 |
07-29-2005, 12:08 PM
|
#1
|
Aquarium Advice Regular
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 64
|
Dying Cory Cats
I had just finished cycling my tank with three serpae tetras, so we added a couple more serpaes and three really small Julii cory cats. They did extremely well for two days and I monitored the water closely.
Yesterday, I went home from work at lunch to find all the fish happily swimming around. When I got home from work just three hours later, one of the cats was on it's side on the bottom of the tank, barely alive. He tried to swim and only made it around in circles and spirals before crashing down into the gravel again. He was gone within a half hour. He had no visible signs of sickness (nothing growing on him, no sores, etc). The other fish still looked great.
I had to go out for a bit last night and when I got home, a second cat had the exact same symptoms (lying on his side, not able to swim straight) and he also died fairly quickly.
I tested the water: ammonia-0, nitrites-just starting to register, nitrates-5. They had warned us that adding more fish might start a mini cycle, but the nitrites are under .25.
The only other thing that I can find that is revelant is that the serpaes have been sort of picking on each other and the cats. They nip at the tail fins...
What could possibly be going wrong?
__________________
__________________
|
|
|
07-29-2005, 02:04 PM
|
#2
|
Aquarium Advice Activist
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: SC
Posts: 137
|
I'm not sure, but if you have any corys left I would quarantine them immediately...
-Blizzard
__________________
__________________
|
|
|
07-29-2005, 06:32 PM
|
#3
|
God of primitive fishes
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 8,163
|
The nitrites will not help anything, so keep up on those water-changes. Its difficult to be certain just what is going on, but it does sound like whatever it is, is affecting your cats neurologically....now the most likely causes of this are bacterial and parasitical. By 'really small', just how big are we talking here?
__________________
G. A. Christian Bilou, Herpetologist
Founder/Director, Reptile Rescue Alberta
Past-President, Calgary Aquarium Society
www.calgaryaquariumsociety.com
|
|
|
07-29-2005, 08:20 PM
|
#4
|
AA Team Emeritus
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: New York, NY (The Big Apple)
Posts: 14,951
|
Serpae's are a schoaling fish and are known to nip when they are kept in insufficient numbers. That is why they are nipping at each other and their tankmates. A schoal of 6 or more is necessary to eliminate the nipping.
As for the cory's, since they are bottom dwellers for the most part, suffer from the harmful parameters (the water at the bottom is always more toxic than the rest of the tank). All bottom dweller's would do better to add to a mature tank rather than one that is cycling.
__________________
_________________________________
|
|
|
08-02-2005, 10:25 PM
|
#5
|
Aquarium Advice Regular
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 64
|
Well, a few days later and the remaining cory is fine, despite not having quarantined him (this tank is brand new, I don't have a hospital tank yet). He's doing great, my water levels are great. No idea what happened to make the cats die.
The remaining one (and the others were the same size before they died) are about just under an inch....
__________________
|
|
|
08-03-2005, 10:05 AM
|
#6
|
Aquarium Advice Addict
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Central Kentucky
Posts: 6,015
|
has your water finished cycling?.. even durring the cycle.. I would recomend changing the water to keep NO2 down to 2ppm or less.. good luck
__________________
|
|
|
08-03-2005, 10:33 AM
|
#7
|
Aquarium Advice Regular
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 64
|
Yes, it actually finished cycling before we put the cats in, but adding new fish caused a mini cycle to occur. That mini cycle is now finished, too... Ammonia is at zero, Nitrites are at zero and Nitrates are around 5-10.
__________________
|
|
|
08-03-2005, 10:42 AM
|
#8
|
AA Team Emeritus
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: New York, NY (The Big Apple)
Posts: 14,951
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by squealor
Yes, it actually finished cycling before we put the cats in, but adding new fish caused a mini cycle to occur. That mini cycle is now finished, too... Ammonia is at zero, Nitrites are at zero and Nitrates are around 5-10.
|
That's good to hear. I would give it a couple of weeks before adding any more fish. This will prevent another mini-cycle.
__________________
_________________________________
|
|
|
08-03-2005, 03:25 PM
|
#9
|
Aquarium Advice Regular
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 64
|
That's what I'm thinking, too! And only add a couple at a time!  Thanks for the help!
__________________
__________________
|
|
|
 |
Thread Tools |
Search this Thread |
|
|
Display Modes |
Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
Similar Threads
|
Thread |
Thread Starter |
Forum |
Replies |
Last Post |
Cory Cats
|
mctypething |
Freshwater & Brackish - General Discussion |
3 |
10-15-2009 11:19 PM |
cory cats?
|
Ky'smommy |
Freshwater & Brackish - General Discussion |
0 |
07-06-2006 02:17 PM |
How many Cory Cats?
|
Fishyfanatic |
Freshwater & Brackish - General Discussion |
18 |
01-09-2005 02:43 PM |
Cory cats better than Pictus cats for cleaning?
|
cgcaver |
Freshwater & Brackish - General Discussion |
13 |
01-07-2005 06:33 PM |
cory cats??
|
sumphead |
Freshwater & Brackish - General Discussion |
25 |
10-04-2003 10:53 AM |
|

» Vendor Spotlight (Deals & More) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
» Photo Contest Winners |
|
» Saltwater Discussions |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
» Freshwater Discussions |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
» Other Discussions & Classifieds |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

|