Last night one of my albino cories kept shooting up to the surface for air, then literally twirled around the top of the tank, half of his body out of the water! I never saw them do anything like that before. He did it about 6 times. Seemed to be breathing heavy when he was laying on the bottom of the tank resting. Today he seems ok. Any ideas?
Whirling Corie!!
- Thread starter vanvran
- Start date
bunjiweb
mmmmmmmarines
the oxygen is to help them digest.
Perhaps it had a bit of food stuck and it did this to try and digest the food better.
Ben
Perhaps it had a bit of food stuck and it did this to try and digest the food better.
Ben
Hi vanvran 
While it is common for corys to go to the top for gulps of air, they should not stay up there for long, or appear distressed.
The behavior you described sounds like you might have a problem starting, but it's not clear just yet what it is. It could be that the water is too warm, if you live in a hot place. This could cause the amount of oxygen in the water to decrease. It could also be that there is a problem with your water quality, or that it is the first sign of illness.
I would suggest doing a big water change and tank cleaning at the first sign of strange behavior by a cory. It it often enough to clear up the problem.
Please let me know how things go with him.
While it is common for corys to go to the top for gulps of air, they should not stay up there for long, or appear distressed.
The behavior you described sounds like you might have a problem starting, but it's not clear just yet what it is. It could be that the water is too warm, if you live in a hot place. This could cause the amount of oxygen in the water to decrease. It could also be that there is a problem with your water quality, or that it is the first sign of illness.
I would suggest doing a big water change and tank cleaning at the first sign of strange behavior by a cory. It it often enough to clear up the problem.
Please let me know how things go with him.
Inchworm:
Thanks, I did just do a 50% water change (lots of algea and junk in the water) just two days prior to his whirling. He's been fine since then. However, we did toss the carbon filter out and just have the filter holder in for now--do you think that's a problem? Water is good 0 ammo; nitrates and PH are all normal.
Thanks, I did just do a 50% water change (lots of algea and junk in the water) just two days prior to his whirling. He's been fine since then. However, we did toss the carbon filter out and just have the filter holder in for now--do you think that's a problem? Water is good 0 ammo; nitrates and PH are all normal.
Hi vanvran
I don't know what kind of filter you have, but while you don't need the carbon itself, the carbon and the rest of the insert provide surfaces for the beneficial bacteria to grow on. By getting rid of it, you lost some beneficial bacteria, so it would be good to replace it as soon as possible to avoid problems in the future.
If you have a Whisper or similar filter, you can remove the carbon by making a small hole in the bag and shaking it out. The rest of the insert can continue to be used until it falls apart. Just rinse it in used tank water when it starts to get clogged.
I don't know what kind of filter you have, but while you don't need the carbon itself, the carbon and the rest of the insert provide surfaces for the beneficial bacteria to grow on. By getting rid of it, you lost some beneficial bacteria, so it would be good to replace it as soon as possible to avoid problems in the future.
If you have a Whisper or similar filter, you can remove the carbon by making a small hole in the bag and shaking it out. The rest of the insert can continue to be used until it falls apart. Just rinse it in used tank water when it starts to get clogged.
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