It's been a while - Cory Catfish Question

[Kerrinne]

It's been a while since I've been here. Life has been busy, and my fish continue to be a wonderful source of enjoyment for me. I have come here today with a couple of questions. One for this area, and I'll post one over the FW plant area in a bit.

This question is in regard to my 3 cory catfish in my 75 gallon tank. There are times when I cannot find one or more of these fish, even when I look under all their hiding spots. I notice from time to time the gravel is piled up, and someone told me that cory catfish will burrow under the gravel. Is this true?

If so, I am going to be so nervous when gravel vacuuming, etc. as I won't know if the fish is under where I'm working!!

 

[Toirtis]

Its not particularly common, but I have seen it happen....but I suspect that in your case, they are just cleverly avoiding you...happens to me a fair bit, too.

 

[TankGirl]

Do they have some kind of structure to hide behind otherwise? I think it is possible for them to create a hidey hole in the gravel in the absence of other adequate cover. Your three will also feel very much more comfortable if you increase their numbers.

 

[Menagerie]

When you do the water changes, my guess is the cories will scutter off with the feeling of vibrations from you moving the gravel vacuum.

 

[rubysoho]

my cories like to investigate the gravel vac I have to be careful to not vacuum them up as well!! I bet your's are just good hiders. They might stay out in the open more often if you add 2 or 3 more.

 

[gheitman]

I recommend both adding 3 more corydoras to your tank and some hiding spots like driftwood or rocks. As I have read elsewhere fish will frequently swim more out in the open if they are given sufficient hiding spots for when they feel in danger.

 

[Kerrinne]

I have plenty of rocks, caves, and other hiding spots for them. And I can almost always see two of them at one time. It's just the third one that seems to hide and only appear once in a blue moon. Like I said, I've looked everywhere for the guy at times (I was worried he was dead and rotting somewhere in the tank once!), and I never found him. I do, however, want to get some driftwood in there!

I had just heard people here locally tell me theirs had been known to bury themselves in the substrate/gravel. And having that one missing and odd little 'mountains' of gravel piled up now and again, I just wondered if that was my one hiding guy.

 

[gheitman]

I have never seen my corys burrow under the gravel although they do shovel the gravel around when hunting for food.

 

[SerLunchbox]

My cory's used to dig under the gravel all the time. More specifically they loved digging under the sand that i have in my tank. One would just ly there burried with its eyes and snout sticking out then when another fish came by it, it just darted out and hid in amongst the wood in my tank.

 

[Kerrinne]

LOL Maybe mine is playing hide and seek too. Who knows!?!

I will be adding three more to the tank, once the three newborn babies from my 10 gallon are big enough not to be eaten by the vultures in my 75 gallon. Yes, I have baby cory catfish! Hurrah!

 

[Apocalypse_Gold]

Cory cat's are very dependent on company. For a while I had only one cory in my 20 gal (I purchased him as a companion for another lone cory who died before the new on got out of qt). Well, he would just sit on one side of the tank all the time. He never crossed to the other half of the tank until I got two more and now he swims all over even if they aren't swimming with him. Cory's are great hiders and will go to great lengths to remain hidden.