Dead Catfish

[CoryLover95]

Hi,
This morning I found an albino cory catfish dead with no apparent reason.  He was up near the heater, so burning is the first thing that comes to my mind?  My Mystery Snail completely consumed him as soon as I discovered his body.  Details below:
 

Tank size: 37 gallons
pH: 7.6
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 10
kH: no test
gH: no test
tank temp: 80 degrees F

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior): healthy and normal last night; dead this morning

Volume and Frequency of water changes: weekly 10-25%, monthly 25-50%

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: Stress Coat X for dechlorinator; EasyBalance weekly; TopFin Bacteria Supplement when replacing the media in my filter; daily CO2 dosing

Tank inhabitants: 4x Serpae Tetra, 11x Neon Tetra, previously 4x Cory (now 3 - 2 green and 1 albino), 4x Platy, 2x Mystery Snail

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): 6 new plants

Exposure to chemicals: We keep the tank in the garage (not permanently) and come to think of it we moved the car into the garage the night before the catfish died.  Gasoline fumes?

Digital photo (include if possible): Since the fish is dead, I didn't think any photo is necessary; also the snail started eating him as soon as I saw him.  But when we were moving the fish, he jumped out of the net onto the carpet and was flopping around on there for a minute before we could get him.  He had a place where his scales were scraped off from that, but they seemed to be getting better.

 

[the_lock_man]

It's certainly not recommended to keep an aquarium in the same garage as a car, the fumes have so many pollutants in them, and this can enter the water.
 
However, if the other fish don't have a problem, then it may not be the issue. It may be delayed shock from having landed on the floor. It may be a combination of the two. Or it may be old age. Or it may be none of the above.
 
I'm not being too helpful here, am I? But then that is the problem with fish deaths with no symptoms.

 

[dgwebster]

entirely probably that his immune system was compromised from the scale scraping you mention allowing a normally innocuous bacteria/virus to slowly gain ground before taking him out. Alternatively it could also just be life: sometimes creatures - including humans - die well before the average lifespan is reached.
 
My main focus here would be on monitoring your other fish for any signs of change in health to be really honest.

 

[CoryLover95]

Thank you both!  One thing that I noticed is that when I looked at his body (before the snail ate him) the patch of scale-less skin seemed to have at least doubled in size.  So I think that it is probable that he maybe "relapsed" or something?  Frankly I don't know.  One other question, I know that it's best to keep Corys in groups of at least 6.  With my current stocking, do you think that I could do that?  Or at least make a school or 4 of each...?

 

[dgwebster]

This is a frequent debate between my wife and I, not just limited to fish either but other creatures that display their best behaviour when in pairs or groups.

Shoal sizes are given as a numbwr where the fish display their best behaviour. A lower number can increase stress for some fish - it may not feel as safe without a dozen of its buddies to outrun and be sacrificed should a Barracuda suddenly show up. In the home aquarium hopefully you wouldnt have mixed these two (ignoring the marine/salt issue entirely).

The big question is this: what are you hoping to do in the future? Judging from your username you may be wanting to keep corys for a long time to come in which case get a few more. If however you want to wind them up and move onto something else when the remaining 3 pass away I am a believer in allowing the smaller numbers so long as the will have their space to feel safe. Loneliness is an (almost) entirely human feeling, dont ever think your fish will feel lonely. They just might not display their full, secure behaviour.

 

[CoryLover95]

Thank you so much!  I am planning to keep this aquarium until it becomes no longer feasible, for at least another couple of years.  Do you think that I would be overstocking if I did get some more?

 

[dgwebster]

I'm guessing your tank is 3'? In which case personally I would not say it would be overstocked so long as you have decent filtration. One mans opinion though

 

[CoryLover95]

It's just under 3' - 30 inches.

 

[DoubleDutch]

This is a frequent debate between my wife and I, not just limited to fish either but other creatures that display their best behaviour when in pairs or groups.
Shoal sizes are given as a numbwr where the fish display their best behaviour. A lower number can increase stress for some fish - it may not feel as safe without a dozen of its buddies to outrun and be sacrificed should a Barracuda suddenly show up. In the home aquarium hopefully you wouldnt have mixed these two (ignoring the marine/salt issue entirely).
The big question is this: what are you hoping to do in the future? Judging from your username you may be wanting to keep corys for a long time to come in which case get a few more. If however you want to wind them up and move onto something else when the remaining 3 pass away I am a believer in allowing the smaller numbers so long as the will have their space to feel safe. Loneliness is an (almost) entirely human feeling, dont ever think your fish will feel lonely. They just might not display their full, secure behaviour.

i am sorry but I totaly disagree with that. A shoal of Corydoras has less to with predators aso, but just because they are social fish which live in a kind of familygroups (some huge though). Having about 75 Corys of different species i can tell : they like and need company of the same species. Corys can have an age around 15 / 20 years (depending on species) so I'd advice you to get some more. By the way : they don't have scales !!! Cheers Aad

 

[dgwebster]

Hmm. The ground may become a little crowded. There is always my normal "sense test" which is if you need to ask if its overcrowded, it probably is. As fish that like to school, you may find a single group of 6 to be happy and ok.

This is a frequent debate between my wife and I, not just limited to fish either but other creatures that display their best behaviour when in pairs or groups.
Shoal sizes are given as a numbwr where the fish display their best behaviour. A lower number can increase stress for some fish - it may not feel as safe without a dozen of its buddies to outrun and be sacrificed should a Barracuda suddenly show up. In the home aquarium hopefully you wouldnt have mixed these two (ignoring the marine/salt issue entirely).
The big question is this: what are you hoping to do in the future? Judging from your username you may be wanting to keep corys for a long time to come in which case get a few more. If however you want to wind them up and move onto something else when the remaining 3 pass away I am a believer in allowing the smaller numbers so long as the will have their space to feel safe. Loneliness is an (almost) entirely human feeling, dont ever think your fish will feel lonely. They just might not display their full, secure behaviour.

i am sorry but I totaly disagree with that. A shoal of Corydoras has less to with predators aso, but just because they are social fish which live in a kind of familygroups (some huge though). Having about 75 Corys of different species i can tell : they like and need company of the same species. Corys can have an age around 15 / 20 years (depending on species) so I'd advice you to get some more. By the way : they don't have scales !!! Cheers Aad

Sorry I didnt read over my post prior to posting it as on my phone: this was talking about the general concept of species that like to live in pairs/groups and explaining that it can add stress being alone due to predatory concerns. Take guinea pigs for example, they like to live in pairs or groups and it brings out their personalities fabulously just having the company. Like humans, you do get the odd one that prefers to live alone though.

 

[DoubleDutch]

Buy a couple ? The answer : http/m.youtube.com/watch?v=cWIVCdLOImw Buy 1000!!!

 

[CoryLover95]

Hi, and thank you both for your answers.
I am going to try to get another 5 at least. I was planning on getting some more before we moved but didn't because I wasn't sure how they would survive the trip. I might try and see if I can resell one species so I don't have to get so many and put my tank in danger of overstocking.

 

[CoryLover95]

Oh. My. Gosh. I just saw the supposedly dead catfish swimming its its bro!!!
All 4 catfish are alive!!!
I don't know where the carcass that the snail ate. My guess is that it is the carcass of a catfish that died at least 3months ago. It must have been stuck in one of the ornaments that I pulled up and cleaned yesterday. That catfish was peppered, though...
Anyway, the main thing is that they're all fine. Learn something new every day...

 

[DoubleDutch]

Hahahha fish will always surprise you!!!!

 

[DoubleDutch]

You're the first with a shoal of (supposed) dead catfish woehahaha