I'm desperate

[Missie]

My albino cory is dying right before my eyes and I'm not sure what to do. Both of my albinos have been acting strangly for about a week now, so I've been monitoring my water very closely. Everything is fine. My water IS very hard and very alkaline, but it has been all along, and this 10 gallon is about 6 months old.

When I got home tonight, my cory was stuck under an artificial plant. I moved it and he/she was swimming on his/her side. Everyonce in a great while he/she will dart to the top, usually if I move and it spooks her. And her stomach is concaved. It looks like a huge hole in her stomach, only it is NOT an open wound, just looks like her stomach as been pushed up inside of her.

I thought maybe, if it IS a she, that she has laid eggs, but this is just wierd. Plus she is not very large. She may be 7 months old. My brother's corys are MUCH larger.

Please help. She seems to be panting. I hate this

Thanks everyone!

 

[MissClaire]

Im sorry to hear about your cory, I just lost one of my adolfoi corys to unkown causes this morning, unfortunatly I dont know why your cory could be doing this (im no expert) but I just wanted to say I hope she pulls through

 

[reg2k2]

Darting and rapid breathing *can* be signs of improper pH. And in this article, the author notes his fish stopped eating...altho his cory was ok...

BUT...if you could add some more info, it might help someone to come up with another idea. Here's a guideline.
What are your exact readings? Tap water as well as tank. Have the cories been in the full 6months? Are both cories affected? Are they eating? Anything odd about their 'poo'...color?
Out of curiosity, does your brother have the same water source?...same pH in his tank?

 

[squidlips]

sounds like a gut worm