My Corys are dying!!! I can't stop it. To all the experts, help me!!
I need everyone's help to solve this problem. My corys just started dying off. Since 9/28 I have awaken to find 1 or 2 of my corys dead. They look perfectly normal. No one is sick, nothing to indicate they are going to die. They just die over the night. Here is the background information.
Tank information:
65 gal planted FW, Marineland canister filter, Marineland Wet/dry filter
I have neon tetras, corys( albino, green, sterbai), guppies, platys, balloon mollys, beta, butterfly pleco
Maintanence info:
9/19-15% water change, dose my ferts (KNO3 2gm, KH2PO4 0.3gm, K2SO4=7gm, CSM+B= 0.4gm)
9/21- 20% water change. No deaths, everyone is fine
9/28 - FIRST DEATH!! 20% water change, dose ferts (KNO3 1gm, KH2PO4 0.3gm, K2SO4=7gm, CSM+B= 0.4gm)
9/29 -SECOND DEATH
9/30-THIRD DEATH, Levels checked....results as follows
ph 6.8, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 40!!!!!!!, Phoshate 2.1 !!!!
On 9/30 I did a 15% water change, spent $17 and battled bad traffic in town to get API nitrozorb, Nitrosorb inline at 8pm on 9/30
10/1 TODAY- 2 Catfish dead!!!!! (My favorite catfish died overnight.) Levels checked at 9am
ph about 6.7, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 40!!!!, phosphate 2!!! Temp is 79.5
Please someone help me. Should I do a 50% water change?? Won't this shock the fish more??? How long til I see results from the Nitrosorb?? I have a smaller tank with angelfish. Should I move my corys over there until these levels are within a safe range??
I have a highly populated tank and I like to feed my fish. Do you think these nitrate levels are high because I overfeed?? :icon_redf
I will check this throughout the day. I will do whatever is necessary to safe my fish.
Tank information:
65 gal planted FW, Marineland canister filter, Marineland Wet/dry filter
I have neon tetras, corys( albino, green, sterbai), guppies, platys, balloon mollys, beta, butterfly pleco
Maintanence info:
9/19-15% water change, dose my ferts (KNO3 2gm, KH2PO4 0.3gm, K2SO4=7gm, CSM+B= 0.4gm)
9/21- 20% water change. No deaths, everyone is fine
9/28 - FIRST DEATH!! 20% water change, dose ferts (KNO3 1gm, KH2PO4 0.3gm, K2SO4=7gm, CSM+B= 0.4gm)
9/29 -SECOND DEATH
9/30-THIRD DEATH, Levels checked....results as follows
ph 6.8, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 40!!!!!!!, Phoshate 2.1 !!!!
On 9/30 I did a 15% water change, spent $17 and battled bad traffic in town to get API nitrozorb, Nitrosorb inline at 8pm on 9/30
10/1 TODAY- 2 Catfish dead!!!!! (My favorite catfish died overnight.) Levels checked at 9am
ph about 6.7, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 40!!!!, phosphate 2!!! Temp is 79.5
Please someone help me. Should I do a 50% water change?? Won't this shock the fish more??? How long til I see results from the Nitrosorb?? I have a smaller tank with angelfish. Should I move my corys over there until these levels are within a safe range??
I have a highly populated tank and I like to feed my fish. Do you think these nitrate levels are high because I overfeed?? :icon_redf
I will check this throughout the day. I will do whatever is necessary to safe my fish.
1 - 20 of 49 Posts
How often do you feed your fish, and how much are you feeding them. With my saltwater tank, I feed them 2x per week only. I'd like to hear from the experts on how often to feed FW fish.
As long as the temp/parameters are the same clean water never hurts fish. NO3 at 40ppm short term should not be the cause either but may indicate another issue. Any unaccounted for fish? Does the tank smell?
Looking closely at the fish do you see any signs of fungus? Anything?
Most people myself included shy away from adding salt to a planted tank but 1tbs per 5 gallons (completely disolved in another container) and slowly added so it's well mixed going in is a general tonic and may help your fish without hurting your system. Water changes over time will remove it.
