the tank with the clowns sometimes on his own.

Can anyone tell me if this is a "happy" dance or a stressed one?

www.users.on.net/~maddia/cory.wmv

Thanks (sorry I thought that you would just be able to click the link and go straight to it, but no!)


Megan

 

[Ben]

i think you made a mistake giving them back,
cories are very active little fish and dont mind being in groups,sometimes they pile on top of eachother when bored,
i think they were just saying "hi" to their new friend

 

[Megan]

I thought that at first, but then they chased it so much that it lay upside down on the bottom gasping.

Perhaps I will get more of them later after all the fish are settled in more.

I may have been panicing for nothing but it really looked distressed and that really upset me.

Megan

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

What is your filtration like? corys will play with each other no matter what, but oxygen can be low at the bottom of the tank at times and this can knacker them out, so good filtration not only at the top of the tank but also at the bottom is a must if you are going to have healthy active bottom dwelling fish- also ammonia(which is a poisonus toxin released from fish waste and decaying matter/food etc) is more concentrated at the bottom of the tank so even though many corys are hardy little fish you should try to keep water quality as good as posible with weekly 30% minimum water changes with dechlorinator and gravel vaccing/syphoning the bottom of the tank is a must.

 

[Megan]

I have a 1500 litres per hour canister filter on the tank and I have the outlet breaking the top of the surface to aerate it. I also have an airstone in the tank at the back at the bottom. My tank is 120cm X 45cm X 45cm.

He seemed fine (not gasping) after the other fish left. The small corys were happily playing with each other it was only a problem when they ganged up on the older one. At first I thought it was playing too but this was persistant - they never left him alone or still.

Tank is new. Finished its cycle. Nitrate and nitrite tests are fine. I also have an amonia remover in the filter. Will be doing a water change tomorrow anyhow.

The large cory and the loaches were only moved into the tank just over 24 hours ago.

Thanks for the help.

Megan

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Do you think you will ever get him tank mates of his own kind again? Maybe if you do get some, only add one per week so he can cope with the change much better- corys are meant to be in small groups

 

[Megan]

Yes I will get him some friends. He has been the only cory with 2 clown loaches and 2 goldfish in a 2' tank for about 2 years. The goldfish were given to the people next door. The clowns and the cory went into the new tank together and today they are hanging out in a pile together. He seems happier today.

I also think that 1 friend to start with would be easier for him to cope with. Perhaps my "him" is a "her" and all of the small ones were all boys??? Anyway he or she was really stressed and that wasn't fair as they were the new residents.

I thought that I was doing the right thing getting him friends for when he went into the new tank. I found out about 2 months ago that they like to have friends, which was when I really started researching. In my defence I originally bought 2 of them but 1 died. I had planned on having 4 or 5 eventually, so I guess I just can't have them all in one go.

Thanks for your input.

Megan