I have 3 cory catfish in a 55 gallon tank with other fish, i always see them sticking their mouth between the gravel but it never looks like they are sucking anything up, either i cant see it or they really are eating, i usually put tetra pellets as well as these small food disks made for corys...
How can i make sure my corys are eating?
- Thread starter Hagermanfd
- Start date
I have seen so many posts regarding special feeding efforts for Corydoras that I am confused. They are detritus feeders. They scour the bottom to find what they need. Unless you keep your substrate nearly sterile and feed so carefully that little or no food reaches the bottom the corys will find what they need. As a hobbyist, biologist, pet store owner and curator at a public aquarium I have fed hundreds of aquariums with corys and other bottom feeders. Without any special foods they all did quite nicely. Personally, I think that pellets made for corys are just another way to take the consumer's money. I have several catfish which never even come out of their hiding places when I feed! They feed at night. Or at least that is my presumption since they have been with me for several months and are doing very nicely.
Beasts
Beasts
Hi,
I really have to disagree. Cories (like most fish) shouldn't just be left to scavenge. They need their own food. Alot of people presume that Cories are just fish that will help clean the tank and eat the leftovers, but this is a big misnomer. Cories need a variety of food, and probably they wont get it if they just get some leftovers.
Hagermanfd, aslong as they find the pellets/discs and they seem to be "whiskering" them, they are getting the food. No need to be worried.
Good luck with your Cories and happy Cory keeping!
Cory Lover
Cory Lover
My little cories love Spirulina Discs, I usually break one up into 4 pieces so that everyone gets their own piece, I actually have to break up a few as everyone does want their own piece.. lol
They also like to mooch around on the driftwood, they dont' really go overly mad for fresh veggies they spend a moment on zuccini but they arn't big fans of it.
They also like to mooch around on the driftwood, they dont' really go overly mad for fresh veggies they spend a moment on zuccini but they arn't big fans of it.
They also love frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp. Just thaw them in a little water, and I use a turkey baster and distribute on the gravel so all the other fish don't eat it all before it hits the bottom.
I agree...Cories shouldn't be left to clean up the gravel. They should get their own food.
Mine also love spirulina wafers....they have to fight the snails for them.
As long as the food is on the bottom and they are digging around...they'll find it.
Mine also love spirulina wafers....they have to fight the snails for them.
As long as the food is on the bottom and they are digging around...they'll find it.
i feed cories sinking shrimp pellets and spirulina discs. it dont seem like they are eating but i guess they are. ive had my cories for over a month and i have never seen it acually eat
my corys are doing really good, since i added two more my lone cory is doing much better, i plan on getting maybe 3 or so more. when the lights go out i soak some pellets and disks in the aquarium water and make sure they get to the bottom without the other fish eating them so im sure they find it over night. I usually dont see anyleftovers, either they eat it or it dissolves.
When you say that "Corys shouldn't be just left to scavenge" I think I understand what you mean - please correct me if I am wrong - but you seem to be saying that they shouldn't be treated as "second class citizens." They shouldn't be expected to scour trash bins for their sustenance. My point of view is that that is exactly what millions of years of selective breeding has placed them in an ideal position to do. That downturned mouth and those exquisitely sensitive barbels make sure that they can find and selectively consume precisely those food stuffs that they require without any special help from us. Only if you view their food searches as indicating that they are relegated to licking the floor
does their lifestyle appear to place them in a position where they are being poorly treated. On the contrary, they are very well adapted and specialized to fit a niche where they are quite successful. The 10 Corys in my 410 are constantly grazing - that's what they do. I don't claim to know entirely what their diet consists of but, with flake food, frozen shrimp and frozen blood worms fed during the lighted period in the aquarium, they are thriving. They have a lot of competition but some of the food always makes it to the bottom (even with a 30 inch depth!) and their bodies are consistently a picture of good health. They move well and rarely hide, even though they have many opportunities. To me scavenging isn't their "job", it's their evolutionary niche! I am simply enabling their genetic disposition to fill that niche. And I thank them for helping keep my aquarium clean. But my emphasis is on the fact that it is a two way street - a win-win situation. They are very good at what they do and would no doubt consider it insulting for me to think that I need to hold their hand.
Of the approximately 80 fish in this aquarium 37 are "scavengers." Some of my favorite fish! I rarely see all four of my striped rafaels or all five of my Synodontis at one time. They choose to be active at night. And from the fact that they have been in the aquarium for more than 6 months and are growing quite nicely, I'm certain their nutritional needs are being met. Again no special feeding. The 4 pictus have staked out territories within 2 square feet of space where they hassle each other constantly in spite of the fact that they have 25 square feet of space to choose from! They are more comfortable in close proximity apparently. The entire aquarium is heavily planted and has large pieces of driftwood and rocks and so offers many other hiding and territorial possibilities. I mention this pictus behavior because it illustrates my effort to simply provide an environment which is conducive to good health and then allow the fish to make their own choices.
