Carnivorous Fish?

[prophet224]

Hi everyone!

Thank you for all the previous help with tank setup! It helped a lot. Unfortunately, there was a little bit where I was - ahem - reading the ammo test wrong. Anyway, all is under control now...

That said, I have a problem that I think involves a carnivorous fish. Or maybe not. I don't know.

So there are 4 tetras, 1 glass catfish (I know, I just read that they need more than 1... argh!), two panda corys and 1 longfinned pleco. Well, he used to be longfinned.

I thought that both pandas were gone but as I sat here I saw one of them!

Anyway, this afternoon I did another water change. I pulled out the deco (a fake driftwood with lots of hiding places) and cleaned the tank. After lots of searching I found the remains of one panda... he'd been dead for a little while - long enough to lose color at least, and he'd been partially eaten. I couldn't find the other panda anywhere, and this isn't a huge tank. I don't know where the live one was hiding, but he isn't looking great.

Then there is the formerly long-finned pleco. Beautiful tail and fins... now he is about half his size, because most of his tail is gone! The glass catfish and the tetras are perfectly fine.

I have seen the glass catfish chasing the tetras, but no other fish in there has shown even remotely aggressive behavior. Help?

 

[strokinbyeu]

iv had a type of cory catfish(cant think of the name to save me now) but i lost him for a few weeks. i did the same thing and pulled out the deco. but still want there when i pulled out the drift wood deco(made from resin) i put it in a tub. and after a lil while i went to put it back in and the cory was in the tub, so i think he was wedged up in the peice to hide and jsut didnt let go for a lil while. maby this is what happend to yours just an idea

 

[BigJim]

What are your water parameters?
Do you use dechlorinator when you do a water change?

Panda cories are more sensitive than most cories and need to be acclimated well and kept in a stable tank.

Little fish like pandas can disappear quickly, even in a small tank. Your other fish will pick at the body, but it'll disintegrate pretty quickly anyways.

It sounds like your pleco may have fin rot. Clean water is the best way to treat that.