Quickly rising nitrate levels can be caused by a dead fish lost in the tank or over feeding.
Not an expert but HTH
Looking closely at the fish do you see any signs of fungus? Anything?
Most people myself included shy away from adding salt to a planted tank but 1tbs per 5 gallons (completely disolved in another container) and slowly added so it's well mixed going in is a general tonic and may help your fish without hurting your system. Water changes over time will remove it.
Quickly rising nitrate levels can be caused by a dead fish lost in the tank or over feeding.
Not an expert but HTH
No signs of illness whatsoever. I have read that salt is not liked by corys. The API master test kits states that 0 to 40 ppm of Nitrate is tolerated by fish. I feed my fish about 2 to 3 times daily, not more than they can eat in 3 minutes. I have done this for a while, now all of a sudden these deaths are occuring. My nitrate levels have never been this high. That is why I am thinking it's the nitrate level. How much water change would you recommend??
IMO a slow death without visible cause might be a sign of starvation. I have at least 25 cories in my 90g and it takes a lot of food and effort to be sure they get enough to eat to stay healthy. I know I couldn't keep them alive without targeting them with sinking food at feeding time. I don't expect them to live off a stray piece of flake that makes it to the bottom. Some call them part of the clean-up clew but that doesn't mean they live off fish poop. :wink:
Mine get pellets every night when I feed flake and in the morning before the lights come on no flake but they get a few pellets. They've been spawning the last three months so either they're happy or they're afraid the end is near and feel the urge to reproduce before it's too late. lol
On your water change schedule... I don't think 15-20% water changes will do much one way or the other. 15% dilution isn't much. I change 60g every two weeks in my 90. I'd guess actual volume in the tank is more like 80g at most. The worst thing that happens is a few days after a water change something in the tank spawns again. lol
Edit... But just because I replied doesn't mean I'm an expert.
Mine get pellets every night when I feed flake and in the morning before the lights come on no flake but they get a few pellets. They've been spawning the last three months so either they're happy or they're afraid the end is near and feel the urge to reproduce before it's too late. lol
On your water change schedule... I don't think 15-20% water changes will do much one way or the other. 15% dilution isn't much. I change 60g every two weeks in my 90. I'd guess actual volume in the tank is more like 80g at most. The worst thing that happens is a few days after a water change something in the tank spawns again. lol
Edit... But just because I replied doesn't mean I'm an expert.
Are you using a dechlor product like Prime?
Have you tested water from tap?
Are you running any carbon in the filters?
Have you tested water from tap?
Are you running any carbon in the filters?
I'm using RO water because I don't like what’s in my well water straight out of the ground. If your source water is good 50-60% of tank volume is what I would change every two weeks if not weekly (I did weekly 50% when dosing EI) the least amount I bother to change is 25%. Changing 25% my tested levels hardly change at all. Because I've chosen to use 100% RO I test more than most folks care to bother with. TDS in ppm, GH, KH, NO3, PO4, Ca, Mg (based on the math GH/Ca)
Cory's will not be hurt by the dose of salt I recommended I know that because I've done it more than once dealing with infected fish.
If without changing or adding anything, doing anything differently tested parameters change you need to look around in there real well, something is decaying (dead) in that tank and bacteria in overdrive are creating the increased nitrates you’re seeing. (imo)
What Fresh.Salty posted warrants strong consideration also. Mine get algae pellets every night after the lights go out and a few algae disks in the morning along with fresh veggies every other day. 5 LFABN, 3 clowns, 5 cory's. The guy's on the bottom get their own stuff over and above what's fed above. Again though the elevated NO3 is there for a reason.
Changing up to 80% of the tanks water volume (with good source water) the biggest problem is matching the temp. Discus keepers and breeders change on average 50% daily I've read when they're pushing the fish to breed.
Again,, I know what I know because of what I've got in my tanks I've had no formal training :icon_cool
Cory's will not be hurt by the dose of salt I recommended I know that because I've done it more than once dealing with infected fish.
