How do Iknow if cory are eating?

[dmaccy]

Hi all , is there any way I can ensure my corydoras are getting fed? They have been in my tank for three weeks and I rarely see more than 3 of the 8 out and about at any one time. I only know they are there when I remove the wood to vac the gravel at water changes. The problem is that any food that does sink to the bottom is hoovered up by the red honey gourami before any corydoras appear
I have attached a video below to show the honey gouramis at work.
Any ideas? The cory may of course be sneaking out and making the most of the flake which sinks to the bottom and the bits that aren't eaten.

On another note i have a video which shows several species of tetra hovering round waiting for food to be lifted by the gourami , any idea how to post?

 

[Byron]

Put the video on YouTube, then add the link into your post on TFF.

What food are you feeding for the cories? They need good quality sinking foods. Shrimp pellets, Bug Bites are two of the best prepared foods. Frozen daphnia, frozen bloodworms (only once a week for the worms) are good, or obviously live daphnia, insect larvae.

I feed the flake for the upper fish, then drop in the sinking foods for the cories. If this doesn't work, you can feed the cories after dark, when not only the tank light but all ambient room light is out so it is black dark. Cories do roam around after darkness, whereas the upper fish tend to "sleep" or be inactive, provided you give them time after the light is totally out.

If you feed your fish at roughly the same time each day, they will quickly pick up on this and be "expecting" food. I also tap lightly on the tank frame with the plastic measuring spoon I use to feed flake and pellet foods (not for actual measuring but just convenience). The fish learn this signal, and it is how I get all the cories out at the same time so I can see them. Observing fish during their feeding session is a good time for observation.

 

[dmaccy]

Flake once a day and tetra mini granules once a day. For the cory i add one fish science corydoras tablet and a few king British pellets. As soon as the latter go in the gouramis set to work!

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

 

[Byron]

Flake once a day and tetra mini granules once a day. For the cory i add one fish science corydoras tablet and a few king British pellets. As soon as the latter go in the gouramis set to work!

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

Not being in the UK I know nothing of the two "cory" foods. But one food I do highly recommend is the Bug Bites (Fluval). This is mentioned on the CorydorasWorld site as one of the best cory foods, because it is "natural" food; bugs and insect larvae are the principal foods of wild cories. They are not high in protein (which can cause deposits that many assume are some sort of parasite but they are not) and the cories sure love 'em! They sink, but when I put a couple spoonfuls in to my cory tank I immediately stir them around and most of them sink rapidly. They come in a few sizes. Upper fish obviously will eat them too, but there are enough still floating that I have never had a problem.

 

[Essjay]

Fluval Bug Bites are readily available in the UK if you want to try those.

 

[Byron]

Those are Tetra Shrimp Wafers. There is very little useful information on the website, in fact none. If there is a list of ingredients on the back of the package a photo may help so we can assess.

 

[Byron]

I know they are Tetra Shrimp Wafers i said that in the previous post. They were recommended by others on this site, So i thought i would try them a while back

I wasn't questioning what they are, I'm trying to find what is in them. I'll be honest, I do not at this moment think they are very good for cories, but without having seen the ingredients this is just my surmise from what I know of other Tetra products. Can you post a photo of the back if there is an ingredients list?

BTW, just realized you are not the OP, but that doesn't matter, we are all here to help each other.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Personally, I'm finding the idea of 'shy' Corys intriguing.
I've always found Corys to be active and overall delightful fish, even in a busy community tank.
You have a healthy number of eight, so I'm now wondering about your tank set-up and contents.
(Your video only shows a small corner).

 

[itiwhetu]

Try and feed the fish away from the corner of the tank feed in the middle of the tank crush the flake food between your fingers. I think there is much action for the Corys at feeding time so they stay away.

 

[DoubleDutch]

Try and feed the fish away from the corner of the tank feed in the middle of the tank crush the flake food between your fingers. I think there is much action for the Corys at feeding time so they stay away.

Agree. Crushing food is a good idea. Corys don't mind and find anything. Gouramis and tetras aren't interested in the tiny bits.

Variate in food so they'll get every vitamin, protein and minerals they need

 

[dmaccy]

If it helps, a photo of the tank

 

[jonny-5]

Those are Tetra Shrimp Wafers. There is very little useful information on the website, in fact none. If there is a list of ingredients on the back of the package a photo may help so we can assess.

Here is the ingredients of the Tetra Cory Shrimp Wafers, just for information purposes.
I tried editing my post but ended up deleting it & really could not be bothered typing it all again

 

[Byron]

Here is the ingredients of the Tetra Cory Shrimp Wafers, just for information purposes.
I tried editing my post but ended up deleting it & really could not be bothered typing it all again

thank you for the photo. As I suspected, there is a lot of "stuff" in these that I would prefer not giving to my cories, or any other fish. All that cereal, oils and fats, yeast, vegetable derivates. And 48% protein.

Compare that to Omega One's Shrimp Pellets, with 38% protein:
Salmon, Whole Herring, Wheat Germ, Whole Shrimp, Wheat Flour, Pea Protein, Wheat Gluten, Herring Oil, Kelp, Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin E Supplement, Mixed Tocopherols, Niacin, Inositol, Astaxanthin, Canthaxanthin, Riboflavin, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement

Shrimp Pellets - Sinking | OmegaSea®

www.omegasea.net

Corydoras fed on high protein can develop external white deposits. The algae and vegetable items are not healthy for cories as they do not eat plant items and too many (if I remember Ian correctly) cause digestive issues.

 

[DoubleDutch]

Funny thing is there are several kind of proteins. Sone of them are difficult or not to "use" by corys.

The Tetra pellets mainly have proteins from a vegetable source which is strang in case of Corys cause that's not their foodsource.

This makes a lot clear about corys and other fish getting issues when only food certain food.

Variation stays keyword.