My choice, after more than 40 years in this hobby, is to constantly improve my ability to observe and evaluate. My husbandry practices have allowed me to breed many different species of birds, mammals, fish and reptiles, as well as put food in my mouth. I had 2 spotted rafaels for more than 15 years (lost them during a move). All of my current population of parrots (5) and snakes (4) are over 20 years old. I become very disappointed with myself if I find that I have failed in my effort to do the best by my critters. And, after all that has been said, I still feel that I am treating my Corydoras well. I am not saying that you aren't, just that special foods and feeding practices are extraneous. My rottweilers would love it if I grilled them steak every night for dinner but they certainly don't need it!
I thoroughly enjoy a good discussion, especially with someone with whom I have a disagreement, so if you're interested, Cory Lover, please continue this thread. Spirited, rational arguments, without malice, are some of the best learning experiences available and an active mind is a healthy mind.
With the best of intentions,
Beasts
When you say that "Corys shouldn't be just left to scavenge" I think I understand what you mean - please correct me if I am wrong - but you seem to be saying that they shouldn't be treated as "second class citizens." They shouldn't be expected to scour trash bins for their sustenance. My point of view is that that is exactly what millions of years of selective breeding has placed them in an ideal position to do. That downturned mouth and those exquisitely sensitive barbels make sure that they can find and selectively consume precisely those food stuffs that they require without any special help from us. Only if you view their food searches as indicating that they are relegated to licking the floor
The 10 Corys in my 410 are constantly grazing - that's what they do. I don't claim to know entirely what their diet consists of but, with flake food, frozen shrimp and frozen blood worms fed during the lighted period in the aquarium, they are thriving. They have a lot of competition but some of the food always makes it to the bottom (even with a 30 inch depth!) and their bodies are consistently a picture of good health. They move well and rarely hide, even though they have many opportunities. To me scavenging isn't their "job", it's their evolutionary niche! I am simply enabling their genetic disposition to fill that niche. And I thank them for helping keep my aquarium clean. But my emphasis is on the fact that it is a two way street - a win-win situation. They are very good at what they do and would no doubt consider it insulting for me to think that I need to hold their hand.
Of the approximately 80 fish in this aquarium 37 are "scavengers." Some of my favorite fish! I rarely see all four of my striped rafaels or all five of my Synodontis at one time. They choose to be active at night. And from the fact that they have been in the aquarium for more than 6 months and are growing quite nicely, I'm certain their nutritional needs are being met. Again no special feeding. The 4 pictus have staked out territories within 2 square feet of space where they hassle each other constantly in spite of the fact that they have 25 square feet of space to choose from! They are more comfortable in close proximity apparently. The entire aquarium is heavily planted and has large pieces of driftwood and rocks and so offers many other hiding and territorial possibilities. I mention this pictus behavior because it illustrates my effort to simply provide an environment which is conducive to good health and then allow the fish to make their own choices.
My choice, after more than 40 years in this hobby, is to constantly improve my ability to observe and evaluate. My husbandry practices have allowed me to breed many different species of birds, mammals, fish and reptiles, as well as put food in my mouth. I had 2 spotted rafaels for more than 15 years (lost them during a move). All of my current population of parrots (5) and snakes (4) are over 20 years old. I become very disappointed with myself if I find that I have failed in my effort to do the best by my critters. And, after all that has been said, I still feel that I am treating my Corydoras well. I am not saying that you aren't, just that special foods and feeding practices are extraneous. My rottweilers would love it if I grilled them steak every night for dinner but they certainly don't need it!
I thoroughly enjoy a good discussion, especially with someone with whom I have a disagreement, so if you're interested, Cory Lover, please continue this thread. Spirited, rational arguments, without malice, are some of the best learning experiences available and an active mind is a healthy mind.
With the best of intentions,
Beasts
Hi,
Wow! Thats a long post!
Well, yes you are right with the "second class citizens" and thats the way I feel Cories are treated like quite a bit.
Most people buy one poor little Cory and put it in a tank all by itself. Then that person that buys it usually expects it to just feed on a couple of flakes that fall to the bottom. Unlike you, most people are not gonna buy bloodworms and shrimp, so in most cases the Cories are just gonna get some flakes unless people buy sinking pellets/discs for Cories.
And I think you will agree on this with me, Cories should not just have a few flakes to feed on every day of the year.
I guess my philosophy is, that Cories will be happier if they can get the food they want without having to do all this work to find it. Because, for example, most people would rather have chicken breasts in the freezer ready to be cooked, then trying to hunt a real chicken down. I hope that made sense
.I'm going on my one week vacation tomorrow, so I wont be able to continue this conversation. But, if you want, I will when I get back.
Cory Lover