Albino Cory Catfish Acting Strange

[Dklepor]

Hello and I am new to this forum and this great hobby of fish keeping. I recently acquired a 10 gallon fish tank and put 2 albino cory catfish, 5 neon tetra, and 3 flame tetra. The first week was going great and had no problems. The second week I found some minor problems with the color of the water,( it being murky because of the cycle of the tank). But just today I found that my 2 cory catfish, that are usually very calm and cool are now darting up and down the side of the tank and going up for air, occasionally. I know it is normal for Cory's to act silly and play with their reflections in the tank, but I saw that you they are also hanging out closer to the filter which they did not do perviously. I am just worried that they might be sick or something,they do not have any damaged fins and no ammonia burns or anything but their behavior is just odd. Before I go out and buy chemicals and or expensive testing tools for my tank I would like your guys opinions on this problem and maybe some solutions. I know I should have more than just two Cory's in the rank but I am afraid of over population in the tank.

I use an aqueana quite flow 20 filter if that helps

 

[Ninjouzata]

I take it you did not cycle the tank prior to adding the fish? You need a liquid test kit if you don't have one already so you can check for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates.
What is the temperature, and when was the last water change? How much did you change?
 
As you already know the cories need higher numbers, as do the flame tetras. The cories are also suited to a bit larger tank, like a 20g.
Perhaps that would be something to look into, and you could do a fish-less cycle (which you can read about HERE) before moving them over.

 

[BaylorPerez]

With the behavior of the Corydoras Catfish, they will go up to grab a air pocket then dart back down to the bottom of the tank.
As for the darting, its a normal cory behavior. This is them trying to find a place to settle and start digging again.
Try to get your Corie numbers up to 5-6. No less than 4 with their numbers
 
As for the tank cycle, you didnt cycle the tank so now your cories and neons will be stressed and probally have some signs of distress. As the cories are showing.
my best advice is to buy Nite-Out. its a liquid form of the bacteria that eat the Nitrate which is probally affecting your fish.

 

[Vindicare066]

Hey Dklepor,
 
If you haven't gotten a liquid test kit yet as Ninjozata recommended, and are not sure which one to pick up  I would recommend you get the API Freshwater test kit. It gives you Ph, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate, which are all key in helping maintain a healthy aquarium. 
 
The murkiness could be a combination of a few things, not being cycled combined with not properly rinsing any substrate or decorations properly tends to be the main cause for murkiness in new tanks. DO NOT add any chemicals to the tank to try and treat this, as they can do more harm than good to your tank. I would recommend you do a few water changes over the next couple of days (20%) and that should take care of your murkiness. 
 
Assuming you haven't cycled the tank have you purchased any of the following? Tetra Safe Start Plus, Colony ATM or Dr. Tims one and only? If you haven't I strongly recommend you try and get a hold of one of these products. They contain live bacterial colonies which help kick start the nitrogen cycle and will speed up it up considerably and will help your fish in the long run. These colonies of bacteria consume ammonia, and nitrites that builds up in your tank overtime, so getting them established quickly is important. However, a heads up these bacteria are living organism and as such are sensitive to the water they are in. Follow the instructions on the back and make sure the tank environment meet the recommended conditions for the bacteria to give you an example: (Colony ATM recommends a Ph of 7.2, Temperature in the range of 76-80 and an alkalinity of 90- these are the optimal conditions for their bacteria to grow, if one of these are off, the growth and effectiveness of the bacteria is reduced and can cause the cycling process to be longer than normal). 
 
Finally, do you have any live plants or moss rocks in your aquarium? Having a few live plants can really help the fish in your tank, they can provide a shelter for fish (which destresses them), while at the same time help moderate the levels of ammonia, nitrites etc...in the water (Plants eat ammonia), but most importantly they are a source of O2 in your water which is always beneficial to have. Many LFS (local fish stores) carry low maintenance plants which don't require major lighting systems, i would recommend you look into some of those plants and getting fertilizer tablets for them (I use Seachrams Flourish tabs). 
 
I know cories like to have more numbers, but at this point in time, I would not add anymore fish until the tank is completely cycled. 
 
Good Luck!