Corydoras Bloated Or Carrying Eggs?

Some background on my tank:
Hello! I am new to fish keeping and I've set up a 20 gallon high freshwater tank. My tank has been running for about two months now and I slowly introduced 5 juliI corydoras one by one to my tank over the last 2.5 weeks or so. I use the API master water test kit (liquid testing). My water parameters have been stable (Todays reading: pH 7.8 , Ammonia 0 , Nitrite 0 , Nitrate 10~20ppm) and I do a 25% water change once a week with conditioned tap water which I also make sure is very close to the temp of my tank.

I'm very worried about overfeeding the cories because I know they scavenge constantly. I feed them ONE HikarI sinking wafer daily, my biggest cory (although I don't know who's a boy/girl, it's name is King Arthur) seems to be somewhat of a bully when feeding so I break up the wafer into smaller pieces so it doesn't hog the whole wafer lol. Together they eat the entire wafer every time.

Today I noticed that one of my other somewhat smaller cories (named shadow... yes i've named them all and I can tell them apart I'm a dork I know. lol) seems to have a big belly? possibly bloated, pregnant, sick etc I have no idea! I'm super worried! I could really use a more experienced opinion I tried to take a picture of it but it's very active still and does not avoid the other cories at all. This is the best I could do!

This was shadow just a few days ago

 

HI & welcome to Fishlore, sorry you’re having a problem.
Unfortunately your first pic isn’t showing for me.

 

I think you are probably under-feeding them. Don't worry about over-feeding unless your water quality is worsening. That fish looks perfectly normal to me. Probably just a female, as they tend to be more plump. It could also be pregnant. If it is, look for eggs on the side of the tank. However, eggs won't last long because they will eat them.

 

What are you feeding ?
Doesn't look ill, but could be a young fish that have eaten a lot (a bit out of.proportion). Thought about it being stunted but in the other pic it is perfectly allright.

 

Sorry coradee! Can you see it here? Notice a slight belly bulge compared to the other picture? Looks worse in person

Also thank you everyone for replying its making me feel much better and less worried haha

 

Judging by the shape of the analfins (a round, scoop shape) it’s likely Shadow is a female. King Arthur is probably also a female, as female Cories get bigger than males. Try and look at Shadow from above. If her belly looks very round in the sides, then she’s probably carrying eggs. That’s a good thing, as it means she’s healthy enough to produce eggs! It is possible she could be bloated, but I find that bloat is pretty uncommon in Cories, especially with proper feeding like you’re doing.
If it turns out she lays eggs, then you can just leave them and they’ll be eaten. But if you do want to go through the journey of raising some babies, I can give advice on that as well. I’ve got 54 two week old fry!

 

Don't you think this fish is quite young (too young to carry eggs)?

Judging by the shape of the analfins (a round, scoop shape) it’s likely Shadow is a female. King Arthur is probably also a female, as female Cories get bigger than males. Try and look at Shadow from above. If her belly looks very round in the sides, then she’s probably carrying eggs. That’s a good thing, as it means she’s healthy enough to produce eggs! It is possible she could be bloated, but I find that bloat is pretty uncommon in Cories, especially with proper feeding like you’re doing.
If it turns out she lays eggs, then you can just leave them and they’ll be eaten. But if you do want to go through the journey of raising some babies, I can give advice on that as well. I’ve got 54 two week old fry!

 

HI & welcome to Fishlore, sorry you’re having a problem.
Unfortunately your first pic isn’t showing for me.

Here is a picture of Shadow from today. She seems more restful and was less interested in eating today although I believe I saw her eat a little bit. and she is still staying near other fish and swimming with them

Shadow is only about an 1"-1.5" long... does that mean it would be too young for eggs?

 

Shadow is only about an 1"-1.5" long... does that mean it would be too young for eggs?

Depends on the type of cory. My female emerald is 2 inches and she's already laying eggs.

 

Judging by the shape of the analfins (a round, scoop shape) it’s likely Shadow is a female. King Arthur is probably also a female, as female Cories get bigger than males. Try and look at Shadow from above. If her belly looks very round in the sides, then she’s probably carrying eggs. That’s a good thing, as it means she’s healthy enough to produce eggs! It is possible she could be bloated, but I find that bloat is pretty uncommon in Cories, especially with proper feeding like you’re doing.
If it turns out she lays eggs, then you can just leave them and they’ll be eaten. But if you do want to go through the journey of raising some babies, I can give advice on that as well. I’ve got 54 two week old fry!

What would be normal behavior for her if she is carrying eggs? Today she's less active and i've noticed her going up for air a few times and somewhat rapid breathing, also not eating as vigorously as she was before ... should I turn on my airstone?

