Panda Cory Lethargic

[Amunet]

I just noticed today that our panda cory that's in the Q/H tank is acting pretty lethargic. Everything was fine yesterday and today, well.. not so good.
First noticed something was wrong when I took the top off of the aquarium and it didn't swim off and hide like it usually does.
Nothing looks wrong with it physically except for it's breathing rapidly.
Gills look totally fine though. No pink, no redness anywhere.
No spots on the cory, no nothing. It looks perfectly healthy cept it's not acting healthy.
So along with rapid breathing, and not hiding, it's also doing this weird wiggle movement. Not like it's scratching or anything, just sorta this lazy movement. I've also watched it lazily swim up to the surface, get it's breath of air and very slowly swim it's way back down. I also haven't noticed it eating anything today.
There is plenty of aeration from an airstone and the water is heated to 80F.

I did 2 large water changes in that tank today. First one was about 80% when I first noticed it acting weird (and when I took 2 of the other corys out).
I just did another to make sure the water in there is as clean as possible.

In my worry though I forgot to do water tests and since I just did a water change, gonna have to wait for readings

So any ideas on what could be wrong with it? All the other corys that were in there are acting totally normal. Very active, breathing normal etc etc.

I swear I'm posting in the emergency section at least once a week.... sigh.. would be nice to skip at least a week....

 

[fishkers]

Well, like you said you are doing, check the water stats. The only thing I can notice is that well Panda Cory's are very sensitive which most people don't know. Also I would say that your temp is quite high since Panda's like it between 68 F and 75 F. Here is a great website that I have refered too when I used to have Panda Cory's...

Panda Cory Profile

I hope everything works out. Get back to us on your water stats. That might give some clues as to what is going on.

 

[Amunet]

Hmm.. the cory has been fine in the tank for a month now though with the temp that high. It did develop fungus or something a few weeks ago but it cleared up the same day I started the tank on treatment. Bleh.. should've really read up about them more instead of just "OOO I want!" when we saw them... dangit.
It was the 2nd more active cory (little green one is a hyper bugger).... now.. I dunno what on earth could be wrong with it
What does swim bladder disease look like in a cory? Do they swim sideways and such like any other fish? It probably just depends on the fish and how severe their case is I guess (I'm rambling..sorry) It probably wouldn't make it breath so rapidly though huh? I'm gonna try feeding a pea tomorrow.. just hope it eats some of it.
I doubt that's what's wrong with him though, but won't hurt to try.

I started the tank on maracyn 1 & 2 thinking that perhaps it could be bacterial... but well.. who knows. I guess we'll see if it does anything.

 

[fishkers]

I'm not really sure what else to say all I know is that I had originally bought the Panda Cory's too just like you said, because they looked neat. I had a lot of problems with them and i hadn't really done any research. After the original panda corys died I did research and found out they are very very touchy fish. One of the neatest corys but very sensitive to their environment. So honestly I'm not sure what is wrong with it, but I do know even if your water parameters are out of line a little he will get sick.

Well I hope that everything goes well. As for swim bladder you would probably see them doing like barrel roles, swimming up to the top and just kinda staying there maybe even swimming backwards. Make sure there is enough air in the tank because I had a 10 gallon and had to put 2 6 inch long aeration bars in the tank for them. Try a little more are with your medication and maybe that will get him through.

 

[Amunet]

K... I'll just continue with medicating and hope for the best I guess.

 

[fishkers]

Post some water stats i'm curious as to what your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels are.

 

[*Fishkies*]

Any type of fish can be kept at a higher or lower tempmerature level then what the fish prefers. However the fish will not thrive as will and is more likely to have a shorter life and have probelms. Your panda cory may be breathing harder because he is having a lack of areation or oxygen. The pandas do prefer cooler temps. then typical tropical fish.

How much areation do you have in your tank?

Has your tank you have him in been fully cycled?

 

[Amunet]

No the tank hasn't cycled since it's the Q/H tank and has been medicated the bacteria that does build up is always being killed off again, so I've been doing every other day water changes along with putting in a dose of Prime into the tank.

There is plenty of aeration from when I do the water change and from an air stone.

 

[fishkers]

Well first off, Maracyn I and Maracyn II which you said you were treating with does not disrupt the biological cycle... as stated in the directions. Also when treating you shouldn't be doing water changes because Maracyn and Maracyn II build up throughout treatments once you did a water change it removes too much and its like starting over everytime you do a treatment. So your hospital tank should be cycled or starting to cycle because if it isn't that will only hurt your Panda Cory even more than what is wrong with him now.

I know you said you have an air stone in the tank but what kind of air stone? because i would recommend 2 or 3 airstones in a 5 gallon for the panda that is if it is the little air stones i'm thinking of. Water changes probably in his case will make things worse.

 

[Amunet]

Maracyn 1 & 2 thoroughly killed the bacteria in my once cycled 10 gallon... so yes, it does unfortunatly kill it (at least it did in my case).
As for water changes during treatment. I don't do it unless I see that the readings (ammonia, nitrite if there are any) are climbing too high, so I'll do a 20% water change and add in a little extra med to replace what was taken out.

Anyways... today as I was putting in the meds for it's 3rd day of treatment... I was just about to open the bag of maracyn 1 and saw the panda do this very weird swim up to the top, go upside down, swim spaztically, go upside down again and float to the bottom. It died right before my eyes *sigh*
So took him out and put him in my flower garden.

Well.. no more pandas for me... not unless I keep a cooler matured tank for them to be in. I'll just have to admire them from afar.