If without changing or adding anything, doing anything differently tested parameters change you need to look around in there real well, something is decaying (dead) in that tank and bacteria in overdrive are creating the increased nitrates you’re seeing. (imo)
What Fresh.Salty posted warrants strong consideration also. Mine get algae pellets every night after the lights go out and a few algae disks in the morning along with fresh veggies every other day. 5 LFABN, 3 clowns, 5 cory's. The guy's on the bottom get their own stuff over and above what's fed above. Again though the elevated NO3 is there for a reason.
Changing up to 80% of the tanks water volume (with good source water) the biggest problem is matching the temp. Discus keepers and breeders change on average 50% daily I've read when they're pushing the fish to breed.
Again,, I know what I know because of what I've got in my tanks I've had no formal training :icon_cool
I thought about starvation, but I feed them at least once daily with shrimp pellets and algae wafers. Usually I feed them twice a day. I bought 30 young corys offline about 1.5 months ago. They are starting to reach their full size. I bought 8 sterbai corys on 9/16. I can count at least 5 remaining. So I have approx, 32 corys. Remember some died and I can't count all my corys with absolute certainty. I rotate my feeding schedule. Two algae wafers one day, then 6 shrimp pellets the next. I make sure everyone gets to eat. I have noticed my water is a bit more cloudly than normal. So I must have a bacteria bloom going on too.
I do have carbon, infact I changed all my carbon yesterday. I use Stress coat to dechlorinate my water. I use Excel along with my ferts for my plants.
I have crappy water. I am scared to do a 50% water change. I live in Palmyra, VA and the water sucks. By the way....my last water and sewer bill was $166.66 I am not even joking. Next month is going to be another bad water bill with all the water changes I am doing on my tank.
I just looked around in the tank and I don't see anything dead. Corys are swimming around. What I don't get is....why just the corys?? Nothing else has died. I have neons, which have always been hard for me to keep, and they are alive. The mollys are doing well.
Once again, I am ready to do something drastic here to save my fish.
Tonight I plan on doing the 50% water change, dose some salt, check for dead stuff. I don't have the money to buy a RO filter, but if this keeps on going.....I'm buying one.
Thanks everyone for the help. Keep the ideas flowing. Save my corys.
I do have carbon, infact I changed all my carbon yesterday. I use Stress coat to dechlorinate my water. I use Excel along with my ferts for my plants.
I have crappy water. I am scared to do a 50% water change. I live in Palmyra, VA and the water sucks. By the way....my last water and sewer bill was $166.66 I am not even joking. Next month is going to be another bad water bill with all the water changes I am doing on my tank.
I just looked around in the tank and I don't see anything dead. Corys are swimming around. What I don't get is....why just the corys?? Nothing else has died. I have neons, which have always been hard for me to keep, and they are alive. The mollys are doing well.
Once again, I am ready to do something drastic here to save my fish.
Tonight I plan on doing the 50% water change, dose some salt, check for dead stuff. I don't have the money to buy a RO filter, but if this keeps on going.....I'm buying one.
Thanks everyone for the help. Keep the ideas flowing. Save my corys.
I know all about the crappy water. I'm not all that far from you but on well water. This drought has really messed up the water quality in the well. Hopefully all this rain from Nichole will help get things back on track.
What kind of substrate do you have? Are their barbels worn down? This can happen with a sharp substrate which can cause infections. Personal experience speaking here:icon_cry:
I have flourite for substrate. Barbells are all long. Corys look healthy, act healthy. But they continue to die.
Not sure what pellets you're feeding but it might not be enough. Looking down from the top of the tank they should look "full". Females of course should have a fuller body but none should look thin. I know most of the cories I've bought at the LFS were close to being starved just by looking at them.
With the fish load and food input you might need to adjust your fert schedule.
With the fish load and food input you might need to adjust your fert schedule.
I just found another catfish dead. I don't think this is starvation. I really feel I overfeed my fish if anything. Could a bacteria cause this? What are corys sensitive to??
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Bingo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Your gonna hate this post. QUARANTINE!!!!
