A Checklist Written From the Tank Floor Up
A corydoras catfish checklist lives at the bottom of the aquarium, because that is where this fish spends its life. Corydoras are social bottom-foragers that shuffle nose-down through the substrate in loose groups, resting together and rising occasionally for a gulp of air. So the weekly page should track what reaches the floor, what condition the floor is in, and how the group is behaving on it. A checklist copied from a surface-feeding fish will record the flake that went in and miss the only question that matters for a cory: how much of dinner actually arrived at the bottom.
The Barbel Check: One Line, Big Information
Barbels — the whiskers a corydoras uses to taste and sift the substrate — deserve a standing line on the weekly checklist. Healthy barbels are long and intact; short, worn or missing barbels point to rough, sharp or dirty substrate irritating the fish's face as it feeds. Once a week, watch two or three individuals closely at feeding time and write down what you see in plain words. Pair that entry with the substrate note: sand or smooth fine gravel suits corys, and the checklist should flag any week where mulm has been left to build up in the areas where the group forages most.
Feeding Lines: Proof the Food Arrived
Feeding entries for corydoras catfish should record the sinking portion separately from the main tank feed. Sinking wafers, pellets or gels dropped in after the faster fish have eaten — or after lights-out — are how a cory actually gets fed in a community tank, and the checklist should name the night feeds rather than assume leftovers covered it. Note whether the group converged on the food and fed calmly; a cory that is pushed off every piece by tankmates needs a feeding spot of its own. One weekly condition line helps: plump, active fish sifting in a group are the baseline you are checking against.
The Gentle Floor Clean and Water Block
The weekly maintenance block for corydoras centres on a careful vacuum of the floor. Hover the siphon just above the substrate to lift waste without churning the surface the fish sift through, and pay attention to the resting corner where the group gathers, since waste concentrates there. Log the water change, temperature and the standard readings, and add a line for group size: corydoras are grouping fish, so the count matters for welfare as well as health, and losses should be visible on the page. Rinse filter media in removed tank water when flow drops, and note it beside the date.
When the Cory Group's Behaviour Changes
Behaviour is the corydoras early-warning system the checklist is really for. A group that stops foraging and sits hunched and still, fish flashing against the substrate, or a sudden increase in trips to the surface for air all justify testing the water the same day rather than at the weekend. Wasting barbels alongside lethargy, or any fish that stops eating across several feeds, is the point to seek advice from an aquatic veterinarian or a knowledgeable shop and take your written log with you. Dividing the corys' night feeds, floor cleans and checks through KinsLe's Care Teams keeps the routine covered even on evenings when the usual fish-keeper is out.