Ditch Or Not To Ditch?

[lilacamy931]

Hello everyone, on one of my tanks I have a hang on the back filter. In the tank was a shoal of pygmy corydoras which out of 13 now have 2 losing them steadily since January due to unknown causes. The last two are likely going the way of the rest even though feeding them well and keeping up on water changes. When they eventually go should I reuse anything in that tank? Especially the filter and media? I wanted to transfer fish into the tank or reuse the filter but unsure if good idea or not?

With the pygmies there were two groups from two different stores bought 4 months apart and they all started having the same symptoms and dying off. One of the groups was in with two different types of cories and shrimp and nothing else seem to be affected..

Any tips on what I should or should not use would be appreciated also on what should be sterilised.

 

[ellena]

Have you asked on emergencies to see what might be causing it? What are the symptoms and what treatments have you tried?

 

[lilacamy931]

Wilder has been helping out loads on a post I put up. Only symptom in some but not all is that a couple have been seen swimming upside down (only a few though) and most of the time no warning, no symptoms, redness or skininess and just find another dead overnight. Treatment wise have tried anti bacterials, but to no real effect. Have been feeding them garlic soaked food to try and get their immunity up.

 

[kelly528]

Same thing is happening to me and I have NO idea what is causing it. Every month or so one or two die off... I have bought about 12 in all of which 3 remain.

Are you sure they are getting enough to eat? Are they looking thin at all? I am suspecting either IPs or bacterial infection for mine. It really sucks though I don't know what to tell you. Whatever my guys have they aren't spreading it to any other fish so I have no idea what it could be!

 

[GuppyGoddess]

All my pygmies slowly died off too. None showed any symptoms except the most recent and final one to go (who I euthanized last week). Before then none looked sick. . .then my tank became contaminated with some sort of fungus and 5 out of 7 fish died last week - the rest were guppies and an endler.

I stuck melafix in there and the last two haven't become sick.

*Personally* if my last two end up with symptoms, I'll toss most stuff (decorations, plants - real ones, gravel) The only stuff I'd keep would be what can easily be cleaned with bleach - just the filter case (NOT the media!!!) and the heater and top. From what I've read, gravel should NEVER be reused because it's porus and cannot be properly sanitized - and it's what, about $5.00 a bag?

 

[england]

Are these very small as in juvi?

Just wondering if it could be that some species loose alot of juvi's with only a few making it to adulthood, like for example channa pleurophthalma,having sometimes 1000 plus fry and only around 60 would make it through to adulthood,thats why its rare to see adult ones and fetch higher prices....i know its not cory but got me thinking, or possibally there water might be to hard for them, i know mines 8.0-8.5 in ph

 

[NinjaSmurf]

I wouldn't toss everything if it's just the cories. I lost a lot of things in my tank do to a bad batch of feeder guppies, I lost all my female bettas, a bunch of shrimp and all but one female guppy, but two shrimp and a BN survived and are doing awesome (thanks to Wilder). I waited awhile, treated the tank with some meds to try and stave off anything and watched the survivors. I've put my male betta in there for now and he's just fine.

Sometimes you get a bad batch and it only infects certain fish, or just one group of fish keels off for no reason.

 

[lilacamy931]

Thanks so much for the responses guys!

@ kelly258 - none are skinny, they eat what given and treated with a couple of meds not to overstress but at one point losing one daily and it has slowed down to these last two. I would love to try more pygmies but reluctant due to the massive loss..

@ guppygoddess - good idea, media is replaceable, I asked as it is good and mature and would have been good to keep but if there was a possiblity of transferring an illness Sand and gravel always chuck!

@ Nelly - hello nelly! well this is the thing..I have a ph of usually around 8.0. The first batch were adult pygmies and had been kept in exact same conditions and ph, I had had these since october and all well and fine. The second batch were juvis but when I recontacted the store they had been breed locally in a ph of about 7.5, I spent a long time acclimatising them and it was odd how they reacted and started dying within a day of my others in a separate tank... It would be interesting to know though about the juvi -v-adult that would sure explain alot on many species.

@Ninjasmurf - thanks very much for that, good to know there is hope. I think Im going to try one last gentle med have and see how it goes, I was thinking up to yesterday never pygmies again but think I will give a small group another try especially if these last two make it as they cant be happy just the two of them by themselves.

Thanks so much everyone for the really decent and useful advice, really really appreciate