Gram negative bacteria in 14 panda cory's and I have the last two in a 10g quantine tank that won't start they're 30 day clock until the last Maracyn II dose today. This started 8/19/10. From the first death to the last treatment I won't count any time and start the clock all over again. I can link you to a post by a breeder in Colorado that was wiped out by a 'healthy fish' that sat in a holding tank for 3 weeks prior to being placed in his fish room. I read a treament post by Charles Harrison, Ph.D. where he reports outbreak NINE MONTHS after purchase.
http://www.inkmkr.com/Fish/FlubendazoleArticle.pdf
You might not want to read either of these strings.
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/fish/117216-how-long-new-fish-holding-tank.html#post1167072
The cory's I lost for the most part showed no outward signs of being in trouble. This weekend I'm gonna gather my information and post a QT string if I get the time because most folks just don't know. The treatment that cured mine based on what I tried and had onhand was salt and Maracyn 2.
HTH and good luck.
This is what I would call "changing or adding anything"I bought 30 young corys offline about 1.5 months ago. They are starting to reach their full size. I bought 8 sterbai corys on 9/16. I can count at least 5 remaining. So I have approx, 32 corys. Remember some died and I can't count all my corys with absolute certainty.
Thanks everyone for the help. Keep the ideas flowing. Save my corys.
Your gonna hate this post. QUARANTINE!!!!
Gram negative bacteria in 14 panda cory's and I have the last two in a 10g quantine tank that won't start they're 30 day clock until the last Maracyn II dose today. This started 8/19/10. From the first death to the last treatment I won't count any time and start the clock all over again. I can link you to a post by a breeder in Colorado that was wiped out by a 'healthy fish' that sat in a holding tank for 3 weeks prior to being placed in his fish room. I read a treament post by Charles Harrison, Ph.D. where he reports outbreak NINE MONTHS after purchase.
http://www.inkmkr.com/Fish/FlubendazoleArticle.pdf
You might not want to read either of these strings.
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/fish/117216-how-long-new-fish-holding-tank.html#post1167072
The cory's I lost for the most part showed no outward signs of being in trouble. This weekend I'm gonna gather my information and post a QT string if I get the time because most folks just don't know. The treatment that cured mine based on what I tried and had onhand was salt and Maracyn 2.
HTH and good luck.
Are you injecting CO2, and if so, is the CO2 level getting too high over night? Run an air-stone over night perhaps? I know cory cats are able to breathe from the surface, but if they're stressed from anything and already weakened, you might consider CO2 levels. Just a thought...
Since your water quality is so awful, and you've indicated you do use a dechlorinator, perhaps you should consider using bottled or distilled water. I know this could get very expensive, but the improved water quality might be worth it. I would suggest mixing in some distilled bottled water with the existing water so as not to completely shock the fish. They do need some trace elements, although these can be added.
Since your water is a bit cloudy, there may indeed be a bacterial problem. I don't know what the term RO filter means, but when I was keeping FW tropical fish back in the 1980s, I had a diatom filter that I occasionally used to supplement the actions of my undergravel filter/aeration system. When my water got cloudy, the diatom filter cleared it up nicely. I don't know if an RO filter is the same thing -- have never seen that term used before.
When I kept my tropicals, I always used a dechlorinator called Novaqua. Not even sure if they make that, anymore.
But then, I've only started anew keeping fish as of this year. And now I only keep FW coldwater fish.
Another thing to consider -- is the temperature in your tank compatible with corydoras? It seems to be within the proper range for tropicals, as you've indicated it, but maybe corys require warmer or slightly cooler?
I would see if your fish store or pet shop has a good book on keeping bottomfeeders, and particularly on keeping and caring for corys. You might get some good information from there. Also, online, by googling.
Hope this helps. I'm no expert, but am relaying what I used to know from my previous fish-keeping experiences.
Hope this helps.
Aquamom
Since your water is a bit cloudy, there may indeed be a bacterial problem. I don't know what the term RO filter means, but when I was keeping FW tropical fish back in the 1980s, I had a diatom filter that I occasionally used to supplement the actions of my undergravel filter/aeration system. When my water got cloudy, the diatom filter cleared it up nicely. I don't know if an RO filter is the same thing -- have never seen that term used before.
