I have a 55 gallon tank, cycled, good filtration, good water quality, in the care of my stepmom. There are currently 9 young lyretail swords, 2 bulldog plecos, a pair of Pearl Gouramis that actually get along fine with the 5 Pearl danios (kids, don't try that home--most Pearls like it QUIET), 5 albino Corydoras cats, a Pictus cat, and a lone female Convict cichlid, close to full grown. That sounds like a LOT of fish for one 55, but most of the Swords will probably be sold pretty soon (I raised them from fry) and the Cories will probably be coming home with me tomorrow.
Why can't they stay?
Because most of them are now blind--apparently someone has been taking out their eyes. It's really not a pretty sight. I know it's not popeye; the eyes that are still present are perfectly healthy and none of the other fish have been affected by it. Not to mention the cories' fins, which are getting ripped to shreds. The cories are being picked on by someone who hangs out near the bottom; they now seem scared to actually sink down to the bottom and are swimming around like mid-level fish, none of which are terribly affected (though there are a couple nipped fins). For bullies, I have two main suspects:
1--The female convict. Obviously. Since she doesn't have a mate, she's been pretty peaceful for a cichlid up until now. But as she's getting bigger, she might be getting sick of her role as "peaceful community fish". The cories come along, disturb her in her little dugout nest, and she gets ticked off. The Pictus catfish, which is bigger than her, shares her nest with her most of the time but she might be too intimidated by his size to make the mistake of trying to pick on him.
2--The pictus catfish. He's the only other guy who hangs out on the bottom (more than the convict) and has the potential for getting a bit nasty.
Which do you think it is? I'm asking because I don't have the opportunity to observe these fish very often to tell for sure who the bully is, but I need to figure this out fast before this gets any worse.
In any case, I'll be finding the cories a place at my house where I can medicate them to make sure they don't get any illnesses because of their missing eyes. Not to mention that somebody in my stepmom's 55 gallon is going to have to find a new permanent home someplace else.
Why can't they stay?
Because most of them are now blind--apparently someone has been taking out their eyes. It's really not a pretty sight. I know it's not popeye; the eyes that are still present are perfectly healthy and none of the other fish have been affected by it. Not to mention the cories' fins, which are getting ripped to shreds. The cories are being picked on by someone who hangs out near the bottom; they now seem scared to actually sink down to the bottom and are swimming around like mid-level fish, none of which are terribly affected (though there are a couple nipped fins). For bullies, I have two main suspects:
1--The female convict. Obviously. Since she doesn't have a mate, she's been pretty peaceful for a cichlid up until now. But as she's getting bigger, she might be getting sick of her role as "peaceful community fish". The cories come along, disturb her in her little dugout nest, and she gets ticked off. The Pictus catfish, which is bigger than her, shares her nest with her most of the time but she might be too intimidated by his size to make the mistake of trying to pick on him.
2--The pictus catfish. He's the only other guy who hangs out on the bottom (more than the convict) and has the potential for getting a bit nasty.
Which do you think it is? I'm asking because I don't have the opportunity to observe these fish very often to tell for sure who the bully is, but I need to figure this out fast before this gets any worse.
In any case, I'll be finding the cories a place at my house where I can medicate them to make sure they don't get any illnesses because of their missing eyes. Not to mention that somebody in my stepmom's 55 gallon is going to have to find a new permanent home someplace else.
