# odd cory behaviour?



## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

One of my pepper cories has started to go to the back corner of the tank and balance on its tail with his whiskers just above the water line. Then it blows bubbles out its gill slits. it spends a lot of time doing this. On occasion it goes to the bottom of the tank and forages a bit.
I think it is somewhere between 3-5 years old. I can't say if it is one I bought as a baby or if it is one I inherited from my neighbor 3 years ago. It has also gone white on its stomach and looks a little thin to me but it is about 2 1/2 inches- 3 inches long.Could be a male. None of my catfish have done any courting so I presume I have all males.
What is it doing??


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## Sorafish (Sep 15, 2011)

I had a beta do this a few years back (the bubbles from the gills). No idea what causes it, but that beta died after a week of doing it...


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## snyderguy (Feb 9, 2010)

Those bubbles are some sort of disease. It prevents the fish from getting water through their gills, giving them fresh oxygen. I'm not sure what it's called but it's not good..


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## AquariumTech (Oct 12, 2010)

It can be a sign of bad water water quality, or some disease. I have had this happen to 1 of my corys and was never to figure out what it might have been. It might be some kind of disease, but I do know that when they go for air a lot it means poor water quality. It could have maybe even just hit its head real or hard or something for all I know. Has it been eating? Notice any other signs of disease on him, like, discoloration, spots, or any other odd things?


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

Water quality is ok-no ammonia or nitrites , 20 or so nitrates. Tank is moderatley planted. Light fish population at present and water changes are done alternate weeks. 
I suspect he is having problems because of age --maybe there is a fish equivalent of heart failure or respiratory disease like older humans get.
He eats fine -in fact this morning he is with the others eating shrimp pellets.
I agree to be up so much is a sign that he is having problems breathing but I guess it is one of those things I can't help. 
I have had him about 3 years now and who knows how old he was when I got him.
I don't realy want to treat him in the tank I thought of gill flukes but don't really know. I guess I could pop him into the q tank and treat. I am moving out the gourami today. I hate using the q because the fish seem to get depressed away from their buddies.


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## AquariumTech (Oct 12, 2010)

Well these fish can live in upwards of 20 years, and I doubt that you got him anymore than 3 years old at tops. By the way are you using salt or any other kind of specialized chemical media? Is the temperature in the tank steady?


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

No salt- it is a planted tank and no other chemicals. Nothing has changed in the tank. Everyone else is as usual in there


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## AquariumTech (Oct 12, 2010)

It might be the food, because I changed their food and the guy I had doing that stopped. It also could be low oxygen content in the water, thought I doubt that, its very rare that there is not enough of oxygen in freshwater, really air stones are pretty much unneeded for freshwater unless your modding a sponge filter.


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