PlanetCatfish.com

I was just reading a post that was talking about a cory-mimicking cat and one or the replies made a comment about a cory behavior I've seen, but never saw for what it was:

...a group of corys dashes up one after the other to swallow air...

My c.aeneus used to go zipping to the top of the water column several times a day, accasionally riccocheting off of the hood and I never knew why. Since I moved everyone into their new digs (twice the water volume), they have stopped doing it. Which side of the behavior is more normal? I'd like to think that they stay in the bottom 2/3 of the tank because they are happier with their environment, but is the change in their behavior a possible sign of stress?

If Corydoras are stressed, they go more often to the surface

corydoras normally go every now and then to the surface, but in very wel aereated water, they might not need it. If the watere get dirtier, they go more often, just as in case of more oxygen needed - such as in stress

However, if they never go to the surface AND remain on the same place all the time, in that case I'd worry: dead Cory don't breath either

None of them ever stay put for very long and two of them seem to think that they're tetras, swimming at mid-tank a lot of the time! I am relieved to hear that they dashes to the surface are normal and the fact that they are doing ot lessoften is also a good sign.

I looooove watching my cories when they're active! I have 7 species now - panda, metae, paleatus, trinileatus, schwartzi and my latest are either agazzizi or something else with an A, lol! can't remember what someone thought they were.

They swim all over, sometimes chasing eachother, sometimes in a spawning frenzy and sometimes a feeding frenzy and sometimes going up for a gulp of air, but not often. I can watch them for hours!

I got a new betta today and can't wait to put him in with them. He's really cool looking - blue body with red fins that have blue edging. Hopefully he'll do ok in there. Even though I have an Emperor 280 power filter, I fixed it so that the agitation isn't as strong - I put a sponge in front of 3/4 of the outflow, which also is helping the biological filtration and there is a big enough "quiet" area for him - I hope!

The Eclipse 3 hood on my 37 gallon tank moves a lot of water, but I have the return nozzles aimed so that there are areas of calm in the tank, as well, and my betta (red, white, and blue!) has his choice of resting among the plants, or playing in the current and he seems to enjoy both!

I have two species of cory, six albino aeneus and a single delphax. I also have a good-sized synodontis hybrid, a banjo, a farlowella vitatta, a quintet of otos, and a pair each of rubberlips and pitbull plecos. I don't have a fish, or species that I can call a favorite. I love them all. I just wish there was a Planet Catfish-equivalent for the livebearers, or rainbowfish, or killifish, or barbs, or, or, or...

Yes, I know that there are web communities devoted to each of them, but I have not found the equal of Planet Catfish, as far as knowledge, or the level of inteligence and civility on any other site (with the exception of a couple of military-only communities).

I can't wait to be able to set up my 55 gallon tank, so they can have more room, yet, and I can start being more creative with landscaping and terrain