Carsick Corys?

Fish Demon · Post by **Fish Demon** » 08 Feb 2004, 06:13

Whenever I buy corys from an LFS that is like 30 miles away, on the way back the corys start acting really weird. They can't swim right and often roll on their sides or back. I got a cory today, which was sold me as C. adolfoi but I believe to be C. duplicareus, rolled on its back and started twitching, almost like it was convulsing or something. None of the corys that I buy closer to home do this, so I think it has something to do with the long car ride. The weird part is, as I introduce them to the tank, they recover within minutes and start acting normal and playing with the other corys.

Here is a picture of the cory I bought today. He is absolutely beautiful and I would have got more, but he was the only one in the tank and was getting picked on by some other fish. I just had to get him

! Anyway, he was laying on his back and twitching right before I introduced him to the tank, but now he is perfectly fine.

Has anyone had this happen to them? Do corys just not respond well to travel?

And can anyone say if this is C. adolfoi or C. duplicareus?

Thanks!

Berger · Post by **Berger** » 08 Feb 2004, 06:40

I can't see the pic so I can't say what it is.

I've transported cories over an hour with out any problems.(nearest lfs is an hour away)

And my cories have just fine in a 5g bucket on the 3.5hr trip home from college...

maybe just bad cories? Do they act that way in the bag, or when you put them in the tank?

Berger

Fish Demon · Post by **Fish Demon** » 08 Feb 2004, 06:49

They just act that way in the bag.

As soon as I put them in the tank, they recover within minutes.

I do not think it is bad stock because the corys are perfectly healthy in the store and perfectly healthy in my tank, it's just the time in between that they act this way.

I have never had a cory from this store (or any cory for that matter) die on me, so it can't be bad stock.

I can see the pic, but I'll try figuring out another way to post it, in case no one else can see it.

catfish_dude · Post by **catfish_dude** » 08 Feb 2004, 08:19

I can't see it either......

Fish Demon · Post by **Fish Demon** » 08 Feb 2004, 08:39

Ok now it should work:

Fish Demon · Post by **Fish Demon** » 08 Feb 2004, 08:47

And here is a close-up:

Fish Demon · Post by **Fish Demon** » 08 Feb 2004, 08:47

And here is a close-up:

Allan · Post by **Allan** » 08 Feb 2004, 12:27

I am quite sure that you have the duplicareus, but also check out this post
http://www.forum.planetcatfish.com/viewtopic.php?t=5403
where Coryman specifies.

I guess they could be tilting in the bag because of low oxygen, or maybe those illusive toxins that we have had chats about earlier, look at:
http://www.forum.planetcatfish.com/view ... ght=toxins
Not that it gives much answer, but a possibility.

Nice pics btw.

EDGE · Post by **EDGE** » 08 Feb 2004, 17:04

Is it possible to sex adolfoi by looking at the ventral fins?

ACE1 · Post by **ACE1** » 08 Feb 2004, 18:53

looks like duplicareus to me.try supporting the bag better on the way home so its not tossed about so much this might help

Post by **Coryman** » 08 Feb 2004, 21:19

EDGE

Simple answer; YES

Ian

philtre · Post by **philtre** » 09 Feb 2004, 07:32

Hi,

could it be the way they are packed as well? Is it always from the same lfs that you get similar reactions from the fish?

OVer the weekend, I've had 3habrosus and a golden tetra in a bag since morning and I didn't get to unbagged them till 3am in the morning. Never seen such reaction whenever I bring fish home and usually they do go around a bit as I would be out travelling the whole day. Did the water turn cloudy? Perhaps it could be the packing process? (taking a shot in the dark here)

Fish Demon · Post by **Fish Demon** » 10 Feb 2004, 01:57

I think I might know what it is...

The LFS that I bought these corys from puts pure oxygen in the bag before they close it, which the LFS's closer to me do not. I heard that you are not supposed to do this with air-breathing fish like corys and anabantoids. Is this true?

If so, I think this might be the reason, although the corys behavior seems to improve when they go up for air in the bag.

philtre · Post by **philtre** » 10 Feb 2004, 06:50

hmmm .... for reference,

mine are all packed as per normal as compared to other fishes: i.e. whatever oxygen's being pumped into packing for other fishes are being pumped into bags with cories as well.