I noticed a few days ago one of my 5 cories looks waaaayyy more plump than it used to. I have a picture form before it was plump and one of it now. Today she is less active than usual and is breathing rapidly and goes up for air occasionally which she never used to and none of the other cories do that. Can somebody please help me determine if she is carrying eggs or if she may be sick and in need of treatment? and if so what meds? should I turn on the airstone maybe? or if its probably eggs how should I handle them if i'd like to keep them??

 

Hubby says she looks eggy.
So let me tell you how it goes. She lays eggs everywhere. The others follow close behind picking them up. When she’s done, she turns around and helps finish the job. I had one fat Cory one night then three chubby corys in the morning.
In you want to keep them, have something ready. (Tank). Let her lay her eggs. Snatch her out and put her back in the main tank. Well, be gentle and reacclimate her and stuff. Now if you have a heavily planted tank they might miss a couple. Come to think of it, Corydora eggs ought to be offered as food. Hmmm

 

I think we're looking at a quite nice C.trilineatus with a beautiful pattern.
It doesn't look sick (bright color, no clamped fins etc) to me.
It is chubby but not cause of eggs in my opinion.

 

Thank you! I hope it is eggs!
How big of a separate tank would I need to keep them in?

Hubby says she looks eggy.
So let me tell you how it goes. She lays eggs everywhere. The others follow close behind picking them up. When she’s done, she turns around and helps finish the job. I had one fat Cory one night then three chubby corys in the morning.
In you want to keep them, have something ready. (Tank). Let her lay her eggs. Snatch her out and put her back in the main tank. Well, be gentle and reacclimate her and stuff. Now if you have a heavily planted tank they might miss a couple. Come to think of it, Corydora eggs ought to be offered as food. Hmmm

 

Thank you! I hope it is eggs!
How big of a separate tank would I need to keep them in?

Because the Cory is so active, and because you want to keep some eggs, I’d suggest a ten gallon with lots of stuff to deposit eggs on. I hope you get to watch. If the eggs come fast enough, she’ll be moving around a lot trying to get them out. For her, it’s dinner time. I’ve had some drop a few eat a few. They’re so cute!
You know who would be the best to advise you here? Coradee

 

The females are just more plump regardless of carrying eggs or not. Here is a pic of a couple of my breeders. Both about the same age. The female is on the left. Notice how she is more plump, where as the male is more slender. Don't worry so much about them!

 

The females are just more plump regardless of carrying eggs or not. Here is a pic of a couple of my breeders. Both about the same age. The female is on the left. Notice how she is more plump, where as the male is more slender. Don't worry so much about them!

Awesome! I’ll try to calm down a bit haha I just don’t wanna lose any of them and I’m still learning what’s normal and what’s not. Thank you so much for your reply!

 

Cories are pretty durable. If you are losing them in numbers, something is very wrong. I had a tank disaster in the early days, had a leak, panicked and threw my cories in another tank. They all went belly up and I noticed the heater wasn't working. I literally threw them into water with a 20 degree temp difference. I added water to balance the temp and I ended up not losing a single one!

 

IMO, the OP's fish is too small and young to be filling with eggs, it's just got a big tummy from eating a lot.

Before a female Corydoras can lay eggs, a male has to get in front of her to release sperm. But first he has to catch her in a wild run around the tank. He will get across her nose in a T-position. She then releases eggs into her ventral fins, and takes them to a spawning site to adhere them to the glass. She will often return to the same area to produce some very large patches of very sticky eggs. Some species will lay one egg at a time, often in the plants. I've never seen a Corydoras eat it's own eggs. I have seen many other fish attack them and eat them, but not the Cories.

A female that is running around willy nilly and just tossing eggs is just trying to avoid becoming eggbound, and the eggs will be eaten because they are not fertilized.

 

IMO, the OP's fish is too small and young to be filling with eggs, it's just got a big tummy from eating a lot.

Before a female Corydoras can lay eggs, a male has to get in front of her to release sperm. But first he has to catch her in a wild run around the tank. He will get across her nose in a T-position. She then releases eggs into her ventral fins, and takes them to a spawning site to adhere them to the glass. She will often return to the same area to produce some very large patches of very sticky eggs. Some species will lay one egg at a time, often in the plants. I've never seen a Corydoras eat it's own eggs. I have seen many other fish attack them and eat them, but not the Cories.

A female that is running around willy nilly and just tossing eggs is just trying to avoid becoming eggbound, and the eggs will be eaten because they are not fertilized.

