You're going to have to bear with me and run with this one.
So. Imagine you're an eight year old schoolkid playing football in the yard. Your arms are strapped to your sides. Oh - and the ball is invisible. And as a reminder for those of you who are a long way from eight - at that age football involves a lot of running around chasing the ball, rather than anything more nuanced like, for example, strategy. Ok so far? So here's the twist. You're a hugger. You like hugging your mates. So all the time you're running around chasing that invisible ball, you are also constantly trying to hug everyone. Except you have that problem with the lack of conveniently available arms. Got that picture in your head nice and clear? If you have then it will be no surprise to you that I am deeply disappointed with UKAPS.
Why in all the many thousands of posts that cover in great detail the science and art of aquaria, covering everything from the sublime to the ridiculous, is there nothing warning me that Panda Corys are COMPLETELY BONKERS???
I arrived back home with six of them them last weekend, and they huddled in a corner of the bag as i acclimated them, with the Cherry Barbs nosing around curiously. I'd read in several places that when you introduce new fish you should feed the existing ones to distract them, so after an hour or so of acclimatising I fed the Barbs and let the Pandas out. The Barbs completely ignored their food. I'm not sure they were even aware it was there. The Pandas scuttled out of the bag to the nearest plant leaf, where they froze, presumably attempting to blend in with the leaf. I wasn't fooled. It seemed to work for the Barbs, though, who were all thoroughly baffled as to where the Pandas had gone. After a while they cruised off, shaking their heads in bemusement, and the Pandas took the opportunity to dart to the bottom of the tank, where they made themselves at home.
There was a point when it simultaneously occurred to both Barbs and Corys that there was a significant size disparity. The Barbs are the Ferraris of my small underwater world, with style, speed agility and elegance. The Corys on the other hand charge around the tank with graceless enthusiasm and endless energy. Thay are, well, more like RVs. And if there's a collision between a Ferrari and an RV, you know which is going to have the bigger repair bill. The Barbs decided to leave well alone.
The Pandas meanwhile discovered all the food that the Barbs hadn't eaten earlier, gobbled it up, and started on their game of invisible football. Which, with occasional gaps for a rest or a bite to eat, they have been playing ever since. They've decided to make their base the back of the tank. My visibility of the back of the tank is pretty limited, so I'll fix my gaze on the one gap between the rocks, and wait. Eventually the football will get thumped from one end of the tank to the other, and all the Pandas will charge after it, in a giant mobile multi-finned hug, and I get to see them as they cross my sight line. For some reason I will happily spend ages waiting for those brief glimpses. I tell you my life is supercharged with excitement.
Anyhow, at one point the football game made it to the front of the tank, and I took a couple of shots. Here they are.
I'm wondering if I should revisit my stocking plans. I had planned to get a final set of occupants, 3 pearl Gouramis (2 female, 1 male). Whilst that works according to bioload as far as I can see, I'm thinking my tank may already be full when it comes to personality. Hmm.