I miss seeing the energy of youth...

[Magnum Man]

there is almost nothing as interesting as a gang of juvenal Cory's... while they are still interesting as they age, once mature they slow down considerably, mine being well fed, seem to start slowing down about 2 years old... in my group of albino aeneus, there are 2 that are going on 4 years, and 7 that are now a couple years old, and they have all claimed the corner of the tank, that the water current pushes the food to, so no more crazed street gang in search of food... maybe as they slow down, someone else in the tank, could claim a nesting spot??? my more newly acquired aeneus long fins, in another tank are alway spread out across the whole tank bottom scavenging...

 

[Back in the fold]

Like puppies and kittens turning into dogs and cats .

 

[Magnum Man]

well said... I don't typically find juvenal fish as interesting, but Cory's are in a pretty small group, that are more interesting as young fish

 

[GaryE]

They don't nest. But they have figured your filtration out, and if it brings food to them, so be it. They aren't dumb.

They'll be a lot less frisky in tanks that are warm for them, and (I hate to bring this up) if they can't sift for food. If the temperature drops, the other fish might be very unhappy, but the Corys will get very active and might even lay eggs. But if everything is stable and predictable, with the food always coming to them, what's there to get excited about?

It's always summertime, and the living is always easy.

 

[lottabubbles]

are you talking about when they reach Fisherty?

 

[CassCats]

In fairness I feel that osteogaster aenea are among the laziest of cories, they're very chill and really like to sit around. Mine do it too.

Meanwhile my brochis splendens are hyperactive and are constantly all over their tank. My oldest of them are about 4 years old, and their babies that I raised from eggs are about 2 years old now. Can't get them to sit still for the life of me.

 

[Magnum Man]

both of these groups of aeneus, are in sand bottom tanks... the barb tank is cooler, 71 - 72 degrees, as those Cory's are the newest / youngest that are here, and still quite active... the patterns they make in the sand, are like crop circles... assume since they are long fins, they will slow down also, with age??? but maybe the cooler temps will keep them more active???

I still do have some older sterbai... only 2 left from their original gang, that are approaching 4 years, in my South American Tetra tank, which is warmer, and on small rounded river gravel, and they are slower as well... I thought about adding more to their group, but not being on sand, I decided, I'd leave them to live out the rest of their lives in peace...

 

[GaryE]

In fairness I feel that osteogaster aenea are among the laziest of cories, they're very chill and really like to sit around. Mine do it too.

Meanwhile my brochis splendens are hyperactive and are constantly all over their tank. My oldest of them are about 4 years old, and their babies that I raised from eggs are about 2 years old now. Can't get them to sit still for the life of me.

That is also true. I see a lot of variation in how my "corys" act. I don't know if it's species specific, set up specific or age. If I put live brine shrimp nauplii into my sand bottomed arcuata tank, those often lazy fish work their butts off snagging shrimp as they settle on the bottom. They are busy. My cf brevirostre are way shyer here, and only seem to come but chugging around when the lights go off.

I bought ten paleatum last week, as they were young, healthy, cheap and showed no long fin mutations. They're very active around food time, but in comparison to my 2 and 3 year old species, about the same as far as grubbing around. I suspect they have only ever seen prepared foods, and I can see them getting very interested in live foods. I don't think they knew how to handle the first feeding here, but once one got it, they all followed her.
I have no older Corys as I distributed mine to friends before I moved out to where I am now.