My Cories chow down on their own eggs like they’re premium caviar.
I’ve even seen some of my females lay eggs, then return about an hour later and enjoy the eggs they just laid! I mean... that’s one way to recycle. I guess.

But anyway, I do agree now that it’s been pointed out, the Cory is on the small side to be carrying eggs. Treating for bloat with peas or daphnia won’t hurt. Brine Shrimp also tends to get things moving, not quite as well but it’s an easy option. I don’t believe it’s internal parasites, from my knowledge parasites that effect Cories tend to cause them to waste away instead of bloating them. But I could be wrong on that.

Or she could just be an early bloomer who’s egg bound,

 

IMO, the OP's fish is too small and young to be filling with eggs, it's just got a big tummy from eating a lot.

Before a female Corydoras can lay eggs, a male has to get in front of her to release sperm. But first he has to catch her in a wild run around the tank. He will get across her nose in a T-position. She then releases eggs into her ventral fins, and takes them to a spawning site to adhere them to the glass. She will often return to the same area to produce some very large patches of very sticky eggs. Some species will lay one egg at a time, often in the plants. I've never seen a Corydoras eat it's own eggs. I have seen many other fish attack them and eat them, but not the Cories.

A female that is running around willy nilly and just tossing eggs is just trying to avoid becoming eggbound, and the eggs will be eaten because they are not fertilized.

Somebody forgot to tell all of my fish the rules. My goldfish and guppies won’t eat their own fry. My corys eat their own eggs. Yes they were fertilized cause I got two babies out of one of the batches. And my female is like me, blind. She was born that way though. And Willy nilly is pretty much her mode of transport.

 

My guppies never ate their own fry, I wish they had. Never bred Goldies, but I've seen fry in ponds with adults swimming around ignoring them. Not surprised.

It is not natural for a fish to eat it's own eggs/young right away. If they do, something is wrong. Usual problem with livebearers is not enough cover for the fry to hide. Don't know what the problem is with Corydoras, as I've never actually seen egg eating by aeneus, paleatus, panda, pygmaeus, or adolfoi. Granted, the adults were usually removed within 24 hours after spawning, but you are talking about fish that lay eggs and turn around to eat them almost immediately. Not saying I don't believe you, but there has to be something causing it.

 

My guppies never ate their own fry, I wish they had. Never bred Goldies, but I've seen fry in ponds with adults swimming around ignoring them. Not surprised.

It is not natural for a fish to eat it's own eggs/young right away. If they do, something is wrong. Usual problem with livebearers is not enough cover for the fry to hide. Don't know what the problem is with Corydoras, as I've never actually seen egg eating by aeneus, paleatus, panda, pygmaeus, or adolfoi. Granted, the adults were usually removed within 24 hours after spawning, but you are talking about fish that lay eggs and turn around to eat them almost immediately. Not saying I don't believe you, but there has to be something causing it.

My aeneus definitely eat their own eggs (or the ones of other females of course).
Some within minutes, some in days.

 

My guppies never ate their own fry, I wish they had. Never bred Goldies, but I've seen fry in ponds with adults swimming around ignoring them. Not surprised.

It is not natural for a fish to eat it's own eggs/young right away. If they do, something is wrong. Usual problem with livebearers is not enough cover for the fry to hide. Don't know what the problem is with Corydoras, as I've never actually seen egg eating by aeneus, paleatus, panda, pygmaeus, or adolfoi. Granted, the adults were usually removed within 24 hours after spawning, but you are talking about fish that lay eggs and turn around to eat them almost immediately. Not saying I don't believe you, but there has to be something causing it.

They’re mine. No pet of mine is normal. Ever. I think being in the 40 long is making them happier though.

 

Hello,
I have concern than one of my cories is a bit fat and may need a more fibrous diet. I normally feed one hikarI sinking pellet (spirulina, silkworm, and krill formula) daily for 5 cories to share. Shadow just seemed to gain a bit of weight.... idk maybe she has eggs but she hasn't laid any yet and it's been a few days she seemed to lose her large appetite, still eats but not as aggressively as she used to... but I'm sure it doesn't hurt to make 'em poop just to be sure. lol. I've read online that some cories will nibble at a cucumber slice and that will provide some fiber, so I've put one slice at the bottom of the tank today but so far nobody has nibbled that i've seen.

My thinking is, if they don't eat it I'm sure my nerite snails will find it and eat some. And I've heard starving the cories a day or two a week is good to make sure they don't overeat. So I'll start doing that and see if it helps at all. But does anybody have any other tips or advice for me? Should I NOT do any of the above things I've researched? Anybody have any experience with constipated cories?

