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I picked up another pair to add to my motley cory crew yesterday. Besides closing the store (fifteen minutes late), I found a couple of cory paleatus that tugged at heartstrings.

They were the last two cories in the tank and had been so for a while (I'd seen them there before). I don't remember what fish they were in with, but they looked lonely, so, yeah... I figured I'd take them home. They have kinked tails (one rather severely kinked), which drew them to me at first. It wasn't until I got them home under better lighting conditions that I found out that the poor things don't have eyes!

I've seen fish before where an eye has been damaged beyond repair... and the socket heals over, fairly flat. But no, these guys don't look that way, it doesn't look like a recent injury if it is one at all... I'm wondering if it's not a birth defect, like their poor tails... Or possibly results of bad conditions as fry.

In any case, they seem to be doing just fine. They've settled in nicely and can get around easily, despite the tail kinkage... they're not running full tilt into anything and seem pretty calm. They're out an about during the day, possibly because they can't tell the difference? All my other cories are being lazy and just putzing around while these guys are going all over the place.

Well, this brings the "crew" to four trilines, two ambiacus, one panda, one mellini, one san juan and two paleatus. My lil group of misfits.

In the bag




They someone happened upon the names Tweedledee and Tweedledum


Tweedledee


Tweedledum


Still rooting around
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~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

I'm leaning towards birth defect...the eyes don't have the appearance of i had sight and now i don't, and the only way i can see the tail being bent like that is shutting a door on it...so really leaning towards birth defect or something in the fry/juvenile stage of life...they are cute though, and as long as they are moving about without any problems, i wouldn't worry, just make sure they get plenty of love, attention, and nummiesheidi

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

Looks like a birth defect to me as well. I wouldn't be surprised, as many Corydoras paleatus are severely inbred. As long as the fish does not seem to have any swimming difficulties or pain from the condition, it should be fine.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

would they bump into objects or would they use their nose

~elaine~

A kinked tail won't affect the fishes' ability to find food as long as they can still swim alright.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

I've seen an Oscar with an eye but nothing in it. He was blind but wasn't really affected by this handicap.

The second of those photos looks ot me as if the fish has a least one eye, but a non functional one.

Thankfully, the lateral line sense and the barbels will still enable the fish to find its way around and lcoate food. Don't forget that Corys can feed in the dark while you're asleep if they feel like engaging in some nocturnal foraging, so it won't be a major handicap for the fish if it can swim straight and home in on food.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Cali -

No, they don't seem to have any problems getting around the tank at all. Very active and fun to watch, actually. They're more active than any of my other cories... not sure why. Maybe because they can't tell day from night? I know I generally see my other cories most active at feeding time, and evening/night. They're very cute and seem to have settled in well, so I'm happy.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~