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dancing albino cories...

5K views 6 replies 6 participants last post by  Dave66 
#1 ·
Hey all, I have 2 albino cory catfish, and they seem to be dancing with each other, zig-zagging across the tank in opposite directions, always touching in the middle. one of them has stuff in his stomach, i thought he/she was just constipated maybe, but now i'm wondering if one is female, the other is male... is there any very obvious way to tell (i.e. tail lengths, etc...) They are going pretty crazy... and I'd prefer not to have a whole bunch of little cories. They are in with my betta, they get along great with him, but i fear that will change if spawning tries to occur... any advice would be very welcome.
 
#2 ·
akruegs629 said:
Hey all, I have 2 albino cory catfish, and they seem to be dancing with each other, zig-zagging across the tank in opposite directions, always touching in the middle. one of them has stuff in his stomach, i thought he/she was just constipated maybe, but now i'm wondering if one is female, the other is male... is there any very obvious way to tell (i.e. tail lengths, etc...) They are going pretty crazy... and I'd prefer not to have a whole bunch of little cories. They are in with my betta, they get along great with him, but i fear that will change if spawning tries to occur... any advice would be very welcome.
Corys are in no way aggressive, even when spawning, unless you are a nice tasty worm. Corys will not eat eggs nor young. The betta may develop a taste for the eggs, but if there is any cover in the tank, like plants or driftwood, he wouldn't be able to catch the fry.
I suspect there is a low pressure system moving through your area, as corys tend to race around exactly as you describe when the weather changes like that. It doesn't mean they are spawning (though in groups they often do), especially if they are the same sex. You'd have to develop an eye to tell male and female corys apart. Females are more heavily bodied and somewhat larger than the males. You need to see a whole group of adults to learn which is which.

Dave
 
#3 ·
From what I can tell, based on what you described, it sounds completely normal. I have two albino's as well and they do all sorts of crazy things. I don't know if you're aware that they are air breathing fish so they will zig-zag their way to the top of the tank and take a gulp of air when they jump out.

I'm not sure if thats what you mean by zig zagging. Otherwise, my cories are constantly pacing back and forth on the bottom/middle of the tank.
 
#4 ·
Sounds like they're getting pretty friendly. It could be spawning behaviour but not yet, time will tell. When they spawn you will see a distinct T-shape formation where the male nuzzles the females belly. She will then carry the eggs between her fins and deposit them on the glass, on plants, side of the filter etc. Cories won't eat their young but will almost always eat their eggs (though some don't) so if you don't want babies just leave the eggs in there, assuming they are laid, and they'll most likely be eaten. If you want to make doubley sure you can just remove the eggs to ensure that they don't hatch. Your betta also is likely to eat the eggs.
 
#6 ·
I can't believe the idea that you should leave the eggs there to be eaten. How horrible! You need to take
responsibility and watch these two like a hawk. When the eggs pop out you'd better pop into action and
save them. Even if you don't want them, at least put an ad in the local paper and someone who does
will step forward.
 
#7 ·
FlamingCod said:
I can't believe the idea that you should leave the eggs there to be eaten. How horrible! You need to take
responsibility and watch these two like a hawk. When the eggs pop out you'd better pop into action and
save them. Even if you don't want them, at least put an ad in the local paper and someone who does
will step forward.
Sorry Cod, no. As I've bred Cory cats off and on for decades, I can authoritatively say Corys WILL NOT eat their eggs or their fry. And as they often spawn en masse, nor will others in their school. They aren't tetras, livebearers or barbs, my friend.

Dave
 
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