# Shy pygmy cories



## mmustelus (21 Jul 2021)

Tank details: planted 50 l, gh 7, kh 3, TDS 170, temp =23. inhabitants =15 pygmy rasbora, 8 pygmy cories (having issues with these), 25+ cherry and raccoon tiger shrimp. I do 10 -25% water changes weekly and have had no significant changes in other parameters (nitrates, nitrites, ammonia). 
I have to add montmorillonite powder and crushed egg shells to increase my TDS - our local water is quite low (~ 50 TDS with kh =2, gh=2 and I previously had issues with dying neos).

I recently added half of the cories to my tank, I was worried that the high light environment would be stressful to them. They seemed super happy, 10 days later I added another 4. Things seemed great for 2 days and then I refilled my C02 (1 bubble every  2-3 seconds) and did a heavy trim of my grass and moss. Suddenly my cories are hiding. I dont know if its the C02 (I've switched it off for a day now - no changes), or the fact that I had my hands in there for a bit? The new 4 cories came from the same stock as the previous two but are a tad bit larger. 

What can I do? They seem fine, I saw them swimming around at night, they're hiding not dead. Is it possible that the larger ones are more timid and affecting the behaviour of the others? Do I remove the two largest? 

If it doesn't come right I will rehome the cories, I dont like having stressed out fish in my aquascape.


----------



## Wolf6 (21 Jul 2021)

I've the same with them, they hide a lot, but when I do see them they seem happy enough. Not sure if its just the fish or if something is scaring them...


----------



## tam (21 Jul 2021)

They might just be reacting to subtle changes you can't see e.g. trimming the plants changed the flow around the tank and therefore their favourite chilling spot or changed light or cover for them. Are they stressed or just happen to like the conditions better in the part of the tank they choose to be in?


----------



## Gorillastomp (21 Jul 2021)

This fish is a little bit more shy. If you have an heavily planted tank they will hide a lot. I have them for 8 months now and  I only see mine around the same time everyday around the same hours, i guess they develop their own little habit/schedule.  It was a bit like you at the beginning i was seeing them a lot then once they learned their new environment they started to do what i just described.

I guess this is a fish behavior and not stress related. I still have the same that i bought 8 months ago and didn't lose any.


----------



## Wookii (22 Jul 2021)

My pygmy cory's are very shy too. They are in my low tech which is very densely planted and very dimly lit due to dense floating plants, plus there are 14 in the shoal (or at least there were at the last count). The extra cover and low lighting makes no difference to their confidence - nor do the Endlers in the same tank which I hoped would act as a dither fish - I still rarely see them.

The only time I've seen them come out en masse was when I fed a load of Moina that all congregated in the front corner of the tank where the light was the brightest. Sensing the movement of the moina in the water must have proved just too irresistible for them to stay hidden.


----------



## zozo (22 Jul 2021)

In my experience, they simply love hiding and preferably all together at the same location. They are lazy bums, occasionally 1 or a few come out do a round gulp some air and go back to their favourite spot being lazy again.

I have a few in a tank with a tube in the substrate, and they choose the tube as their favourite hangout. I can only force them out with food. And when they come out to forage I can stick my fingers in and they don't seem to mind me. Thus shy? I don't think so, rather lazy... 

I forgot the aqauscapping website/community where I did read the question how can I get my Pygmaea Cories to school and take a picture. The answer was, very soon after adding them to the tank. If you wait too long for them to get used to the environment they will find their favourite hangout and rarely school together again in the open spaces.

This actually says, if they school a lot, they are yet not comfortable at where they are and still searching.

I believe the question was triggered by a rather popular nice-looking contest aquascape (Iwagumi) from a few years back with a large bunch of schooling pygmaea Cories in the open. I'll see if I can find it back... But can't make promises, it's quite some time ago. Greystones with white veins and lots of carpet planting, maybe someone remembers it too. Was a very beautiful and I believe high ranked scape.


----------



## mmustelus (22 Jul 2021)

Thanks for all the comments, they seem happy and healthy, I saw them school yesterday briefly. Do I have to make an extra effort to make sure they get food back there? 
I only feed in front of my tank for easy cleaning and I was hoping this would lure them out. I guess I will just have to be happy with seeing them on occasion.


