Cory Killer

[babygeige]

Remember the 5 julii cories I bought a while back? Well, I am now down to 1!

One of them must have been sick when I bought them because it died shortly afterwards. It turned pale and began breathing very heavy.
After about a month of QT following the first one's death, everyone seemed fine. Good color, good breathing, eating well, chubby, social etc so I moved them to the 30 gallon.

Every week since moving them, I find one dead stuck to the filter. What could be wrong? Everyone else in the tank is healthy and strong. Put them in 30 gallon on September 20. One died Sept 26, one Oct 6, and today was the 3rd one. Now I've got one left and I don't know what to do with him.


Here are water parameters:
Ammonia, Nitrites =0
Nitrates = either 10 or 20 (I have a hard time telling them apart)
Phosphate = 0 or 1 (again, hard time)
pH = 7.8
GH = 143.2
KH = 107.4

[Carl]

First, sorry to read this

I have found Corys are often difficult to acclimate and also can be sensitive to chemicals and disease pathogens that other fish are not bothered by.

Your parameters are excellent.

One question as to acclimation, was the previous tank pH similar?
If within .2 pH this likely was not a problem, if more than .2 and acclimation was hurried this can be stressful, especially to Cory Catfish.

Please watch your other fish for the slightest sign of any problems.

Sorry to be vague, but this is kind of like playing "pin the tail on the donkey" with a blind fold on.

Carl

[babygeige]

All of my tanks have around the same pH. 7.6 to 7.8
When I move fish from QT, I usually start a few days before, and swap out water from QT and replace it with water from the display tank. I am 99% sure that I did this with the cories.

I had this same problem with cories I bought back in February or March. They'd look fine, and then I'd find them stuck to the filter intake. I thought maybe it was because I bought them from Petsmart and they were sick and not very good to begin with, but this batch was from my regular lfs.

I know it's hard to make any guesses as to what could be wrong. I do appreciate any ideas, because I've been wracking my brain without any luck.

It'd be so much easier if fish could talk! Although I have a feeling that platies would never shut up if they could.

[bikeguy33]

well first off....you are right...platties wouldn`t ever shut up. but now the problem at hand...is it possible the intake is too strong and the corries arent strong enough to avoid the suction??

[Carl]

Well there goes one idea of mine

I would still watch the other fish for any other signs.

Did you maybe have an ammonia spike in this tank after addition of the Corys?

The suction problem with the intake is a possibility, but that is usually with an already weak fish
ALL ideas need to be considered though.

It'd be so much easier if fish could talk! Although I have a feeling that platies would never shut up if they could.

I think Pictus Catfish would even be louder if they could talk (they already "squeek" when you catch them and they are so hyper)

Carl

[eve]

you say the quarantine tank and your other tanks are the same

but how do you acclimate the newly bought fish into your Q tank?

[babygeige]

I put them in a bucket and either use a drip line if I can find my extra air hose, or add a dixie cup or 2 of QT tank water to the bucket every 5 minutes or so.

I think when I get my finances straightened out (I lost my job a couple of weeks ago) I am going to buy a sponge prefilter for this tank, because I do think the intake is pretty strong. But other fish swim by it without a problem so the ones that get stuck must be weak to begin with.

So here is what I'm thinking: I am concerned about this last cory because they die about a week apart. I am leaving for vacation on Friday and won't get back until Wednesday evening. What happens if he dies while I'm away? My uncle is coming to feed them for me, but I can't ask him to scoop out a dead fish. he doesn't have the time to go through all that crap.

I think I should move him to QT, even though he'll be completely alone there. I feel bad having just one little lonely cory!

[Carl]

I think when I get my finances straightened out (I lost my job a couple of weeks ago) I am going to buy a sponge prefilter for this tank, because I do think the intake is pretty strong. But other fish swim by it without a problem so the ones that get stuck must be weak to begin with.

I hope you can get a new job or another opportunity of some kind

So here is what I'm thinking: I am concerned about this last cory because they die about a week apart. I am leaving for vacation on Friday and won't get back until Wednesday evening. What happens if he dies while I'm away? My uncle is coming to feed them for me, but I can't ask him to scoop out a dead fish. he doesn't have the time to go through all that crap.

I think I should move him to QT, even though he'll be completely alone there. I feel bad having just one little lonely cory!

