How can i make sure my corys are eating?

[Beasts]

The problem I see with that stash in the freezer is, as we see with Homo sapiens every day, the easier it gets the more likely we are to become couch potatoes and accumulate extra fat. And let's remember that somebody had to go out and earn the money (do the work) necessary to purchase that chicken. Handouts are necessary in the mini ecosystems we create in our aquariums but making things easy isn't necessarily a good thing. I have "cured" a number of feather picking birds by placing their cages outside where they were subjected to the constant variations in the weather, the perceived threat posed by large birds flying overhead, our house cats climbing over their cages, etc. Suddenly their lives were not so boring and they were definitely more challenging. The feather picking stopped very quickly when they had something more important to occupy their minds. To be truly healthy I think we all need challenges. Not challenges that seriously threaten our lives or health necessarily, but situations that force us to strive and think. I find it interesting that serious rock climbers and explorers feel most alive when they have placed themselves in situations with the greatest risk! But I digress. Even creatures with brains smaller than a grain of rice (Corys) do better with challenges than boredom.
I definitely agree that schooling behavior is important to the health of a lot of fishes (but not all), including Corys. And variety in a diet is a very good way to ensure a complete diet as well as confront that boredom thing again.
Enjoy your vacation, Cory Lover. I'm looking forward to more conversations like this one. And I don't think that either one of us is trying to exclude anyone else who would like to contribute.
Beasts

 

[SmallFishi]

I think you are both right I think a little of each works best for cories in the wild a cory will come across some really yummy nutritious food it's just bound to happen probably more than you think, so yes they are scavengers but not in the way that they never get any good vitamins and find some really good stuff I bet they do better than most fish in the wild.
So therefore no they really shouldn't be left with just the bottom of a tank because they have no chance of coming across a proper nutritious meal like they would in the wild.. So the odd veggie treat or disc every day really IMO is what would be best in a captive everyday tank environment..
Even though my cories do have opportunity for couch potatoe status they don't always go for the easy option and prefer to scootch around the gravel I think they take what they need and then get back to basics.

 

[fishorama]

I think if your corys can stick their faces between the pieces of gravel the gravel size is too large. Maybe that was an exaggeration. They shouldn't have to move big rocks to try & reach the food. It should be fairly easy for them to dig.