When I kept my tropicals, I always used a dechlorinator called Novaqua. Not even sure if they make that, anymore.
But then, I've only started anew keeping fish as of this year. And now I only keep FW coldwater fish.
Another thing to consider -- is the temperature in your tank compatible with corydoras? It seems to be within the proper range for tropicals, as you've indicated it, but maybe corys require warmer or slightly cooler?
I would see if your fish store or pet shop has a good book on keeping bottomfeeders, and particularly on keeping and caring for corys. You might get some good information from there. Also, online, by googling.
Hope this helps. I'm no expert, but am relaying what I used to know from my previous fish-keeping experiences.
Hope this helps.
Aquamom
Water quality is always first and foremost to keeping fish healthy. If you have concerns about your source water then I'd either be buying bottled water or invest in an RO unit if you're serious about wanting to keep fish.
Stop feeding your fish for a week and see if the deaths stop and if your water parameters improve- that's a good way to rule out the possibility of overfeeding. The fish will be fine with a week-long fast.
I suspect your high nitrate and phosphate readings are also related to your fert dosing, however. If you aren't doing weekly 50% water changes then you need to dose much, much less to avoid nutrient buildups. I doubt that's the problem with your fish, though.
All of the above possibilities need to be ruled out- but my own gut feeling is that your new Cories brought in something contagious, and I agree with wkndracer that next time you've got to use a quarantine tank when you obtain any new fish.
Stop feeding your fish for a week and see if the deaths stop and if your water parameters improve- that's a good way to rule out the possibility of overfeeding. The fish will be fine with a week-long fast.
I suspect your high nitrate and phosphate readings are also related to your fert dosing, however. If you aren't doing weekly 50% water changes then you need to dose much, much less to avoid nutrient buildups. I doubt that's the problem with your fish, though.
All of the above possibilities need to be ruled out- but my own gut feeling is that your new Cories brought in something contagious, and I agree with wkndracer that next time you've got to use a quarantine tank when you obtain any new fish.
Omg
But I don't see anything wrong with the corys..... And I purchased the sterbai coys on 9/16 and the deaths started on 9/28. That is a 12 days time lapse. Wouldn't I have seen the deaths early on??
But I don't see anything wrong with the corys..... And I purchased the sterbai coys on 9/16 and the deaths started on 9/28. That is a 12 days time lapse. Wouldn't I have seen the deaths early on??
This is what I would call "changing or adding anything"
Your gonna hate this post. QUARANTINE!!!!
Gram negative bacteria in 14 panda cory's and I have the last two in a 10g quantine tank that won't start they're 30 day clock until the last Maracyn II dose today. This started 8/19/10. From the first death to the last treatment I won't count any time and start the clock all over again. I can link you to a post by a breeder in Colorado that was wiped out by a 'healthy fish' that sat in a holding tank for 3 weeks prior to being placed in his fish room. I read a treament post by Charles Harrison, Ph.D. where he reports outbreak NINE MONTHS after purchase.
http://www.inkmkr.com/Fish/FlubendazoleArticle.pdf
You might not want to read either of these strings.
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/fish/117216-how-long-new-fish-holding-tank.html#post1167072
The cory's I lost for the most part showed no outward signs of being in trouble. This weekend I'm gonna gather my information and post a QT string if I get the time because most folks just don't know. The treatment that cured mine based on what I tried and had onhand was salt and Maracyn 2.
HTH and good luck.
CO2 injection decreased.
I thought about the CO2, but I have not touched my CO2 injection for almost 3 months. However, I did decrease my injection to be safe. I have a drop checker in the tank and it always remain in the safe range.
I thought about the CO2, but I have not touched my CO2 injection for almost 3 months. However, I did decrease my injection to be safe. I have a drop checker in the tank and it always remain in the safe range.
Are you injecting CO2, and if so, is the CO2 level getting too high over night? Run an air-stone over night perhaps? I know cory cats are able to breathe from the surface, but if they're stressed from anything and already weakened, you might consider CO2 levels. Just a thought...
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