**HELP!** Glofish (danios) attacking cory cat

kl2011

Wondering what's wrong in my tank... I have a 15 gallon with 8 glofish, a female betta, and I recently added an albino cory cat (was planning to add a couple more when my LFS gets more in). However, the glofish are nipping at the cory's fins whenever it is resting. As long as it's moving around, they seem to ignore it. But I noticed that when he stops and just sits on the bottom, they'll come around and pick at him. His fins are starting to look bad so I'm sad to have to return him to the store. :(

I thought danios were pretty peaceful community fish! It's weird because I expected them to nip the betta's fins, but they leave her alone (maybe it's her size??). Instead they bother the little cory cat occasionally. Is this normal behavior for danios?? I'm so disappointed because I like that little cory and want to keep him!

Anyone have any advice? Thank you!

Olympia

Danios can be nippy.
Try to get lot's of things that the cory can hide under so the danios don't see him. Under plants, under decor. I don't think a cory will go into a full cave, so plants will be a better option.

Byron

If you keep the cory, you must get more, at least 3 but 4-5 would be much better. Corys are highly social fish and even aside from the nipping, without others he will waste away. Adding another 3-4 might help with the nipping too.

I know you are getting full with these fish in a 15g, but if one is going to have this or that species, it must be in suitable numbers for good health. Returning the lone cory will obviously solve this issue, but if you do keep it, please get more. They can be the same species or another. If it were me and I wanted this, I would get a second albino and then 3 of maybe the Pepper Cory [click shaded name for profile with photos].

NickLing

I have one emerald cory cat in my 10 gal. He is my only original fish Since I got the tank 1 year ago. He seems fine by himself. They like to chill on the bottom sit around on the bottom. Maybe more hiding places would help.

Olympia

Do albinos and peppereds school together well? I thought they were the same species as the bronze, and they do best with their own kind.

Cories are actually very active fish. I had two for about 5 days before the store could get more and they'd usually hide in the back. I bought 4 more and now they are swimming around together like crazy. They're all still scared of me though so I can only watch them from afar. :(
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Byron

All corys will shoal together whatever species. Some have a distinct need for their own species and will spend most if not even all of their time together as a species. Other species seem to be happy just so long as other corys are near them. For 15 years I have maintained large groups of several cory species and several have spawned. In fact, I presently have a couple of Corydoras duplicareus fry growing up with the others in the 115g. One of these i rescued from the canister filter when I cleaned it about 6 weeks ago; spotted something swimming when I had taken out the baskets, and netted it out and into the 10g where I thought it would be less likely to get eaten, since it was only 3/8 of an inch. Two weeks ago it had grown to 5/8 so I put it in the big tank. I spotted one or maybe two others recently.

There are now 3 species, perhaps more, with albino variants made by man. Corydoras aeneus and Corydoras paleatus are the two more common ones, and there is an albino C. sterbai. Not sure how many others. Each of these will obviously relate to that particular species.

NickLing, on the emerald, that is likely Brochis splendens, related to the corys, though it might be Corydoras aeneus. Click the shaded name to see the profile info and photos, it will explain how to tell them apart. And it needs others, at least 3. These fish are highly social, living in groups of hundreds in their habitat, and without others around them they will be stressed. You can read what this does here:
Stress and Freshwater Aquarium Fish

Byron.