HELP!! Free floating cory with no "wiskers"

[Lt.]

What may be wrong!

 

[Lt.]

More pics

 

[CoryFan]

What may be wrong!

Gravel is too hard to clean, for me. I switched to sand because of this same thing.
If the bottom is polluted, the barbels/whiskers wear down. They use those to forage for food on the bottom. Also, I think it is easier for them to forage on sand.

He might be hungry.

 

[Lt.]

5 other cories have been in this tank for 2 weeks and are just fine, in fact they look better than when I got them IMO.

 

[CoryFan]

5 other cories have been in this tank for 2 weeks and are just fine, in fact they look better than when I got them IMO.

Well that is awesome! The only other reason to lose barbels that I have heard of is if your cory has been rubbing them on sharp edges while feeding. Your gravel looks rounded, and as you said, the others are doing well.
I have also found, over the last two years, that mine do better with a low current but I have no idea why.
Have you checked your water parameters to make sure all the toxins are low?
Maybe that cory had pre-existing weakness/issues.
My best advice is to try to help him eat. Does anybody else have more ideas?

 

[Teakwood]

I have to albino Cory's that suffered really severe fin rot loosing there barbles and all fins and tails, they didn't start swimming like torpedoes until all fins were gone, I would seclude him if you can. I don't know what to try to treat him with though.

 

[Teakwood]

I used melafix to treat the fin rot. It took awhile to heal them but they were pretty severe, maybe he had a secondary infection from loosing the whiskers?

 

[Vienolac]

I had gotten 5 Panda Cory's from a lfs that seems to be popular and really knows what there doing, however in my care, all the fish I've had have been pretty hardy. And yet I had one die and got him replaced for free. And over the next 2 months. Some fell under extreme fin rot. One had a fungal infection. And slowly 5 died over time with small things wrong here and there. I have one left. And he's healthy like the rest of my fish.

IMO. Cory's just seem to be.... Brittle fish lol. For lack of a better word.

And I had a few lose whiskers. Start healing. And die... Never knew why... Just something they do I guess...

 

[CoryFan]

I had gotten 5 Panda Cory's from a lfs that seems to be popular and really knows what there doing, however in my care, all the fish I've had have been pretty hardy. And yet I had one die and got him replaced for free. And over the next 2 months. Some fell under extreme fin rot. One had a fungal infection. And slowly 5 died over time with small things wrong here and there. I have one left. And he's healthy like the rest of my fish.

IMO. Cory's just seem to be.... Brittle fish lol. For lack of a better word.

And I had a few lose whiskers. Start healing. And die... Never knew why... Just something they do I guess...

This is a lot like my experience! I baby them now. Very careful with low flow, plants - floating and rooted, no hyper tank mates, sand only substrate, variety of food.

 

[Vienolac]

Lol the last two I had(one of which is still alive)...

Would literally sit. In roughly the same spot. For hours then move and sit. Move and sit.
Untill the sick one died . Then the last one all of a sudden became the active happy Cory's I knew when I first got them.

 

[Lt.]

I forgot to update ya'll, but the little guy died a day after the last post on this thread. Although, being a glass half full person I noticed my shrimp fat and happy for another couple days after the Cory passed.