feeding em cories

[Serpio]

Hi...
I have a community tank with;
 3 julii cories
 2 fancy guppies
 10 neon tetras
 2 flame gouramis
 1 shrimp (there used to be more, but they hog all the food
               and even killed one of my guppy)
My question is, how can I be sure that my cories are getting their share of food? I always see them scavanging around, but hardly see them eating any of those food I put in.
Thanks!

 

[Serpio]

Another thing, 2 of them seems to hangout together at times. But the other cory is all alone. Is that an okay situation? I am a bit worried about this.

 

[colesea]

Cories are strange folk that do like to school in large numbers (usually the minimum recommended is 6), but those that feel secure will tend to wander off on their own. My six emerald greens always seem to change partners or go off by themselves at whim. It is quite interesting to watch. I can even tell the indivudals apart, and each have their own little personalities, so I know exactly who is hiding behind the rock when one goes "missing."

As for feeding them, you don't usually have to worry about that.  If you are feeding your top dwellers properly so that no food is falling to the bottom of the tank in a snowstorm, then probably enough may be getting down to your cories.  If you are particularlly worried, buy a sinking pelleted diet (my cories eat wardly shrimp pellets, tetramin bottom feeder pellets, and Hikari bottom feeder tabs) and give them one twice a week (don't feed your top dwelling fish those days, they will come down to eat the bottom pellet too and there is no way your cories will finish one whole pellet on their own). They should be fine.
~~Colesea

 

[Serpio]

Thanks Cole,
However I am still worried about that guy. He (assuming it is a he) sits around quite often, unlike the other 2 cories that are always active. And again unlike the other 2, his is transparent somewhere behind where the gills(?) are. Could he have some kind of disease?
I remember reading somewhere that cories that got singled out because of disease. Is that true?
Thanks again.

 

[colesea]

Most sick fish of any species will be singled out by the school because it becomes a liability of predation. Most sick fish will also seek to hide out and "sulk" somewhere hidden behind decor or plants.

Test all your water chemical levels. If nothing is wrong with them, simply sit in front of your tank and watch their behaviors. That loner cory could simply be the bottom of the pecking order cory, and thus more likely to be singled out for dominace reasons and not illness.  Of the transparncy I don't know.  It could be trying to blend into its surrounding, so has paled its pigmentation. It could be a signal of submission, thus again, the paling and loss of pigmentation. It could simply be a young baby that hasn't yet gained all of its pigmentation. Keep an eye on it. If the transparent patch spreads noticble to other parts of the cory, then be worried.

I just went and looked at my tank, and I can honestly tell you, none of my six emerald green cories are schooling right now. In fact, I can only find four of them, god only knows where the other two are hiding.

If you fear your little corie is down without a buddy, buy another one. Even schools of cories seem to get along better than odd ones in my experience.
~~Colesea

 

[Serpio]

Sigh.... Sigh....
Couldn't find him yesterday. Hopefully he is not dead somewhere, just hiding.
Thanks Cole.

 

[Serpio]

poor me...
that cory is still missing