Cory Weird Beahavior

[fishafanatic]

I have a friend that is away for a while an i take care of his tank, a 20 gallon planted low-tech tank w/7 platies and 3 albino cories and some ghost shrimp. He got them about almost a week ago, and 2 days ago two of them stopped looking for food and only moved if some other fish get near. Noe all of them stay in one place with 2 of them under a small cave like thing and another near the other corner of the tank? Help please i have a tank of my own but never had experience with cories. Stats: ph of 7.2 ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate about 20. he usally does a 25% water change weekly so i do it as well. please help as i don't want them to die while he is away. the tank has been set up for 3 months.

 

[WILDER]

Does the cory look darker or paler in colour.
Is the cory being listless and lethagic.
Check the barbels over or whiskers to see if they look thin and short.
Is the cory laying to oneside.
Any sores on the body of the cory.
Is the cory breathing heavier.

 

[fishafanatic]

the cories look normal in color but by them being albino i can't be 100% sure, their barbels are fine and they just lay on their belly but they seem to be breathing harder and i havn't seen any sores on them. thanks for your reply. i've heard you are really good with helping others.

 

[WILDER]

Do they lay on there bellies to oneside.
Increase aeration in the tank if you can by turning the filter flow up.
Corys are more prone to bacterial infections and laying to oneside is a symtom of a bacterial infection.
Do the cories look bloated.
I would cook some frozen peas for a few minutes, let cool down, pop out of shell, mush between fingers into small peices and add to the tank.

 

[fishafanatic]

they aren't on one side they just lay there and they have been like that for a while now. right now they have an airstone to increase aeration. only one of them sometimes goes and looks for food but the other too are always in the same spot night and day. it was scaring me and i thought that they might die.

 

[WILDER]

Corys can lay in one place for quite a time.
My corys are quite active when I feed them.
I would just try the peas for now.
Did the owner cycle the tank before he added the corys as they are very sensitive fish.

What other fish are in the tank, could they be stressing then out.
Sorry its in the first post.


I would also post here as alot of cory experts go here.
http/www.fishforums.net/category/80/Corydoras/

 

[fishafanatic]

yup he cycled the tank w/zebra danios (i know, not the best way) but it was cycled. could it be that they might want a bigger group in there. they aren't even active during feeding time except for the one i told you before but i am going to try the peas. how do i prepare the peas for them? Just boil them and toss them in? i appreciate for helping me, really i was worried about them but i think they may be alright.

 

[WILDER]

Cook some frozen peas for a few minutes, let cool down, pop out of shell, mush between fingers into small peices and add to the tank.

If any change get back to the board.
Fish need a varied diet to stay healthy, if you feed flakes all the time fish can get bored like us with the same food every day.
Peas are good as they flush the fish through.

 

[fishafanatic]

thank you very much i will do that and post if anything changes. how about the question of adding more cories?

 

[WILDER]

I have panda corys had them 4 years, had three but one died but the other 2 are still active.
With corys no less than a group of three, but they do better in larger group.
I bought some more panda corys but they were a bad batch and died of bacterial infections.

I would post this in the cory section to see if they think everything ok.
Good luck.

 

[WILDER]

Sorry not on the ball with not long being up.
Just noticed you have already posted in the cory section, you could bump your thread back up to the top.

 

[fishafanatic]

Wilder, one of the cories just did i was going to put in the peas like you told me to and i saw that it was dead. i still put in the peas for the other two and they didn't move at all. they also seem to be breathing harder. the cory that died looked like he had two small red spots on his belly. his eye looked like he didn't have it but when my friend got him he didn't think that would be a problem. do i do anything to the other two? also what do you mean bump my thread up to the top?

 

[WILDER]

Bacterial infection so sorry.R.I.P.
I did think that at the time but there wasn't enough symtoms at the time.
Fish can heavy breath with bacterial infections, but once they tend to heavier breath they don't make it.
Increase aeration and add a bacterial med, would be better if you could issolate, but with the owner being away I suppose this is out of the question.

I wouldn't bother bumping the thread up now as we know what it is its bacterial.

 

[fishafanatic]

he will be back tommorrow so i hope they can make it. any medicine in particular, i'm in the US so if you know any please tell me.

 

[WILDER]

Maracyn two but sometimes it best to use both maracyn one and two to cover all bases.

Maracyn–Two
Manufacturer: Mardel
A broad-spectrum antibiotic for internal or external gram negative bacterial infections which can even be absorbed through the skin. Effective treatment of fin and tail rot, popeye, gill disease, dropsy (swollen body, protruding scales), septicemia (bleeding or red streaks on the body), secondary and internal infections. Effective even when fish won't eat.
Active ingredient: Mincycline hydrochlor.