Is my Julii Cory Catfish okay?

[kqtfish]

Hello,

I'm a little newbie at fish ownership so forgive me for any mistakes.

2 months ago, I got a 5 gallon tank (yes, I cycled it and all) with a betta and two Julii cory catfishes. Yesterday, unfortunately, one of my catfish passed away (which I assume was because I didn't feed it properly). I immediately did a small water change & vacuumed the gravel. After that, I went out and bought TWO more catfish to accompany my other one.

Today, I noticed I think my new catfishes look healthier than my previous one.
(PICTURES FOR REFERENCE)

My new one is on the left and my old one is on the right. My old catfish's colors seems to be faded. The new catfish has a visible black line along its body; while my old catfish's supposed line doesn't even look like a line anymore. Also, when my old catfish is resting, its top fin slightly droops to the side. Other than that, it seems to be fine and active.

Is my old cory healthy/okay? Should I be worried about it since my other one died?

 

[brennae]

I can't see the pics for some reason. So you might check planet catfish for specific info on your corys. Also the julii corys that are usually available are really false julii. So you might look under that name. I'm glad you cycled your tank. What were you feeding before and what are you feeding now?

I've included a picture of the staple that I feed all my corys. I have a few different kinds. Because I want mine to spawn I feed a lot of live foods like blackworms and white worms. I also feed thawed frozen foods such as blood worms and adult brine shrimp.

Sorry I can't help more without seeing pics. Maybe try posting them again?

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[brennae]

Oh another thing is that I recommend that you quarantine any new fish to watch for signs of illness or parasite etc. Some people only qt for 2 weeks, I do 4 to 8 weeks. Just depends on if the fish are tank raised or wild caught, where you purchased them etc. Pet store fish tend to carry a lot of illness. They go through a lot of stress before they reach the store. Sometimes symptoms don't show up until after you get them home.

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[kqtfish]

I have tried to attach the images again^^ - The new one is on the left and the old one is on the right in both pictures. Also, I would just put a small amount of fish flakes and let it sink down to them (yeah...bad idea), but I have sinking pellets for them now!


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[brennae]

Ok. I see the pics now the second time. I agree the cory in question looks pale and looks red by the gills. I am also wondering if they are the same kind of cory because one has definite stripes and the other more like a dotted line. There are so many types of corys and some look similar to me.

What is your ammonia reading? High ammonia can cause the reddish gills.

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[brennae]

I just reread your first post. 5g is pretty small for corys of this kind. Also they do much better with sand as a substrate. Gravel can harm their barbels.

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