Really Shy Pygmy Cories.

[Liam]

Hi, I have 6 Pygmy Cories in a ten gallon and they are super shy even thought I have a heavily planted tank with water wistera and lots of other plants including duckweed so that the light isn’t too bright. My water parameters are great yet they still hide out in the corners and they freak out when I come up to the tank. I have had them in the tank for about 4 months and I have no other clue of how to get them to come out. Any suggestions? Thank You!!

[lefty o]

wish i could help, my pygmy cory's are rarely seen. they sure like to hide.

[AnimalNerd98]

10 hours ago, Liam said:

Hi, I have 6 Pygmy Cories in a ten gallon and they are super shy even thought I have a heavily planted tank with water wistera and lots of other plants including duckweed so that the light isn’t too bright. My water parameters are great yet they still hide out in the corners and they freak out when I come up to the tank. I have had them in the tank for about 4 months and I have no other clue of how to get them to come out. Any suggestions? Thank You!!

Are they the only fish in the aquarium or could there possibly be something like a betta or something that goes after them when they are out in the open? 

How is the water flow? I am assuming that since it is heavily planted that the water flow is not too strong/whipping them around if they come out in the open.

Have they been quarantined and had some meds put through them? Could they possibly be suffering from an internal/hard to spot disease that makes them feel unwell? 

I think the biggest thing that will help is getting some dither fish to put in with them. They will help by just moving about everywhere in the tank, letting the cories know that there are other small fish out, so it must be safe for them too. Watch this video by Cory:

I would personally add some endler’s livebearers or guppies (if they are available). And if you don’t want a ton of babies, get only males (which are the best looking ones anyways). 

Edited January 2, 2021 by AnimalNerd98

[JettsPapa]

I have pygmy corys in my 20 long, and the more I add to the group the more adventurous they seem to be.  I'd suggest getting at least 4 more and see if that will help.

[Liam]

3 hours ago, AnimalNerd98 said:

Are they the only fish in the aquarium or could there possibly be something like a betta or something that goes after them when they are out in the open? 

How is the water flow? I am assuming that since it is heavily planted that the water flow is not too strong/whipping them around if they come out in the open.

Have they been quarantined and had some meds put through them? Could they possibly be suffering from an internal/hard to spot disease that makes them feel unwell? 

I think the biggest thing that will help is getting some dither fish to put in with them. They will help by just moving about everywhere in the tank, letting the cories know that there are other small fish out, so it must be safe for them too. Watch this video by Cory:

I would personally add some endler’s livebearers or guppies (if they are available). And if you don’t want a ton of babies, get only males (which are the best looking ones anyways). 

They are the only fish in the tank. I assume they are Ok health wise because they haven’t declined in health. I also don’t want to medicate them if I don’t need to. I was think about putting dither fish in the tank but I want to breed the Pygmy Cories so that wouldn’t work. I do have some Amano Shrimp in the tank with them.

[CorydorasEthan]

Okay so I have the same situation. My school of 5 pygmy cories was active when I bought them, but after a couple of months, they are not as active and are always hiding under their favorite log/rocks. They hardly ever come out to feed now, but they always seem healthy and well-fed when I get the chance to see them. They will always swim away if they see me coming now as well. And even though there are a lot of smaller dither fish (guppies and endler's livebearers I have a ton of them because they are always breeding) as well as an assortment of other larger species of cories, they are still pretty shy. Occassionally, my pygmy cories school around together, but only when the room light is off so they can't see me.

One thing I have noticed is that my pygmies are most active at dusk, right before I turn the lights out in the tank. All the other fish are usually sitting around digesting their dinner, so the pygmy cories usually can move around undisturbed (the albino cories in the tank can get pretty active and accidentally bump around a lot of the fish in the tank). They also might be active during the night, so you might want to try feeding them when the light is dim/off, or when the light in the room is off.

I would suggest getting a couple more pygmies too, as they look really cool in large groups, and will feel a lot safer. I am also planning on getting more pygmies.

Hope this helps.

[Marc]

Mine are the same, no other fish bothers them, they are just shy,  maybe a huge number would bring them out but I do see them more when the light is off. I want to breed them and see if the offspring are the same way.

Edited January 3, 2021 by Marc
clarification wordage