 

Several threads have been merged to keep all the information in one place, please only create one thread per topic

 

Somebody forgot to tell all of my fish the rules. My goldfish and guppies won’t eat their own fry. My corys eat their own eggs. Yes they were fertilized cause I got two babies out of one of the batches. And my female is like me, blind. She was born that way though. And Willy nilly is pretty much her mode of transport.

Funny...my mosquito-fish eat their fish fry like french fries. Little cannibals have no morals, I suppose.

 

Where could I get Daphnia? And what kind of peas? how do I prepare them for the cories? and what if they don't eat them!

 

I doubt they’d eat peas, you can get frozen daphnia from most Lfs

 

Where could I get Daphnia? And what kind of peas? how do I prepare them for the cories? and what if they don't eat them!

I’ve git one Cory that will munch on thawed green pea. Most won’t. But like the wonderful Coradee said, you can get frozen Daphnia from your LFS. All my fish love daphnia.

 

Well, after not feeding for two days I fed them some frozen brine shrimp from petco...(couldn't find frozen daphnia)... and now my fish are all looking like they have some sort of infection. Bulgy eyes makes me think pop eye... I lost one cory today... I'm so confused though. Everyone was looking better and I felt confident and I got a betta and I was letting him float in a temporary holding tank in my main tank to observe his behavior, then I fed them the shrimp and the next morning they're all sick! (not the betta he's still separated) I don't know what happened... feeling quite discouraged. I got Melafix to treat the infection for now but I read that API Furan-2 is a good medication to use for bacterial infection so I ordered that on amazon since it's "prime day" and petco didn't have API em erythromycin.... Anybody have advice for me? I just feel like I'm gonna lose them all now...

 

Pictures please?

 

this is shadow, again, you can see that the postponed feeding helped the belly bulge go down a bit. but now her eyes are a bit bulgy. She got more white looking, but her black stripes are still bold and dark, no clamped fin. gills and head looks kinda pink. she often goes up to the surface for a gulp of air, my filter creates a strong current with lots of bubbles so I don't think there's little oxygen in there, she's the only one who's been doing that. rapid breathing... I really just wanna nip this bacterial infection of some sort in the bud and save my four remaining cories... Gypsy13

 

Well I've bred fish before and have a lot of books on this kind of subject... shadow definitely looks pregnant. But I think that you should be feeding your beautiful corys what they were eating before. Sounds dumb I know but if that's what they were used to eating... diet changes that happen suddenly can affect fish in different ways. I've learned this from my own experiences. I hope this helps!

 

Well I only put in a few brine shrimp and I also put in half a wafer of what they were used to eating... they ate that first haha but they found the brine shrimp slowly and tried it out.

 

Okay Well that sounds like a great way to introduce them to new foods. Most people just throw in a ton of gold fish when their fish are used to pellets... I'm glad you feed them something they were used to. Honestly I can't think of anything other than how long have you had them? It sounded like they had a wonderful set up and were doing everything right. It didn't sound like the shrimp had parasites or anything wrong with them so I'm at a loss... I'll let you know if I find something in the dusty shelves of my mind and my books that can help!

 

I started adding them Around June 14th I believe? I started with two but the smaller of the two got overstressed and had died the day after, the larger of the first two is King Arthur who I still have and she has been one of my healthiest looking cories ever since. and then I slowly added the others one by one after a few days so I could let the filter/bacteria adjust to the increasing waste. The one that had just died today was my newest guy who I believe I got a week ago or so.

Anyway, I'm just so confused how they're getting this popeye infection Besides their somewhat swollen eyes and a little redness they look healthy they move around. Only shadow is showing some lightened coloring, but again she still has dark black stripes so I don't know! And now my poor betta has to chill before I can let him into the tank where the fish are being treated because I don't want him to stress them out more!

Should I add almond leaves? does anyone think that might help? if so, how should I prepare them before adding them?

Ahhhhhhhhhh guys I think I messed up melafix can create an oily residue on the top of the water and now when shadow goes up for air she has to work harder I've never seen her do this before, she's swimming really hard to push herself up to breathe and she keeps swimming up and her head is like outta the water like she's trying to jump out HELP

 

Have you recently cleaned the tank? Not saying you should but hear me out! I recently moved to another state with my father who wanted his tank spotless... being himself and thinking his kid didn't know what they were talking about he cleaned his tank. With Ajax. Then all his lovely fish promptly died... not saying that this was your problem! Highly unlikely with how careful you seem to be. But I thought that this would make you laugh a little? I know how upsetting losing a fish can be,especially after putting all that effort into the tank. Just take some deep breaths close your eyes and calm. Then once you are maybe an answer will appear.

Do you have anywhere you can move them for a little bit? Like a fish pet carrier? Maybe that will help?

