Cory dancing?

[tomherndon]

One of my green cories is doing a little dance that may be normal or something bizarre. I've never observed it or seen it mentioned.

It is rising as though it were going to do the Crazycorybreachdash, but it rises just a few inches off the gravel, hangs for a moment and then sinks back tail first. So it looks like a Flipper the dolphin tail dance, just inches off the substrate rather than at the surface of the water. If it were a bird, I would be certain this juvenile was saying "hey baby" to its tankmates.

Any suggestions as to what the behavior may be or may indicate. It seems really cute, but I'd be sad if it was some sign of illness.

 

[Zagz]

Sounds normal to me. My cories do that all the time. If he eats and acts normal otherwise, I wouldn't worry.

 

[tomherndon]

I'm thinking my little green guy has something more going on. Last night he was rolling a little while scooting around. Just trouble staying upright.

This morning he's perched in a corner just above the vented intake for the HOB. (I extended the intake with tubing so that it pulls from one back corner and returns to the other.)

There's a second Cory in with him that is doing great, normal scooting and gravel agitiation (neons follow him to pick off any leftover breakfast he stirs up).

Check water last night and this morning. pH, NO3 and kH are the norms I look at. The 10gal tank has been mid 70's through January.

pH is a hair high 7.2 (both times) the nitrates around 5ppm and a kH around 3. (Val, L repens and hornwort in the tank too.

I'm going to pull ~2gal out and replace wth DeCl tap to see if the pH will drop a hair. (normally 7)

 

[Purrbox]

If the fish is having trouble staying upright, then it's probably a swimbladder related issue. The question then becomes what's causing it.

 

[tomherndon]

A few days later with a pwc and he's still hiding under a rock, I can see him of the reflection from the back pane of the tank and his gillcovers are moving, so he's still kicking, but he hasn't gotten over whatever it is. . . The other cory and 8 neons are fine. . .

he's nameless now, but if he pulls through, he's getting a moniker!