Pygmaeus cories constantly hiding

[Ellenquacker72]

Ive had these 6 pygmy cories for about 2 weeks, with 1 week of quarantine. For the past 2 days i havent really seen them out and about like they normally do. They usually are all grouped together and schooling or something. But now i barely see 2 at one time, and thats when im really looking. I have never really seen them eat, except when theyre digging around doing their little bottom feeder thing. They dont go for the sinking pellets at all, or the flakes, which ive read a lot of them like. I did a 25% water change yesterday, water params : ammo 0 nitrite 0 nitrate <5
I really dont want them to be sick... I would hate to lose them but I also dont want this to be their normal behaviour. I LOVED it when theyd hang out together Any suggestions appreciated.

 

[Ellenquacker72]

Anybody have any experiencewith this?

 

[morningman]

What is the PH and how warm is the tank. For these guys you should have soft, warm water. I usually have mine around 82. Is there a possibility that there is another fish in the tank that is harassing them?

 

[siva]

Yes, mine are just like this. My 8 corydoras hastatus didn't hide so much at first when I had them with just other pygmy cories and chili rasboras, but once I added the slightly larger ember tetras, they hide constantly and rarely come out when the lights are on. My corydoras habrosus aren't much better. If there's larger fish around, that may have something to do with it.

 

[Coursair]

Give them floating plants or a broadleaf plant (dwarf tiger lotus lily for ex) and see if that helps. Also remember these are Wild Caught fish usually. They need time to feel confident and heavily planted tanks can help them feel more secure.

Try frozen brine shrimp or blood worms and see if that brings them out.

I'm seeking C Habrosus myself. They'll have a jungle tank, tho it is getting trimmed today LOL.


View attachment 53866

 

[siva]

My habrosus and hastatus are in a jungle tank and I'm still seeing that behavior.

They may be wild caught but they are pretty darn easy to breed, so not necessarily.

 

[Coursair]

My habrosus and hastatus are in a jungle tank and I'm still seeing that behavior.

They may be wild caught but they are pretty darn easy to breed, so not necessarily.

All the ones around here are WC. But thanks for letting me know that plants won't help as much as i'd thought. So much for that part of my theory.

 

[siva]

I would have thought it would too, but alas, it hasn't. The whole top half of the tank is jammed full of pennywort and a layer of riccia covers the entire surface. What's so wierd is that up until the day I added the ember tetras, the hastatus, habrosus, AND the oto's swam around the tank together like crazy all the time. And then..poof!..nothing. Ever.

 

[Ellenquacker72]

Youre cories are afraid of ember tetras? Arent they tiny? I have platies which i guess are pretty big. But i think theyre also pretty afraid of me. If i sneak up to the tank real slow i usually see 4-5, but not schooling as they were.
The temp. Is about 77 f, ph 8.3 and pretty hard water... Which is good for the platies but not as much for the cories i guess

 

[librarygirl]

I think Pygmys actually prefer cooler water, 73-79 degrees fahrenheit. I have Celestial Pearl Danios with my Pygmy Corys and the Celestials are about the same size as the embers (maybe a tad bigger actually) and my Corys play a lot, I've only had them a week (link in my sig takes you to a video of them playing). My tank temp is 75-76 and PH is 7.2. Unless yours are just not as social for some reason, although you said they were playing and then stopped?

 

[siva]

77 is really perfect for the cories. I wonder if yours are also hastatus or pygmaeus? Those seem to be the real shy ones. My habrosus, even though I only have two of them in comparison to the eight hastatus, are out and about much more often.

 

[Ellenquacker72]

Im pretty sure theyre pygmaeus, judging from the pictures ive seen of the two types. Theyre dark of top, with a black stripe right down to their tail, with no white on the tail, and light underneath.

Theyve gotten a bit better in the last week, theyre still not all out schooling in the middle, but i see them more often.

I thought you had panda cories librarygirl? And yes, mine were out for a week and a half schooling, and looking like they were having fun. Then, they just stopped one day.