18" Too Tall For Julli Cory?

[Cocomojo]

I have a 4ft 75 gallon tank with some tetra's loaches and cory. I keep finding one cory constantly having problems swimming about. I'll reach in lay him in my hand and raise him just out of the water... when I put him back in he's fine. I can poke him and try to keep him afloat.. but nothing works other than taking him out of water lol So I am just wondering if I should be swapping my Cory's with my Kuhli's that are in my 20 gallon long that is only 12" high.

 

[nmonks]

In tanks this deep you're better off with Brochis, which prefer quite deep water. Corydoras come from fairly shallow water habitats, and at least some species resent being kept in deep water.

I have a vague idea Pangio are air-breathers too, so whether they'd be happy in deep water isn't certain to me at all. Do check.

Cheers, Neale

I have a 4ft 75 gallon tank with some tetra's loaches and cory. I keep finding one cory constantly having problems swimming about. I'll reach in lay him in my hand and raise him just out of the water... when I put him back in he's fine. I can poke him and try to keep him afloat.. but nothing works other than taking him out of water lol So I am just wondering if I should be swapping my Cory's with my Kuhli's that are in my 20 gallon long that is only 12" high.

 

[GAB99]

In tanks this deep you're better off with Brochis, which prefer quite deep water. Corydoras come from fairly shallow water habitats, and at least some species resent being kept in deep water.

I have a vague idea Pangio are air-breathers too, so whether they'd be happy in deep water isn't certain to me at all. Do check.

Cheers, Neale

I have a 4ft 75 gallon tank with some tetra's loaches and cory. I keep finding one cory constantly having problems swimming about. I'll reach in lay him in my hand and raise him just out of the water... when I put him back in he's fine. I can poke him and try to keep him afloat.. but nothing works other than taking him out of water lol So I am just wondering if I should be swapping my Cory's with my Kuhli's that are in my 20 gallon long that is only 12" high.

i might get a 100 gallon with sterbais.. will they be fine? i never knew cories didnt like it deep

 

[chrisbassist]

Thing is, when you say shallow, in the wold we mean about 3ft give or take a couple of foot either way...

I don't think any of our tanks are sufficiently deep to take them out of their comfort zone. Once you hit 6ft deep then fine, maybe there will be issues.

They don't need to get air from the surface so the main thing about depth will be water pressure at greater depths. Not being funny but the difference in water pressure between a 12 inch deep tank and an 18 inch deep tank is going to be minimal.

My personal view is that the cory must have something wrong with it where it can't take ANY pressure. Hence why it has to be lifted right out. Like if we have weak lungs we'd struggle with our bodies under water pressure.

 

[nmonks]

Actually, we don't mean this at all. When I say shallow, I mean ankle-deep. They live in creeks and rivulets, rather than rivers. 45 cm/18 inches would be exceptionally deep water for most Corydoras, and normal conditions would be about a third of that.

Water pressure is irrelevant here. Water depth increases by one atmosphere by 10 metres. So a few inches either way won't make any difference. The thing here is that Corydoras are negatively buoyant so when they swim to the surface they have to work quite hard against gravity.* The deeper the aquarium, the harder that becomes, and if there are larger fish in midwater that scare them, they'll be doubly stressed.

Cheers, Neale

*They are obligate air-breathers, if I recall correctly, and breathe more the warmer they are. Since many aquarists insist on keeping them far too warm -- 22-24 C/72-75 F being right for almost all species -- most Corydoras in tropical fish tanks are under some degree of heat-stress anyway, so breathing more often that they would in the wild.

Thing is, when you say shallow, in the wold we mean about 3ft give or take a couple of foot either way...

 

[Harlequins]

I have a 18 inch deep tank with lots of cories and only occasionally if that they dive up to the top and back down again.

 

[smudgedj]

My tank is 25 inches tall and my corydoras have had no problems.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Cocomojo

What species of cory do you have? Most corys do fine in just 18" of water. I would suggest looking to disease or possible injury as the reason your fish is having problems.

Check these videos out....

http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWIVCdLOImw

http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX8UUSqLdcE&NR=1

http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B-YCMGy4HI&NR=1

 

[Cocomojo]

I have a small group of Corydoras trilineatus so I guess they're not true Julli... just look like them lol and one oddball Cory that I haven't the slightest as to what species. Everyone seems to do fine other than the one, and once I get him to the surface and back he's happily back grazing and swimming with his friends. It's not an everyday occurence, but every now and then I find him unable to swim straight.

 

[chrisbassist]

Can't swim straight? How so? Is it like a swim bladder problem?

 

[Cocomojo]

When he tries to swim he just goes straight up.. spins and falls on his back... rolls over and tries again. But the second I get him up to air he's fine

 

[chrisbassist]

Like swimming upside down? Can't keep the right way up?

To my untrained brain it sounds like a swim bladder problem.

 

[FiSh123FiSh]

Upside-down catfish cant stay the right way up because of a late development in swim bladder, they learnt to adapt so they could compete with other fish with a better designed swim bladder. Their adaption is to swim on their backs they found that it was easier and just as effective as normalside fish. Hence why still today they are still on their backs. Essay I know, I chose to do it for my A-level Environmental Science product in adaption.

 

[GAB99]

Upside-down catfish cant stay the right way up because of a late development in swim bladder, they learnt to adapt so they could compete with other fish with a better designed swim bladder. Their adaption is to swim on their backs they found that it was easier and just as effective as normalside fish. Hence why still today they are still on their backs. Essay I know, I chose to do it for my A-level Environmental Science product in adaption.

umm its a cory not an upside down cat, at least thats what the OP says

 

[Cocomojo]

I guess this is a bit of an update =( Up until today my lil Cory has been doing fine and never had any issues, woke everyone up, gave em breakfast and everythings good. Few hours later I check up on everyone and see my cory laying on his side. I lift him up, and he tries to swim... but the front half of his body is completely stiff, can only move his tail. I was worried I would break off a fin if I tried to move them they were so stiff. I brought him to the surface and back in the water, he tried to swim off, but lost all function and stopped moving and breathin