# Gasping for air



## UgLy_eLf (Feb 26, 2005)

All right another one of my cory's was acting very strange when I got home, he sat at the bottom of the tank, looked like he was resting, but I've never seen this behavior before. So I did a water change, probably 30%.

Few hours later I am noticing the same cory swimming up to the top of the tank upside down and breathing air, now I read that this is normal behavior for them, to get air like other fish, like Platys for instance, but I've never seen him do this before should I be worried?

I dont know my tanks peremeters, sorry, all I can tell you is that its a 28 gallon, housing neons, other tetra's, cories, and platies. Everyone else is doing fine. Oh and the temp is at 80 degrees,


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## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

I didnt know exactly how to say this so I looked it up... Corydoras has a rather unique ability to take atmospheric air into the mouth and pass it on to their intestine where oxygen is extracted, which explains why some of them can live in swampy low oxygen content habitat. Also in tanks they often rush to the surface and take a quick breath and return to the bottom. This is more frequent when the water looses its oxygen, which is an indication that you need to change water partly and increase circulation.


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## UgLy_eLf (Feb 26, 2005)

Cool thanks, I knew that they did that but my other cories arent doing it so I was a little scared for the one that was at the surface. I turned up my filter on high and turned on my air pump.


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## tep05 (Apr 2, 2005)

i agree with lexus, as long as their is a stream of air from a pump, filter, etc., it is normal


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## DavidDoyle (Jan 18, 2005)

Its nothing to worry about. I have paleatus corys that will flip onto thier backs and take flakes off the surface. I have had a similis swim onto floating water sprite and be 1/2 out of the water skittering after some morsel trapped in the leaves. And it is totally normally for them to be active one minute and then sitting on the gravel not moving the next.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

99% of the time, a fish "gasping for air" on the surface for a great deal of time is something to worry about (usually a syptom of poor water quality from the nitrogen cycle (not oxygen deficientcy) or disease). A single little gulp should be nothing to worry about.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

99% of the time, a fish "gasping for air" on the surface for a great deal of time is something to worry about (usually a syptom of poor water quality from the nitrogen cycle (not oxygen deficientcy) or disease). A single little gulp should be nothing to worry about.


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## tep05 (Apr 2, 2005)

david doyle, are you really 105, if you are then you are cool


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## DavidDoyle (Jan 18, 2005)

Nope not 105. However, I tend to change my age and sex in my profile every couple of months.


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