I honestly think that you should take your chances with your Cory by leaving him be in the tank he is in now.
My reasons are even if he did die, I really doubt (based on many experiences with customers leaving fish in their tanks after death) that a small Cory will cause that much problem.

But more importantly (and this is also based on my experiences with many Corys, abeit no hard facts/studies) that it Corys are VERY sensitive to "change" as I have seen most of the problems with Corys (other than Ich or other tank wide outbreaks of disease) occur after a change in their habitat, water parameters, etc.

Carl

[goldenpuon]

Is it just the cories in there or are there other fish? Just curious in case ther is some other contributing factor.

[babygeige]

Thanks Carl, your advice makes sense. I will leave him there and see what happens.

Renee, the cory is with 6 Celebes Rainbows, 2 head and tail light tetras, a scissor tail rasbora, a cherry barb, an SAE, and flying fox. It's a very peaceful tank. Occasionally the fox will chase the SAE a little bit, and then the cherry barb will chase the fox (which I find very amusing, like she's protecting the SAE that's twice as big as her), but other than that there are no problems(...knocks on wood...)

Thanks again for the help. Keep fingers crossed that Mr. Cory will hang on!

It's a very hodge-podge collection of fish, but it works. Except for the cory issue, that is.

[8 in the Corner]

Oct 14, 2008 15:55:34 GMT -5 babygeige said:

Thanks Carl, your advice makes sense. I will leave him there and see what happens.

Renee, the cory is with 6 Celebes Rainbows, 2 head and tail light tetras, a scissor tail rasbora, a cherry barb, an SAE, and flying fox. It's a very peaceful tank. Occasionally the fox will chase the SAE a little bit, and then the cherry barb will chase the fox (which I find very amusing, like she's protecting the SAE that's twice as big as her), but other than that there are no problems(...knocks on wood...)

Thanks again for the help. Keep fingers crossed that Mr. Cory will hang on!

It's a very hodge-podge collection of fish, but it works. Except for the cory issue, that is.

I have heard that the flying foxes can get aggressive. Since the corys and the fox both inhabit the bottom of the tank, he might be kind of territorial since he was there first. Is it possible that he might be the one killing the corys? I have never owned one, but heard they can be nasty.
John

[eve]

Oct 14, 2008 16:44:01 GMT -5 8 in the Corner said:

Oct 14, 2008 15:55:34 GMT -5 babygeige said:

Thanks Carl, your advice makes sense. I will leave him there and see what happens.

Renee, the cory is with 6 Celebes Rainbows, 2 head and tail light tetras, a scissor tail rasbora, a cherry barb, an SAE, and flying fox. It's a very peaceful tank. Occasionally the fox will chase the SAE a little bit, and then the cherry barb will chase the fox (which I find very amusing, like she's protecting the SAE that's twice as big as her), but other than that there are no problems(...knocks on wood...)

Thanks again for the help. Keep fingers crossed that Mr. Cory will hang on!

It's a very hodge-podge collection of fish, but it works. Except for the cory issue, that is.

I have heard that the flying foxes can get aggressive. Since the corys and the fox both inhabit the bottom of the tank, he might be kind of territorial since he was there first. Is it possible that he might be the one killing the corys? I have never owned one, but heard they can be nasty.
John

i agree with john on this count, definitely
that's very much a possibility

here is a bit more info on them

flying fox

[Carl]

I have heard that the flying foxes can get aggressive. Since the corys and the fox both inhabit the bottom of the tank, he might be kind of territorial since he was there first. Is it possible that he might be the one killing the corys? I have never owned one, but heard they can be nasty.
John

This is a good point!

This is worth considering Stephanie!
I have kept Flying Foxes with no problems in client's aquariums, HOWEVER I too have heard of others state exactly what John and Eve mentioned here.

Carl

[bikeguy33]

hmmmmmm.....i never even considered that. the corries that died, what was the condition of their lil corpse. john may be onto something although even if there are no visible marks....stress kills just as effectively and efficiently.

[babygeige]

I've considered the fox a possibility too. All of the fish looked perfectly fine when they died. I have never seen the fox chase or harass any fish except for the SAE, but of course it always could be happening when I'm not observing.
They were never really hiding or had their fins clamped up. Just scurrying around looking for food minding their own business.

And, I had this same problem with my first batch of cories before I bought the fox. At that time, the cories were the only bottom dwelling fish I had.

It's a mystery!