is there something wrong

[kelly]

is there something wrong with my cory or are they playing dead.they have started to lie on their back and on their side is this a sign of sickness

[jackpike]

When i first started keeping fish, i had problems with high nitrite. The albino corrie's i had would swim into the plants and play dead in them. They would sit at all sorts of funny angles, on thier backs, sides and even vertically in the plants. After i sorted the nitrite problem they all seemed fine except for one who never really recovered and died shortly after. So from the experience i had. I would say yes, your fish are stressed for some reason.

[karen]

Thats weird but my albino cory does that too but only in the java moss which he loves.
kelly have you tested your water?like jackpike says it be stress causing it.

[jackpike]

My albino corries like sitting on java moss too, but they always rest on thier bellies not on thier sides or backs. If mines started doing it. It would be a sure sign to me that something was wrong.

[KittyKat]

normally corries only rest on their tummies, sometimes slightly at an angle if on an uneven surface. check your water and post all the readings here. how big is the tank? how many cories? what else is in it? what's the substrate?

[kelly]

bagira said:

normally corries only rest on their tummies, sometimes slightly at an angle if on an uneven surface. check your water and post all the readings here. how big is the tank? how many cories? what else is in it? what's the substrate?

its a 10 gallon with 2 pepper cories 2 albino corries and 2 swordtails and 2 sucking loaches and 2 neons and 2 black neons.i have gravel in it and about 5 plants. ammonia 10 ph 8.5 nitrates 20 nitrite is 10
I also have algae problems and snail problems in this tank

[KittyKat]

well, they are obviously not happy about the water quality. did you cycle the tank first?

if you can, take some sponge from a cycled tank and put it in the filter of this one. it would be even better if you could put a cycled filter on the tank for a week or so alongside the new filter. but right now, do a 40% water change!!!
do another one tomorrow as well.
cories like lower pHs of about 6-7.5 and don't usually react well to high ones.

[jackpike]

I agree with Kittykat your water needs some big regular water changes till the ammonia and nitrites readings recede to zero. U can also put some Api stress zyme into your tank, it contains helpful bacteria that feeds on ammonia and nitrites. it will lower ammonia and nitrites quickly. Don't worry about algae just now it should start to disappear as your water quality get better. I wouldn't worry about this either till you get your water quality problem under control. but there is also another problem that could cause stress, some of thoses fish are shouling species. corries should be in groups of 6 and the tetra's should be even more than that.

[zoomo]

Your overstocked i think

[KittyKat]

sdpending on the size and species of the loaches, probably not overstocked yet but the loaches will very likely need a new tnak/home at some point.