Sick Cory :(

[driger8642]

Tank Size - 20 Gal High
Filter - Tetra Whisper 40
Heater - I forgot the name but it is a pretty good one for the tank
Thermometer - 77 degrees
Air Stone - 1
Sand Substrate
Using API Master Tet Kit for water testing
 
Hey guys, I'm currently doing a fishy cycle (2 and a half weeks in) with 10 neon tetras and 6 spotted cory catfish. After the HUGE amonia spike it finally seems to be at 0 now (4 days ago), but now there is a nitrite spike at about 3.5 ppm and nitrate spike at around 50 ppm ( been this way for 4 days). Estimate how long would these spikes last given the size of the tank? I read somewhere that doing water changes WILL NOT affect the cycling as the bacteria attaches itself to the bio bg in the filter and other objects in the tank. Is this correct? About how much water change is enough per day/every other day/per week?
 
Now bigger problem, seems like my fear is comming to life as I think I'm about to lose one of my corys. There is this cotton type stuff on the face of one of my corys, like it was damaged from something. I would say it is a bacteria infection? I have a bottle of Pimafix on the side incase I have to put the cory in a seperate tank to medicate it. This cory is the oldest/biggest one and occasinally eats, other corys seem to be doing fine, much active and play around with each other. The tetras are also doing fine. What would be my steps?
 
The worker at Petco assured me that the corys will manage wile the water is cycling, as she did the same in her 39 gal tank. I already had the corys before hand so she wasn't trying to sell anything, didn't even buy anything that day.
 
Attaching the best pic i could get of the sick cory. cant seem to rotate the picture

 

[Akasha72]

okay ... let me get this straight ... your doing a fish in cycle with 16 fish and your NOT doing water changes? I really hope I've got that wrong 
 
Those poor poor fish. How would you like to be forced to sit in a bath of acid because that's the equivilent.
 
The reason the cory is sick is because the ammonia and nitrite is burning his skin off. He's probably in agony. You need to control the ammonia and nitrite with water changes and if that means doing 3 changes a day then that's what you signed up for. You can not give an animal a home and not give it proper care ... even if it is 'just a fish'

 

[driger8642]

Sorry for not clarifying, I am doing about 20% water changes every day, should i do more % per day or do multiple changes each day? Given the tank is 20 gal high.

 

[Akasha72]

20% will do nothing much to get those values down. If Ammonia and/or Nitrite is at 50ppm you'll need to change at least 50% at the minimum. Once you've changed the water do another test to check you've zero'd it. To be honest it would be better to return the fish and follow the instructions on this forum for fishless cycling.
 
You will probably have to do these water changes at least twice a day but with that amount of fish maybe even 3 times a day 

 

[driger8642]

Yeah thats what I was thinking, thanks for the replies. Gonna give them to my cousin who has a cycled 55 gal tank and do the fishless cycle

 

[Akasha72]

good, it's the best thing to do. 
 
We all have to start somewhere, we live and we learn but in these cases it's at the cost of a defenseless animal. I'm afraid I get angry with the hopeless advice these places such as petco and (the U.K version) pets@home give. I really wish someone would take away their licence for selling animals. So many lives would be saved if someone did.
 
I'm presuming your cousin has some experience of keeping fish? The cory will need to be treated delicately. He/she is in a bad way and may not survive. It will need something down the lines of Melafix to help it's sores heal ... not sure if that's available in the U.S though. It'll also need clean water so your cousin may have to up the water changes for a while

 

[driger8642]

Yeah my cousin has had his fishes for over a year now, and he has a seperate tank where he can heal the cory, and he said he will most likely be using a combo of melafix and pimafix

 

[Akasha72]

sounds like a plan