----------



## mmustelus (30 Jul 2021)

Tank update - I swopped out the background for a frosted one, previously I had used some black board. They're still shy but out and about on occasion. They've found little spots to peak out,  which is really cute. My daughter says they're peeping at her. My kids are quite chaotic - very little and like to run around the tank. Its on a wooden floor so can be a bit freaky for the fish.  I think the cories are getting used to the madness and at least have figured out that the kids are no threat to them. 
I've uploaded a pic of my scape. Its 3 months old and will take a while to grow in. I'm having a ton of issues with maintenance - dwarf hair grass floating, java moss cuttings taking root in the hair grass and floating when I try and remove the attached moss. Also been epic not knowing exactly how small baby shrimp are. I didn't want to kill them through excessive maintenance. I've seen brand new shrimplets now so I'm a bit more comfortable that I know what to look for. I also had issues with my local tap water being far too low (TDR = 60, gh=3, kh=3). I had some shrimp death so I eventually started adding some montmorillonite powder and crushed egg shells my TDR is now at 180 with a gh of 8 and kh of 3. Since this change I've had 3 rounds of babies so I think i'm ok for now - barring more shrimp deaths - I will then go the RO route.
 I will also be removing the rotala eventually - but for now I'm growing some for some vases I want to plant. I'm adding some AR mini to the back today and some Echinodorus tennellus.  I'm sick of dwarf hair grass floating. The dwarf sag is doing well but I thought Id try something new. Note, I'm very very new to a fully planted tank.

I also need to find money to replace pipes with lilly pipes and get an inline heater. This hobby i

s a money pit.


----------



## JeffK (30 Jul 2021)

How many do you have right now? They are a shoaling species and do rather well when kept in higher numbers. 

They also don't have many hiding spots in your tank. It is too open. It is an issue with many fish and aquascaping. Heavy lighting doesn't help either.

I had this tank about two years ago with C. hastatus, a comparable species. You can see it has many hiding places, lots of wood and lots of floating plants (dimmed lights will have the same effect). I admit the other fish had mimetic patterns, i.e. Hyphessobrycon elachys and Serrapinnus kriegi, which also helped to let them feel comfortable. In other words, more fish = safe feeling.

Hope this helps. Good luck!


----------



## mmustelus (2 Aug 2021)

JeffK said:


> How many do you have right now? They are a shoaling species and do rather well when kept in higher numbers.
> 
> They also don't have many hiding spots in your tank. It is too open. It is an issue with many fish and aquascaping. Heavy lighting doesn't help either.
> 
> ...


Hi, I have 8. The scape is a little deceptive - I built the tree around a bunch of rocks with a massive hollow in the centre which is accessable from the side and back. The cories are now hiding there and coming out more frequently. I've removed the rotala and replaced it with AR mini and Dwarf sag which should grow in.  I had a backup tank in mind in case they were unhappy. They seem much happier. I will make the dwarf sag a little bushier at the back. 

My next tank will be more natural I think. The iwagumi type scapes are cool but stressful for fish I think.


----------



## Wolf6 (3 Aug 2021)

mmustelus said:


> Hi, I have 8. The scape is a little deceptive - I built the tree around a bunch of rocks with a massive hollow in the centre which is accessable from the side and back. The cories are now hiding there and coming out more frequently. I've removed the rotala and replaced it with AR mini and Dwarf sag which should grow in.  I had a backup tank in mind in case they were unhappy. They seem much happier. I will make the dwarf sag a little bushier at the back.
> 
> My next tank will be more natural I think. The iwagumi type scapes are cool but stressful for fish I think.


Its the main reason that despite being tempted, I've never gone the iwagumi route. I dont believe they are really all that suited for most fish, bathed in light, low plants/few hiding spots etc.


----------



## dw1305 (4 Aug 2021)

Hi all, 


JeffK said:


> They also don't have many hiding spots in your tank. It is too open.


I keep _Corydoras pygmaeus, _they seem pretty happy and I see them every day.  

If I haven't seen them for a while a scrape of micro-worms will get them active. 

There tank is this one, and it has filled in a fair bit more since I took the photo (October 2020). They move around a bit, but they are still mainly resting in this corner of the tank on the <"_Cryptocoryne_ _pontederiifolia_"> leaves.





cheers Darrel


----------



## Dominik K (3 Sep 2021)

Do you guys feed your pygmys anything specific?
I've read that they should be given cat fish pellets.  
From what ive researched they are not supposed to just live off scavanging and are meant to get dedicated food. Im bit concerned they are starving.

I've had my Corys for a couple days now and I have to say I was starting to get worried until I read this thread. From what I've researched they are described as quite a busy fish doing its tiny cute cat fish things .
 which they did when I introduced them for like 1 day hahaa.
I was getting worried that they have just been chilling in their little hiding spots and were maybe getting out competed for food.  But now I understand they most likely settled in and are just chillin under the rocks.. 

But I am still worried they might not be getting enough food. 
I only have 3 currently (I will be bumping their number up to 6 very soon)

On the first day when when I was feeding my neon tetras the corys joined in and were eating. T be honest both groups of fish seemed to be very happy especially at lights out when I was aerating (makes sense with an oxygen bump) 

I have a feeling two of the corys might be becoming a mating pair... They seem to be together rubbing up on each other frequently and also not seem to be the slightest bit interested in any food I tried to drop their way.. 
The third one seems to prefer to hang out with the neon tetras and folow them around ( Maybe he thinks he's a tetra?    ) but most likely because he gets that tetras will probably get fed sooner or later so he will get some in... 

