Cories Flicking

[tbright]

Have a stocking of 5xpanda cory 5x sterbai cory 3x congo tetra 6x white clouded minnow 2x horsefaced loach in a 125litre.
Water changes every week of 30%+ therefore no ammonia, nitrite levels. Tank has been established 2year+.

Have noticed the cories flicking regulary on the gravel with all my other fish acting fine. There's no bloated look, gills look fine I think, no damaged barbels of what I can see. Along with flicking a few cories are starting to hover above the gravel, one a few centimetres and one literally mid tank level though swimming upright and not losing control of its swimming, could say they were acting lathargic I guess whilst others are swimming up and down the side of the tank full of energy.

I have my ideas of what it might be but don't like making opinions on what I don't have a massive knowledge of.

Advice/Thoughts appreciated so I can start treating this.

Thanks, Tony.

 

[WILDER]

What is your nitrate reading.
Added anything to the tank lately like meds.
Corys are not prone to whitespot so it can't be that.
Any signs to go on like lookiing pale, excess mucas,.
Any corys or other fish look thin.

 

[tbright]

Nitrate is around 20, added melafix a while ago for an injured congo. If anything 1 or 2 of the sterbais are a little darker than looking pale. None of the fish look thin and I can't spot any excess mucas.

Additional info that I can add is only that I have a pretty bad hair algae problem atm and that after I did quite a large grav vac + WC earlier the flicking that I saw before hand seemed to drop in the time I watched them if that helps at all.

Thanks, Tony.

 

[chicklette]

What are your ammonia, nitrite and ph reading? Fish will flash for many different reasons and it means their gills are irritated by something.

They do it because of poor water quality, parasites, ect. So it’s very hard to diagnose without more info on your water parameters. I think that is the first place to start.

What colour is the poop, is it white and stringy or normal?
How often do you clean the tank and what is the amount of water changed?
How do you clean your filters? They should be done in tank water, never tap water.
How often do they flash?

For the time being you can do a water change and see if that somewhat elevates some of the problem.

 

[tbright]

Ammonia and Nitrite are 0 as said above.
ph is around 7. (I only have a dodgy test strip for this reading though)
30%+ every week so I can gravel vac most of the bed whilst taking the water out.
I still have the standard juwell so the filter floss is changed every week with the carbon being changed every month or 2 and then every couple of months I rotate sponging the bottom filters in tank water that I'd have just taken out in a water change before putting them back in.

I did a water change just before I created this topic and I haven't seen much flicking since though 2 cories are still hovering above and mid tank level. (And the gravel isn't sharp btw)

 

[WILDER]

Going darker in colour can indicate a bacterial infection, corys are more prone to bacterial infections.

 

[tbright]

Well if it is indeed bacterial what are the recommended meds, bare in mind I'm from the UK. I just noticed flicking again as the tank is opposite my computer so I think it's getting worse so would like to nip this asap.

Thanks, Tony.

 

[WILDER]

Corys do tend to flick now and then.
Dos it look like something irratating them, do they dart about more than normal..
Anti internal bacteria med by interpet.

 

[tbright]

Yeah I've read they tend to flick and therefore haven't been too concerned in the past.. but it seems to be happening more frequently than usual and they do seem in some discomfort when they do it IMO.

 

[WILDER]

Look under internal bacteria infections.
http/www.tropicalfishexpert.co.uk/Freshw...ishDisease.html

 

[tbright]

I've just bought the med but where it says "Stir the anti internal bacteria into 1/2 litre of warm water until fully dissolved, then distribute evenly over the aquarium surface" does anyone know if thats plain tap water or should I treat it with a usual water conditioner as it doesn't specify which on the instructions. Sorry if it sounds stupid but I don't have much experience with meds.

Thanks, Tony.

 

[WILDER]

Some warm fresh declorinated water I should think.

 

[tbright]

Ty!