Corydoras sting

[yng...@aol.com]

I didn't know that a cory cat can "sting" you, but I sure found out
today. While adding three skunk corys to a QT tank, I grabbed the side
of the bag to try tip it to get one of them to slide over to the other
side. His rays stuck me right through the plastic bag, and yeow! It
hurt for about an hour, just like a bee sting. I presume they release
some kind of toxin.

I have panda corys in another tank and never experienced this, even
though once one of them got stuck in a net and I had to push his fins
out to get him loose. But he didn't stab me.

Can they hurt other fish with these toxins?
-yngver

[Kels Mustang]

Holy cow!
Right after reading your post I googled the Q..Do Skunk corydoras have
venom in their spines....
The first that pops tells of a little known fact....some types of
cories DO have venom in the barbs that is released just like a sting.
Hope you're feeling better.
Now I'm on to do a little more reading about this and which others may
have venom too.

[Altum]

Cories are not aggressive. The sting is only an issue if another fish
tries to grab or eat the cory. The spines and venom make the cory
much less appealing to swallow. If you're ever unlucky enough to get
stung again, meat tenderizer will help as it's a peptide venom.

--Altum

[yng...@aol.com]

Okay, thanks. There's nothing in my tank big enough to swallow a cory.
I have two BN plecos who might bump into a cory or push one out of the
way when trying to get to the same food, but since they are armored
themselves, possibly a cory spine wouldn't penetrate.
-yngver

[yng...@aol.com]

Thanks. It hurt like crazy--I mean, exactly like a bee sting, with
some minor swelling too--for an hour or so. I was surprised because 1)
didn't know they had venom and 2) it was just a little poke through
the plastic bag, so I didn't think he got me that bad. Got me in the
thumb and forefinger. But after maybe 90 minutes it didn't hurt
anymore.

But it sure taught me to respect those skunk corys! Hopefully I won't
have to handle them again--they seem pretty well settled into the 29
gallon tank. I notice that instead of the BN plecos pushing them
aside, the corys push the plecos to get under them for some tidbit, so
I guess the plecos respect those nasty spines too.

I'm pretty sure panda corys do not have venom because I've gotten
stuck by one that got caught in a net and I was trying to free him. It
didn't sting like that. It didn't even really hurt, and I was more
worried about injuring the cory than him hurting me.

I just wanted to make sure the venom wasn't strong enough to actually
kill another fish. Sounds like it just teaches them a lesson.
-yngver

[Andy Gratton]

BN's  have their own  much  larger  spines which  are used ony for  defence and are vey sharp  ( i been stuck  a few times)  I learned  not  to use a net  when handling BN's  or other Catfish   as they automatically  erect  the spines in defense  and can take a while  to relax   so your down  a net , I use a very large empty Fishfood  container  which  is about  12 inches high and 4 inches round  made of rigid plastic   just  herd the fish  in  and then  out of the tank   no splashing water or fish

[yng...@aol.com]

The LFS sold me one of those plastic containers they use to scoop out
fish, but I only use it when transferring fish from one of my tanks to
another. When transferring newly bought fish, I don't want to put any
of the water from the bags into my tank, even a QT tank, so I have to
use a net. Maybe there is a better way.

This time I used a brine shrimp net, and just sort of scooped under
the cory and gently lifted him on the net into the tank. Got them in
without any snagging, but I was probably just lucky. Never had a
problem with netting plecos but I've only done that with babies. If I
ever have to move the adults, I'd use the plastic container.
-yngver

[videoman]

Bottom posted.

How about using Andy’s idea but modified by drilling ¼-inch holes in
the bottom of the large food plastic container, it would the be
functionally like a net and a large plastic food container? :-) Good
luck all and later!