New Corys Seem Sad

[akudewan]

I got 6 peppered corys for my 23 gal tank, 2 days ago. They seem to be very sad. By "sad", I mean they just sit at the bottom, hardly moving. This isn't unusual for new fish, but most fish seem to get comfortable within a day.

I have lots of hiding places and plants. Is there anything more that I can do? I'm worried about them,

The serpae tetras aren't really bothering them, but they are interested in the dirt that they disturb when they move occasionally.

Thanks in advance.
-Aku

 

[osteoporoosi]

Peppered corys prefer cool water, 20-24 celcius. Maybe your temp is a bit high for them? Other water parametres could help too!

 

[akudewan]

Oh dear, my water temperature is 27°C. I have been doing WC's with cool water, but the temperature just doesn't seem to drop. (The room temperature at present is 30°C...thats a winter afternoon in Bombay)

Will it be safe to add an ice-cube or two?

As far as other water paramets are concerned, I don't have a testing kit. They're really costly here, (2000 rupees for a kit, and I got my 23gal tank for 600 rupees, so that's something!!).

But I'm pretty sure that ammonia and nitrite are under control, as the tank is "mature", and I've been doing regular wc's.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi akudewan

It might be true that there are other kinds of corys more suited to your climate than the C. paleatus, but right now they are the ones you have and the ones you need to help.

New corys are often timid and usually settle in after a while. But, since they are cool water fish which have been shipped around in a hot climate, the stress might have left them open to illness. Be on the lookout for any sign that they could have picked up a bacterial infection. Under the best of circumstances, shipping is hard on fish, so if they recently arrived at your lfs, they are still recovering from that.

It's best not to do anything to change the temperature quickly because this will only be a temporary change and rather than giving them relief, will only stress them further. It might be better to try putting a fan on the tank or even moving the tank to a place in your home where it might be even a little cooler, if this is possible. Adding an airstone might help too, because it will move the surface of the water which will help cool the tank and will add oxygen, which might be low since the tank is warm.

Are they eating? Are they any more active in the evenings or at night?

 

[osteoporoosi]

Remove also your tank covers to cool the temp a bit(if you have any). Good luck with the guys, hopefully they will cheer up!

 

[akudewan]

Hi everyone.

Thanks for all the help. The corys haven't eaten yet. But they do get a little active when the lights go out. The tank is planted, so I have to keep the lights on for 12 hours.

I touched the top of the hood when the lights were on, and boy was it HOT!! It's is made if aluminium. I removed the hood for a while now, and the temperature has dropped by one degree.

I'm thinking of using some ice in a bag when I turn on the lights tomorrow. You see, I have this "margin" all around the top of my tank, where I can place something (which makes it impossible for me to use a HOB filter). Maybe I can put the ice here.

 

[akudewan]

Hi again,

Day 4, and still no improvement seen in the corys' behaviour.

Today, the temperature has dropped by one degree, bringing it around 27 degrees celcius. (it had risen to 28 yesterday) Personally, I don't think the temperature should affect the fish so much. It's usually very warm all year long in Bombay, and even goldfish have adapted to the climate. People have even bred goldfish at 30 degrees, and since the corys were born and brought-up in warm water, maybe even they have adapted to the climate.
(I'm certian that the fish weren't bred/born/shipped from outside the city).

I noticed another thing today. The serpae tetras are nipping on the corys whenever they start moving. They aren't nipping as much as barbs, but yes, a nip here and a nip there...Could this be stressing them and forcing them to remain stationary?

I have a 6gallon with a betta and 2 albino corys. Should I consider moving the 6 peppered in this tank? Ofcourse, it will get a bit overstocked, but I don't have much of a choice...

Another choice would be to return the serpae tetras to my lfs.

Edit: I don't see any signs of bacterial infection

 

[akudewan]

Day 5: They were a little more responsive during feeding time. But still just sitting around doing absolutely nothing

I've posted some pics here: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=118185

 

[Inchworm]

Hi akudewan

I saw the pictures of your corys and they look good and healthy. I think it's just the heat that's got them slowed down. Is this normal weather that will stay for a long time, or just a hot spell? Will it get worse during your summer?

I wouldn't overcrowd your smaller tank with that many corys, but how about moving the 2 corys from there in exchange for the tetras?

 

[akudewan]

Day 6: No significant development.

Whenever the corys move, the serpae tetras go behind them, and then the corys stop moving. Its not like the serpaes are nipping them, they are just following, more interested in the dirt that they disturb in the substrate.

As far as the temperature is concerned, I have been trying and trying to bring it down, but it just won't fall. It's now at 29 degrees celcius. Strange this is, even in the hot days of May and September, the temperature never rose over 31.

So now I have decided to take the following steps:
1) Keep trying to reduce the temperature, slowly, avoiding stress.
2) Remove the serpae tetras for a day or two (in a spare tank) and see if the corys are more comfortable.
3) Put the two albino corys from the smaller tank to the 23gal, (after proper acclimatisation)

I saw the pictures of your corys and they look good and healthy. I think it's just the heat that's got them slowed down. Is this normal weather that will stay for a long time, or just a hot spell? Will it get worse during your summer?

I wouldn't overcrowd your smaller tank with that many corys, but how about moving the 2 corys from there in exchange for the tetras?

Inchworm: Thanks for sticking around and helping me out I owe you one.
As far as the weather is concerned, it does get warmer in summer, but the tank's temperature doesn't go over 31, only the evaporating increases.

I didn't really understand what you mean by "in exchange for the tetras"...could you elaborte?

PS: I tried to net the serpae tetras out of the tank, but its just impossible. First time I tried to use a net in a planted tank. Looks like I'll have to make a trap.
If I put the 2 corys from the small tank into the large one, then there's no way I will be able to get them out. They're really small, just half an inch
Till then, I'm working on lowering the temperature.

 

[akudewan]

Hi guys, its me again,

I've managed to reduce the temperature to 26°C. Still no improvement seen in the peppered corys. I have also put in the albino corys with them. They seem to be enjoying the larger tank.

The serpae tetras have stopped badgering the corys ever since I added the albinos.

I'm thinking I should give the peppered corys to my LFS, I don't want them to start dying one-by-one

 

[Seb R]

They are great fish and its sad to get rid of them, but if you do decide to keep them, a general pointer of "happiness" is how long thier wiskers are, the longer the better! Mabye in the long term you could use sand with them? oh and give them blood worms, they just love rooting around for them.

Hope you have luck with them

 

[akudewan]

Thanks for the kind words. Unfortunately, I decided to return the corys to my LFS. It was very very difficult to keep the temperature below 25°C.

I thought it was the best thing to do. Hopefully, they will get a better home.

Anyways, now I'm looking for more corys, I don't want to keep the 2 albinos all alone. Are there any species that I should *not* buy? (due to the warmer temperature)

-Aku.

 

[Gazoo]

I've posted some pics here: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=118185

akudewan, are those bits of crushed shell in your substrate? If so, I'm curious to hear what your pH is.

 

[akudewan]

Yes, those are crushed shells

I don't have a good pH testing kit, but I have one that comes in strips of paper that changes colour. It gives me a colour between 7 and 7.5