Yeah…once damaged, those probably won’t grow back as long as they were before, which would be a shame since those little whiskers are one of the things that make Corydoras so cute, and on a more practical note, are used by the catfish to hunt for food at the bottom of their fish tanks.

This does not mean that you should not have adequate aquarium lights on and plants in your fish tank, but it does give you a cushion if you are unsure about whether your Walstad Method tank is producing enough oxygen via the submerged plants for your Corydora Catfish. It means that Corydora Catfish are forgiving as they have adapted this wonderful ability so that they can survive in low-oxygen situations just like this.

This is something you will need to know immediately so that you can make the proper adjustments to keep your fish comfortable and alive. To better be able to quickly make adjustments, you can add your Cory Catfish during the day with the aquarium light high enough to be sure the submerged aquarium plants are pearling, but low enough to be comfortable for the Cory Catfish who may be a bit shy in their new environment. You’ll be able to observe their behavior to make sure they settle in and are moving around without issue.

This does not mean that you can keep your house or office at arctic temperatures and expect your Cory Catfish to thrive. It means that if the place where your low tech aquarium tank is being kept is in a room that is around 60 degrees fahrenheit or warmer, that your catfish will be able to be without an aquarium heater as the room is warm enough to keep the water at a comfortable temperature.

When you bring your Corydora Catfish home, give them half an hour or so to adjust to the temperature of the water in your Walstad Method tank before releasing them into the aquarium, as you would when temperature acclimating any other fish.

It may be necessary for you to “pump” fresh oxygen into the aquarium until your Corydora Catfish remember that they are able to go to the surface to take in air. You can do this by taking a large cup, dipping it into the water to fill it, and pouring the water back into the tank from a good distance above the water’s surface. This will force oxygen into the water, if your oxygen levels are too low for your Corydoras. It may take several minutes for your Cory Catfish to realize that they can go to the surface to get some air as they are probably transitioning from being in a filtered tank with an air pump.