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I have 4 network corys in an 18 ukgal tank and they have been in there for about 8 weeks. They are doing really well but are still very timid.

I know it has been mentioned that they are prob wild caught but I was wondering if it was usual or if there was any chance they may settle down in the end. Its not the tank mates becasue I will come in from work and they will be sitting out and about and as soon as they see me they dart off into a dark corner and hide.

I know they are generally nocturnal but everyone else seems to go on about how active and fun they are, im starting to wish I had gone for something different as the only time i see my corys is after dark if i put a blue light on in the tank - then they are cool to watch!

I have four - might it help if i get more? The thing is they dont school heavily - they tend to stick together but when they come out they will often go round on their own so I was doubting it was a numbers thing - I dont want to get more and it not make a difference as I would like to add some other fish in the future and im running out of space.

They have hiding places but i dont want to take these away as its not really fair!

Getting more of them would probably not be a bad idea (assuming your water change regime allows more bio-load - only you can figure that out - I think I explained how to do that in a previous thread of yours).

Corys aren't generally really nocturnal.

Giving them plenty of hiding places (plants, overhanging rocks, caves/tunnels, etc, etc) will certainly help them feel happy and at home.

Also, they will most likely learn that you mean food if you just keep at it.

My very first ever catfish was a (or one of the similar looking species), and it took months before I ever saw him out in the open with the lights on - but after a while he'd come out looking for food when I came in the room - if someone else came in the room, he'd immediately scuttle into his hiding place [I'm calling the fish a "he", but I don't really know the sex of that fish].

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Mats

They might not appear to be shoaling, but they give each other cues: slight touches, one following another, bunching in a corner, etc. It's not the same kind of shoaling as a group of cardinal tetras. A group of 6 or more is usually best. Do you have live plants in this tank? Plants can be helpful for providing hiding places.
Amanda

it can vary depending on the fish, in the same tank i have 4 adofoi and 4 bronze that are very active, and a lot of fry and they all shoot about all over the place, but i also have trilinatus that are very nervous and skitish, they come out for a feed but if i move they will dart back in the corner, they are slowly becoming more confiident, but i will see how they react when they go into there own tank with the adolfois,

Hi thanks for the replies.

My tank is not a 'planted tank' but I have a lot of real plants and they have plenty of hiding places - which they use!

They tend to just sit in there when im in and if I come back and they are caught in the open they shoot back in!

Unfortunately I think they connect be more with the crazyness of water changes as they get fed just after dark to stop the other fish from eating it, so they dont really see me put it in like my pearl and cardinals do - the pearls at a stage now where he will put on a show if i come over knowing he might get some food!

I think i might get one or two more, other than shrimp I do not have any bottom feeders and Ive never seena cory poop so they must be quite clean!

When my sand was deeper, the cories were more sedate. Now I keep only about a 1/4 inch layer and I totally vacuum it out and refresh it with new sand periodically and now my cories are always on the go. I have silk plants and unrooted real plants and they all kind of blow around the tank, keeping the layout fresh and that also seems to interest the fish--the plants are always getting explored and cleaned whereas before when everything was static I basically had static fish, too.

Adding more cories also helps, certainly. With my 40 gallon I was able to finally fill in some "holes" in my shoals and that perked up the originals. I recently filled out my Aeneus shoal and things have really gotten crazy with these happy-go-lucky guys. My tank looks like a snow globe for all the little fish zipping around inside of it. I was surprised at how immediately they settled in and accepted me and their new home, since they were the most scared looking bunch of fish I'd ever brought home. I no longer have a quarantine tank so I had to put them in a bucket and dip them for parasites which wasn't exactly fun for them. But once they were in the tank the other cories just swooped them up and it was a fish party.

There is also a lot of movement in my water, too, which everyone likes. I have 2 filters running and plan to add an internal sponge with a powerhead to fix some issues with flow. I also have some major bubbles going on with my Whisper air pump and long flat airstones. Some of the cories like riding the bubbles, others avoid them.

I also get a lot of positive activity after a water change. I change water frequently for the panda cories and everyone seems to enjoy that. Well some of them do hide when the siphoning happens, but once the new water is in, everyone comes out and frolics and digs around in the sand.