First loss

[dwarfgourami]

We had only counted four out of five corys for several days now, so tonight we had the bogwood out and he certainly wasn't there. The gravel clean brought up a lot of mess, including what I think was bits of skin, and there were traces of ammonia, so I think that must be his remains, poor little thing.

Very sad, and also a little worrying as I have no idea what he died from. The water stats have been fine up till now, we only kept the 5 of them in a 70 ltr tank, so they were certainly not overcrowded, they did not cycle the tank, they'd been in there for a couple of months and nothing new had been introduced, water was dechlorinated, and the other corys all look fine (healthy barbels, no sign of infection, good appetites). There wasn't really enought left of him for a post-mortem.
We did a 20 ltr water change tonight and will be keeping an anxious eye on the others.

Eventually, I suppose we'll need to decide whether we ought to buy another one to make up the numbers, but at the moment we want to see that the others are ok.

 

[ncjharris]

Sorry to read about your loss.

If the other fish are looking ok then you can take solace in the fact that you must be doing something right!

Keep an eye on your water stats and I am sure that every thing will be a-ok!
It could have just been one of those unexplained things.

 

[WILDER]

I gravel vac my gravel twice a week, as corys can get bacteria infections, if the food is layed around for a while, sorry for your loss, R.I.P.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Thanks, both of you.

I do gravel vacuuming at least once a week but have been doing it twice a week lately. Hopefully there isn't too much food lying around as no other fish get fed in that tank. I do wish I could have had a look at his barbels though, that thought does worry me. Have checked out the others and theirs look very healthy, good length.

 

[catyrpelius]

I have corys in my ten gallon tank, that used to have a hang on back filter on it, well anyway one day the strainer came off the intake tube and the cory must have gotten sucked up, needless to say i found him in the filter when i changed cartrdges, it makes me wonder though how he got through the impellor without being cut up.

 

[ncjharris]

it makes me wonder though how he got through the impellor without being cut up.

He was alive?

Wow, thats quite some survival there - you must have a fishy indiana jones!

 

[daudy_dojo]

once i thought i lost my spotted dojo for good, well he just jumped into the filter what a silly goose! he loves to that to me... so now i have to put a cover on my filter!

 

[catyrpelius]

Nope he wasnt alive, , but his body was in perfect shape, I think the stress from the whole ordeal is what did him in

 

[daudy_dojo]

maybe he jumped! like my dojo does cause i found one of my cories on the ground once... o.o weird he jumped outa my tank!... cories are fast though how can they get sucked up?

 

[catyrpelius]

I dont think he could have jumped into the filter because the filter was covered, unless he died for some reason in the tank near the filter intake and was sucked in, but i dont know...

 

[dwarfgourami]

He must have been sucked in, then, probably dead already.

One of my first actions was searching the filter for mine, but he wasn't there, and then we seemed to find bits of skin when we vacuumed the gravel, so he must just have disintegrated/been eaten very quickly. Quite a relief really, if he had to go; I wouldn't have liked my son to see him half-eaten. He was sad but not devastated.

 

[rdd1952]

Corys seem to be the only fish I lose. My water parameters are perfect but I still lose them (found one dead on Sunday night during WC). I can't do much of a gravel vacuum since this tank is heavily planted and there is no way to get the vacuum anywhere near the back half of the tank. I have also lost some in my 29 gallon. I know corys are a little more delicate than other fish. I'm kind of lost as to what to do because of the loses. I am now down to 2 peppered corys in the 29 gallon and 3 (I think) black spotted corys in the 75 gallon. I know they are schooling fish but don't really know if I want to buy any more until the tanks have been running for a little longer.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Yes, hard isn't it? I'm trying to decide whether I should up the number or not.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi dwarfgourami

I'm sorry to learn about your cory.

Summer is the worst time for corys, it seems. The problems they have are usually bacteria related and, while they are pretty strong little fish, and untreated bacterial infection can make short work of them. It's easy to overlook a problem while it is developing and find out only when it's too late.

In general, I suggest doing more water changes than you think you need. Harmful bacteria will not show up in any water test you can do, but they are always some in the tank. It helps if you keep them to a minimum by doing frequent water changes.

Temperature fluctuations are harmful too since they are another cause of stress, and will weaken their immune systems, and make them more likely to get sick. Keep in mind that if your house gets overly warm during the day, the temperature of the water could rise fairly suddenly over the temperature you have the heater set for. This is very dangerous to fish, and especially to corys. If this happens, the harmful bacteria, that they would ordinarily fight off, can take hold and make them sick.

Let's hope that the cory you lost was just naturally a weak one and that the others will continue to thrive under your care.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Thanks Inchworm. How many water changes do you recommend? Two a week? I'd be very glad to do them; I want my boys and girls to be happy.

I had been wondering about the temperature too. We were away Saturday, which was a very hot day, so couldn't check on the temperature then. Will keep a careful eye on temperature.