CoolTcat · Post by **CoolTcat** » 11 Jun 2004, 15:50

I routinely bring fish on 45minutes of windy road, some dirt and bumpy (carefully cradled the dear things) and sometimes for up to 6 hrs with above drive at end, sometimes with oxygen, sometimes without and I have never seen this.
Can oxygen hurt air gulpers?
Jan

Post by **Coryman** » 11 Jun 2004, 23:42

Getting back to the original points in this post, some Corys more than others give of or release toxins when stressed. So fish that have settled into the LFS tanks and then get chased around with a net and stuck into a small bag will be stressed. A sure sign of this will be fine bubbles on the surface of the water that do not disperse. My advise in these instances is to have the fish re-bagged in new water from the tank they were in.

With regard to Oxygen, I always instruct the person serving me that I do not want any Oxygen put into the bag. Corys are not air breathers like Anabantids, the gulp of air (5% Oxygen if my memory serves me right) is taken into the gut where , true enough the fish can and does absorb the Oxygen from it but from what I am lead to believe the air is an aid in balance like a swim bladder. This air after a period of time is passed out through the anus, usually at the same time as a new supply is taken at the surface. If the fish is forced to take 100% Oxygen it can and often does cause problems in the fishes gut. I have often seen develop the so called red blotch disease after several hours of being in a bag with neat Oxygen in it.

The C. adolfoi C. duplicareus ID debate has been covered a time or two in this forum. Visually C. duplicareus is deeper bodied and has a thicker black band. C. duplicareus also has serration's on the inner edge of the pectoral fin spines and in C. adolfoi ther are more or less smooth.

Ian

fishnut2 · Post by **fishnut2** » 16 Jun 2004, 04:22

I agree with Coryman, regarding the use of pure O2. I have seen cories with the red blotch that he mentioned. I also believe they can burn thier gills when they take a gulp of pure O2. This a myth that I've heard...and hasn't been proven to my knowledge. Whatever the reason...they are better off without the pure O2. I had a lost shipment of breeders make it 9 days without any pure O2 in the bags. No losses! They certainly don't need it for a few hour trip.
Rich

Elspeth · Post by **Elspeth** » 16 Jun 2004, 05:48

Several interesting possibilities, and I'll keep the oxygen in mind if I get to pick up any more cories.

One more thought. Fish in general are pretty sensitive to noise and vibration. Is it possible that this particular car just hits a really irritating sensory spot? You might not see extreme behavior until a fish that's rather sensitive to that particular noise/vibration/whatever is exposed to it for a certain period of time.

Just a thought that it *could* be the car. For a brief (fortunately!!) time I was getting headaches on longer car trips... only on trips more than about 20 minutes and only when I was driving my own car. Which, its next scheduled maintenance revealed, had something wrong with the exhaust sytem. The mechanic, whom I had never mentioned the headaches to, told me it was a good thing the car was in for maintenance because you could get a carbon monoxide buildup from this kind of damage. Stopped having the "carsick" headaches after it was fixed...

So I'm maybe predisposed to think "it COULD be the car." Not anything particularly wrong with the car, from the standpoint of human passengers, but maybe it's uncomfortable for cories? You could maybe test that by leaving the bag closed for a little while after you reach home -- you know, like some people float the sealed bag in the tank? If the fish "settle in immediately" while still in the same water under the same air, then it would kind of point to something about the trip itself. If they DON'T snap out of it while still bagged, of course rescue them from the bag immediately, then just make the distant fish store (dfs?) package them the same way the lfs does...

fishfarmer · Post by **fishfarmer** » 17 Jun 2004, 14:52

How do you transport the fish in the car?

You seem to be able to see the cories actions so I wonder if they are out in the open and getting overstimulated by the light and vibrations and noises. Maybe they can handle that on short car rides but eventually on the longer rides it can become a problem for any fish.

I always try to have a cooler in the car to keep the fish in the dark and calm and at a steady temperature. And styrofoam boxes do not block much light, you need a good plastic cooler to keep them in the dark or line yuur styrofoam cooler with newspapers to blaock the light.

Steve

Post by **Rusty** » 17 Jun 2004, 15:35

Yes, it can burn fishes gills. In general, it is not a good idea to use pure oxygen in a bag, because of the harm that it can cause and because there is no reason to use it. I have had fish in normal air filled bags for 72 hours with no ill effects, so a car trip home shouldn't be a problem.

Rusty

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