I just bought 5 albino corydoras aeneus and when I put them in my 30 gallon hexagon they shot straight down to the bottom and 1 of them is swimming all weird he swims upside down and is doing circles the rest are just lying there and breathing is this ph shock or something like that they shoot up to the top and are getting air is this normal and what should I feed them they are juveniles and I think they will starve if I don't feed them something else any help is great thank you
Well they are bottom feeders so they will stay at the bottom. Corys usually shoot up to get air as they store the air in a pocket in their bodies to use. I would suggest feeding them shrimp pellets and spirunia tablets/algae wafers (they love these!) I dont know about the one doing circles though! they will swim funny but not upside down.
Well, catfish such as the peppered corydoras will breathe thru its stomach!!! And there is an upside-down fish, too! But in this case... I have never run to such things. I have no catfish >_<
the 1 I mentioned that was swimming weird died over night but the other 4 seem to be doing fine and they have eaten all the extra flakes off the bottom thanks for the help
Guppyart,
The one spinning in circles is doing the death roll. I've never seen a corie recover from that...and death comes within 24 hours. Shooting to the top for a gulp of air...is totally normal for cories. They are intermittant air breathers. If they are doing it constantly (every 30 - 60 seconds) it's probably a sign of low DO (dissolved oxygen) levels in your tank.
Young cories will eat just about any type of food that sinks to the bottom. They aren't very fussy eaters. As with most fish...a varied diet is best for them. Just make sure they are getting the food...and not placed in a scavenger only role.