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this maybe a stupid question, but when a cory goes up2 the suface and does a little flick, wot it it actually doing?

gulping air and pushing it through its intestines.

Driving its owner nuts Actually go with Victim's answer, unless all your fish are surfacing and gulping for air...then you've got problems.

Last edited by pugperson at 24-Apr-2005 08:35

Driving its owner nuts

Isn't that the truth?

Ok, this is from one of my fish books: They often take air from the surface but unlike labyrinth fish they have no auxiliary breathing organ in the head. The oxygen is extracted from gulped atmospheric air in the hind part of the gut.

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Corydoras gulp some air & swim back to the bottom of the tank. It's a natural thing for them & only get worried if they don't do it.


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Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
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*seeing if they can drive the owner nuts* doesn't it though

I think Cali said it had something to do with getting ready to spawn and then I heard someone mention something about helping them to pass gas

Heck they are just being the goofy corries that we love

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

k fanx all u guys 4 the replies, i only asked, bcuz i realised they actually did it, cuz my mums do it quite regularly, but mine hardly do it @ all, and i was jw wot they were actually doin

Corydoras catfishes are adapted to take atmospheric oxygen if the oxygen content of the water is low. However, because they have adapted to absorb the oxygen via the gut, they need to rise to the surface occasionally and take air even in pristine water conditions, in order to maintain a healthy gut. The frequency with which they rise to the surface and do this is a good indication of oxygenation levels: occasional surfacing means that your water is well oxygenated, while frequent surface trips means that you need to attend to oxygenation issues.

One of the more hilarious consequences of the respiration mechanism via the gut is that the stale air is vented out of the back. In effect. when a Corydoras takes a new bubble of air at the surface, it expels the old one by passing wind.

Sometimes, hilarious results can ensue if the catfish 'forgets' to pass wind, as happened with one of my Pandas. As a result, when it settled on the bottom, its tail end kept rising slowly off the deck. The affected Panda would then turn round, to try and look at its tail, with an expression on its face that was a picture of hilarity, almost as if it was saying Hey! Who put the helium in my food?" About 15 minutes later, a bubble emergred from the back end and equilibrium was restored. But it was funny to watch!

Yes, Corys are goofy fishes. Which is why so many people love them so much


Last edited by Calilasseia at 24-Apr-2005 17:43

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002