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Okay - I have 4 Cory Cats (I think they're all the same coloring too - I think they're all Pepper or something like that?

Anyways, they used to be 2 and 2 (2 different tanks) and the 2 in one tank were inseperable and the other 2 in the other tank never socialized. Now that I moved the four together, 3 of them always hang out/sleep/play together and there is one that just sort of swims around, eating/nuzzling the bottom of the tank like the "typical catfish". He /she rarely hangs out with the other three.

Can you think of a reason why this may be? I'm beginning to think he's not really a Cory Cat, because he does look slightly different (his front "feelers" are short and the other three Cories' "feelers" are longer - and no, it doesn't look like they got hurt in anyway.

I wish I could really determine the gender of these guys. I read the sticky on gender, but it isn't helping me much.

Maybe I'll try to take some pictures.

Have you seen the photos and profile on this site? It's really helpful and informative. Here's the link to the one for Peppered Cories: http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/sp ... ies_id=271

There's even a little bit of info in there about the other fish that are sometimes confused with Peppered Cories. That may help you to sort out your fish's identities.

I have one Peppered Cory in with other kinds of cories. Sometimes he hangs out with the others, at other times he does his own thing, which is quite weird--he swims upside down, riding bubbles across the tank. My cories, when they're feeling well that is, all have distinct little habits and behaviors. I have one albino cory, for example, who likes to hang out on a leaf of my silk plant that is next to the tank heater. He or she gets the leaf to curve just right so it's near but not touching and then naps there, like it's a hammock. This happens almost every day. I think it's the same cory every time, but it's hard to be certain.

My pepper cories don't always stick together either. I don't think that, that is a problem.

Post a photo, I found that my cories barbels only really started growing as they matured sexually.

You may well have one Cory of a different species. I have a breeding group of 8 which pretty much stay together most of the time. Sexing adults is very eay. The females get hugely fat and large. Males are slender, have well developed pointed dorsal fins and slender tapered bodies. I suspect yours are not full grown yet.

I have 3 sterbai and 2 pepper in a 60L at the moment. All of them play together except 1 sterbai. This one is really small compared to the other sterbai's. I just assume because he is abit smaller that he isnt in their social group. I does join them in games of tag but somtimes he is by himself alot aswell. I just assume when he gets older he will be in the group more. Sorry to hijack the thread.