I tried sprinkling some micro pellets near their hiding space but they just didn't seem that interested.


----------



## dino21 (3 Sep 2021)

Dominik K said:


> Do you guys feed your pygmys anything specific?
> I've read that they should be given cat fish pellets.
> From what ive researched they are not supposed to just live off scavanging and are meant to get dedicated food. Im bit concerned they are starving.
> 
> ...



Hi,

The dwarf corys really need to be kept in larger groups to feel safe, so increase their number to at least 6,  preferably 8-10 .
Ours feed on just about anything flake,pellets,wafers or frozen, but you need to be careful as you can easily overfeed in your desire to see them out and about, you are checking your water parameters /ammonia -nitrate etc ?
They also prefer a fine sand substrate and any gravel  should be the very small rounded type so it does not damage their barbels.

Might sound daft, but when approaching the tank we talk to them so they do not become startled.

" at lights out when I was aerating (makes sense with an oxygen bump)"     would be interested to know why you are doing this, assuming yours is a planted tank ?


----------



## shangman (3 Sep 2021)

Dominik K said:


> Do you guys feed your pygmys anything specific?
> I've read that they should be given cat fish pellets.
> From what ive researched they are not supposed to just live off scavanging and are meant to get dedicated food. Im bit concerned they are starving.



Mine LOVE algae wafers and sinking loach pellets, as well as bug bites (fine version ideally), and small live foods. They seem to eat everything, mine always come out excitedly when I put any food in. They don't need a lot of food as they are so small. 

In my tank (180 with 25), they are basically always active and moving, whether that's in a bigger group or in pairs/trios. I really think this is a fish where you need a proper group, minimum 10 but more is better. I kept 11 befor ein a 45L and sadly several of them died, there was a big difference in their activity when there was 7 to when there was 11, they were much more active with 11.


----------



## Dominik K (3 Sep 2021)

dino21 said:


> Hi,
> 
> The dwarf corys really need to be kept in larger groups to feel safe, so increase their number to at least 6,  preferably 8-10 .
> Ours feed on just about anything flake,pellets,wafers or frozen, but you need to be careful as you can easily overfeed in your desire to see them out and about, you are checking your water parameters /ammonia -nitrate etc ?
> ...



Yes. I do this to create surface agitation to help with gas exhanges. I dont run co2.


----------



## Dominik K (3 Sep 2021)

shangman said:


> Mine LOVE algae wafers and sinking loach pellets, as well as bug bites (fine version ideally), and small live foods. They seem to eat everything, mine always come out excitedly when I put any food in. They don't need a lot of food as they are so small.
> 
> In my tank (180 with 25), they are basically always active and moving, whether that's in a bigger group or in pairs/trios. I really think this is a fish where you need a proper group, minimum 10 but more is better. I kept 11 befor ein a 45L and sadly several of them died, there was a big difference in their activity when there was 7 to when there was 11, they were much more active with 11.



I might be able to bump up their numbers to 7. Im going by aq advisor. Dont want to overstock so slowly increasing bioload. 
Do need more plants first though.. unfortunately my latest delivery from supplier was short shipped so on the prowl for plants


----------



## dw1305 (3 Sep 2021)

Hi all, 


Dominik K said:


> and are meant to get dedicated food. Im bit concerned they are starving.


I've kept _Corydoras pygmaeus_ and/or _C. hastatus_ for at least the last 15 years and I would consider feeding them with suitable small food items a pre-requisite for long term success. Mine get Grindal and micro-worms every day, Daphnia most days and a top up of <"Fluval Bugbites">, Freeze dried Arctic Copepods and decapsulated BBS. They are doing fairly well on this as a diet. 

I crush the Bug-bites up in a pestle and mortar to give a fine powder and small granules.

cheers Darrel


----------



## dw1305 (22 Oct 2022)

Hi all, 


dw1305 said:


> I keep _Corydoras pygmaeus, _they seem pretty happy and I see them every day.
> 
> If I haven't seen them for a while a scrape of micro-worms will get them active.
> 
> There tank is this one, and it has filled in a fair bit more since I took the photo (October 2020). They move around a bit, but they are still mainly resting in this corner of the tank on the <"_Cryptocoryne_ _pontederiifolia_"> leaves.


I've lost a few of the original ones I bought, but I've gained a few as well so I've still got ~10. They were resting somewhere else for most of the summer, but they are back in the normal corner now. 





cheers Darrel


----------



## Ghettofarmulous (29 Nov 2022)

I got twelve of these fellas along with 6 Otocinclus and they tend to school
Together now and then. It’s a joy watching 1 Otto swimming mid water with the Corey’s. I’d recommend having each of this species in good numbers. Mine are fairly active in a well lit tank.


----------

