Cory cats not moving or eating

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jonthan_valdes

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Feb 27, 2017
Messages
7
Hey so i have a 20 gallon that has been set up for about 3 months and i just added my last addition to the tank which are 3 panda cories. Ammonia nitrites and nitrates are perfect i tested with the api test kit. When i first got the cats about 1 week ago they swam a little but they ignored the food, and now as of 2 days ago they stopped moving all together. They only move when i tap on the tank, they have been in the same general area for two days.

What can i do please help.
 
A few questions, Jonthan:

1) When you look closely at their "cheeks" as they are sitting, does it look like they're chewing?
2) What are you putting in the tank to feed them?
3) Where are they staying? Is it by a heater, protected, or open?
4) Are they doing this in the evening/morning/at night as well?
 
1. Yeah their cheeks move a little, one in particular moves them very fast
2. I use shrimp pellets to feed them
3. They have been staying under this little bridge in the middle of the tank
4. As of two days ago they have not moved from this spot

Also i have another tank with 3 peppered cories that act nothing like this they are the most active fish i have
 
Out of curiosity, what type of cory are these guys? Way back when I used to have panda cories I noticed that when the temp was too high for them (They are actually a cool water species) they exhibited a similar behavior.
 
What temp is the tank ?
What substrate ?

Last water change ?

Pandas like 72-76°F IME and need some water flow so the bottom isn't stagnant. Not too strong.

Pandas are sometimes sensitive esp when new.

I'd do a PWC, check the temp and offer frozen bloodworms or brine shrimp.

If they don't perk up consider a QT tank and read up on PraziPro. Cories can have internal parasites.
 
They are in fact panda cories, and the temperature is around 75 so it should not be too high.

They have moved a bit since yesterday but they are still pretty lethargic and inactive
Last water change was about two days ago when i first noticed this behavior
oh and its a very fine gravel substrate
 
jon...

Tank problems are water related. If you're not removing and replacing most of the tank water a couple of times a week, you should. Water needs to be replaced often, to replenish minerals that the fish, plants and bacteria use up. Just because your tests show little or no traces of nitrogen, doesn't mean you don't have to change the water.

Water that's constantly run through a filter becomes sterile in a few days. It loses trace minerals and won't hold oxygen. Pure, treated tap water has the minerals and oxygen mixes easily.

Take good care of the water and the fish and plants will be fine.

B
 
No I did a 25% water change twice this week so the water is definitely not an issue.. I also use prime because I find it better...

Again I really doubt it's anything to do with the water or acclimation I drip acclimated them for an hour and like I said the water is perfect and I change it often.. at this point I'm looking for Cory cat specific diseases or any possible cause for why they may be acting like this..

Please if anyone has any idea why they are like this please help
 
Could be stress derived issues due to the aquascape. They might need a better hiding place that's a little darker if there isn't one.
 
Update one cory died :(
One of them has completely recovered and he is swimming around the tank, the other one isnt as good and he still hasnt eaten and it is starting to show.
He looks significantly skinnier than my healthy one i hope he turns around
 
I'm sorry to hear that :(
I've had many problems with cories simply due to the fact they're overbred, especially pandas and juliis. A lot of people will actually get ten expecting to end up with only five or six.
I feel that this case is probably just that... They weren't healthy from the get-go and there's nothing you can do but hope you end up with two instead of one.
 
Update one cory died :(
One of them has completely recovered and he is swimming around the tank, the other one isnt as good and he still hasnt eaten and it is starting to show.
He looks significantly skinnier than my healthy one i hope he turns around

Keep checking and maintaining the water quality with water changes to aid recovery. That twice a week 25% might just not be enough.
 
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