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Is my cory just fat, or else?

6K views 9 replies 3 participants last post by  Freddiesbuns 
#1 ·
I've got a lone C. Trilineatus in my 33 g. He's a 'surprise find' and I have never been able to find others, hence the 'lone', but he is not a loner, he schools with my melanistius and Schwartii's and is very active. He's my favorite fish so I spend a lot of time in front of the tank...admiring him like some kind of vapid fangirl *fans herself*

Thing is, he's grown BIG. And I'm not sure if he's just fat, or something else. My water is fine -no ammonia nor nitrite, nitrate at 10. The only thing is the ph is a little low at 6, I am working on slooowly pulling it up by adding limestone.

Here's pictures, what do you think?




 
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#4 ·
Yes, she could be full of eggs. The females are generally larger and plumper. I still have a hard time sexing them when seen individually. It's easier to tell when you can see them as a group.
 
#5 ·
Could be eggs as former posters suggest, or just good eating. I've had corys that gorged themselves on live worms and got very plump just like this one; have you observed your fish at feeding times to see how much it eats?

A word on the pH--6 is OK for corys [don't know what else is in your aquarium, if other SA fish like tetras, dwarf cichlids, etc would be good so long as it's constant] but at the same time I would agree that raising it a tad to 6.2 or 6.4 is a good idea, and using limestone or dolomite is the best way. If you can, add the limestone/dolomite to the filter rather than into the main tank; it is easier to control the effect. I have a small nylon bag of dolomite gravel in the top filter chamber just to keep the pH at 6.2-6.4 and it takes a bit of experimenting to get the amount correct; too much and the pH can rise too fast and too high. Best to add a small quantity and observe the pH for two weeks (with the weekly partial water change in between) so you get a good idea what's happening. If there is no change, add a couple of tablespoons more, and wait two weeks, etc. I got mine to about 6-7 tablespoons, but I have a 90g tank. It doesn't take much. In your 33g, I would start with 2 tablespoons of dolomite.
 
#6 ·
Thanks Byron, just got a bunch of small lava rock pebbles today and will add them in the filter to see how it goes.

I checked him/her at feeding time and he/she does eat a lot. So I probably got a fat cory, which is fine by me but still, he/she's fasting tonight!
 
#7 ·
"Lava rock" may I suppose refer to several different types of rock, but the lava rock I have in my filters (as part of the mechanical/biological filtration) does not affect pH or hardness in any way. It is reddish-brown and quite porous which is why it is a good biological filter medium. You can test the rock by putting a couple drops of vinegar on the rock and if it fizzes it is calcium-based and would raise pH and hardness to some degree; if no fizz, then it is not calcium-based.

I still recomend dolomite gravel, it is very cheap (can buy a small bag, it is a common gravel for marine tanks or rift lake cichlids) and lasts years before it ceases to work, and it is very convenient because so little is needed.
 
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