 

...Yeah I may be freaking out a lot huh? haha... I mean at this point it is what it is and if I can save them great! if I can't... I can't. I have a lot of other things going on right now and I guess stress has been building up and now that I thought I finally had a healthy school of cories and I got a betta and the VERY next day I noticed shadows eyes... I think I snapped a little haha...

Being new to the hobby i'm still getting used to learning through failure... as unpleasant as it is..

I did buy all these cories from petco... and only one salesperson used the plastic scoop to catch one of my cories and told me that using a net can be dangerous for their barbels. All the other cories were netted as I stood by and felt my anxiety skyrocket knowing what she had said before lol. I don't really have a LFS nearby... Only petco and petsmart

 

I totally understand! My first day into fish keeping I got an oscar... And put her in a 10 gal.... I could tell you were a little high strung.... a lot of my friends acted the same way when they got fish and weren't doing well. Let me tell you a secret. It is okay to make mistakes. You learn from them and ultimately become a better fish keeper. When it comes to stress remember that it's not the end of the world when something bad happens. And it can feel that way. Truly its okay people will help you along the way.

Most places have hidden treasures. Trust me it took me hours to find mine. But If there aren't that's okay. And corys are pretty hardy fish. I think once you get settled you'll be fine.

 

Thank you so much for your words of encouragement zebstrikadanios ...truly helped me calm down.. as you've pointed out I've tried to be the perfect fish keeper from the get go and clearly that's impossible. lol.

I will update this thread day by day about the condition of my cories! Hopefully I'll do something right!

 

I have no doubt that you will succeed it just takes time and patience! Good luck!

 

Hey. Been through it right? What are your water parameters today? We’re you able to get the melafix off the top of the water? It’s never good to use meds with oil in them on air breathers. Corys will go to the surface for air. Even if the oxygen in the water is fine. I hope it didn’t get oil coated gills. But if they want to stay at the top or try to get out, there’s something wrong with the water.

 

Here's what I would do. Stop all of the treatments, do a 95% water change, and feed them shrimp pellets for now (the cories). Pop eye is from poor water quality, bacterial infection, eye parasite, etc. Don't think he has a parasite though.

 

They aren't staying at the top. Last night she just did that really weird thing and it freaked me out. Shadow isn't doing that anymore I skimmed the top of the tank water with a cup a few times and after that she's been breathing fine up there. I also turned on my airstone and have a filter with a good current going so they have enough oxygen in the water too.

I just checked my parameters and they're still stable pH 7.8 Ammonia 0 Nitrite 0 Nitrate 10-20

 

Does anyone think my centerpiece decoration may be the cause of this infection? I noticed the other day it kind of look like the “paint” or whatever it is may be coming off? Only small areas but still... and I cleaned it with white vinegar and thoroughly rinsed it off before I filled my tank and started cycling and everything... but should I take it out and order a real wood piece? Maybe that will help?

Today I plan on getting the cories out of the tank into a temporary holding tank and doing a major water change 90-95% while I medicate the cories with furan 2. That way I can get any bacterial cause started on meds and eliminate poor water quality as a cause of infection.

Just wanna know if I should take out that decoration? Thoughts?

Coradee DoubleDutch

 

I would do that.

 

Okay decoration is trash, only my slate and plants and thoroughly vacuumed sand substrate remain and I completed a 90% water change today. Cories are in a temporary quarantine being treated with furan-2 for the next few days. I also took out my snails and put them in their own temp tank. and my betta of course has his own. Treating betta as well just in case he has something from being in a tiny petco bowl for however long he was there before I got him but he looks quite healthy.

From now on, no more fake decor for me! That "ficus root" decoration held in water and would NOT let it drain once I took it out of the tank. Just held in a bunch of water that couldn't be changed. I feel terrible for not noticing that! my poor cories. The redness that I saw on their gills and head area already looks better in their fresh clean medicated water! I'll continue to keep this thread updated!

 

UPDATE: The furan-2 treatment seems to have worked beautifully! I've transferred the cories back to the 20 gallon tank and Shadow is acting like her healthy self again! No more popeye! No more bloat! I also Boiled some Indian Almond leaves and added the tannins to their water and they really seem so much happier and super active. I can tell they missed their sand and plants and all their space. Hopefully the transition back wasn't too stressful for anyone!

Thank you everyone for all your help! It is much appreciated!

 

Thank you for the beautifully wonderful update! Keep it up!

 

I have one question. Since I know cories like to be in groups of 4-6 or more... and I only have 4 now... do you think I can get two more comfortably in a 20 gal high? With one betta and two nerite snails? Or should I stick with four?