panda cory concerns

[Reygan2]

I changed my substrate to sand several months ago, and the other day I was looking closely at my panda's and noticed that their barbals are gone on all of them. I've done some research about the causes, and much of what I'm finding indicates that substrate does not cause this, but there are some that believe it can.
My thoughts are...I don't see how poor tank conditions could be the culprit in my case because I am obsessive about keeping all my tanks, especially this particular tank clean. I am currently raising 2 angels that were smaller than dimes when I bought them, and they have over tripled in size in 2 months. I vacuum and do 25% pwc's at LEAST 2 times a week.
High nitrates can also cause this, but I am also obsessed with constantly checking my parameters, and my nitrates never exceed 5 ppm.
I did notice that the pfs does have sharp edges and does not look as smooth as other sands.Could it be the sand? There are no other sharp objects in the tank.

 

[boadams87]

I've heard that gravel does more damage than sand so it sounds strange but it could be the pfs. But maybe someone else will chime in and help since you keep your water clean.

 

[Reygan2]

I've heard that gravel does more damage than sand so it sounds strange but it could be the pfs. But maybe someone else will chime in and help since you keep your water clean.

Oddly enough, my green cories in my tank with gravel are perfectly fine and have been since last August. My panda's were fine before I changed to pfs.
I'm moving the panda's to my 10 gallon qt to see if they'll heal. What should I dose?

 

[BBradbury]

Your Corydoras Question

I changed my substrate to sand several months ago, and the other day I was looking closely at my panda's and noticed that their barbals are gone on all of them. I've done some research about the causes, and much of what I'm finding indicates that substrate does not cause this, but there are some that believe it can.
My thoughts are...I don't see how poor tank conditions could be the culprit in my case because I am obsessive about keeping all my tanks, especially this particular tank clean. I am currently raising 2 angels that were smaller than dimes when I bought them, and they have over tripled in size in 2 months. I vacuum and do 25% pwc's at LEAST 2 times a week.
High nitrates can also cause this, but I am also obsessed with constantly checking my parameters, and my nitrates never exceed 5 ppm.
I did notice that the pfs does have sharp edges and does not look as smooth as other sands.Could it be the sand? There are no other sharp objects in the tank.

Hello Rey...

Corys can get tangled in tank decorations and in plants with a lot of roots or thick rhisomes like Anubias and Java fern. If this happens often enough, the barbells can be damaged and actually die off. In pure water conditions, the barbells can grow back in a couple of months. So, it's important you follow an aggressive water change routine by removing and replacing at least half the tank water every week.

As far as water changes are concerned, a large weekly water change is better than a series of small ones. This is will guarantee water chemistry stability and that's the most important thing for your fish.

Corys prefer a dark substrate and low light conditions. I've read this environment makes them feel comfortable. I keep several species of Corys and have them in well planted and low light conditions where they have plenty of places to hide. You also need to keep several together, no less than 5 or 6 is good and twice that many is best.

B

 

[Reygan2]

Hello Rey...

Corys can get tangled in tank decorations and in plants with a lot of roots or thick rhisomes like Anubias and Java fern. If this happens often enough, the barbells can be damaged and actually die off. In pure water conditions, the barbells can grow back in a couple of months. So, it's important you follow an aggressive water change routine by removing and replacing at least half the tank water every week.

As far as water changes are concerned, a large weekly water change is better than a series of small ones. This is will guarantee water chemistry stability and that's the most important thing for your fish.

Corys prefer a dark substrate and low light conditions. I've read this environment makes them feel comfortable. I keep several species of Corys and have them in well planted and low light conditions where they have plenty of places to hide. You also need to keep several together, no less than 5 or 6 is good and twice that many is best.

B

My 10 gallon has black gravel and is planted, plus there are plenty of hiding spots under the dw. Would the 10 gallon be too small for them for a couple of months? I only have 3 panda's for now. I was wanting to fill out their school until I noticed the problem. Plus, they are hard to find around here. I had 6, but several months ago I had a breakout of something, and I lost several fish. I've noticed that since the school is smaller, they never move around. They just stay in the corner of the tank, huddled together. It's really sad.

 

[Laser]

I think a 10g would be fine for 3 panda corys. I believe that pandas are actually one of the smallest corys at adult size not even reaching a full 2 inches. Panda corys for me in the past have always been the most temperamental of corys and I've had some that died for seemingly no reason at all.

 

[Boogety48]

Are they eating the same still? One of my cories got its barbels ripped off in a fight with a tank mate. It took 2 months for its barbels to grow back. If they're having trouble eating, someone told me to soak their food in garlic and then they can smell it a little better to find it.

 

[Reygan2]

Are they eating the same still? One of my cories got its barbels ripped off in a fight with a tank mate. It took 2 months for its barbels to grow back. If they're having trouble eating, someone told me to soak their food in garlic and then they can smell it a little better to find it.

I was having a hard time telling if they eat or not. I'm assuming they do because they're still with me. My problem is that hardly any food can escape my female betta or the angel babies, and if it does, the ram usually gets it. I offer pellets, flakes, bottom feeder wafers, algae wafers, and bloodworms (of course not at the same time or on the same day). I drop the wafers at night after the lights are off. I've been concerned that they're not getting enough. I can keep a better eye on them in the 10 gallon.

 

[BBradbury]

Your Corydoras

Hello again Rey...

Corydoras are extremely social fish and groups of at least 5 is an absolute must if they're going to live a long time. Corys are very long livers in the right conditions. I have some that are past 5 and 20 years isn't out of the ordinary. They're very active in large groups. The fact yours huddle in a corner should tell you they're unhappy in such cramped conditions and possibly lonely too. I keep small Corys in a minimum of a 30 G tank and the larger species in a 55 G.

Research and observation of your fish are almost as important as pure water conditions. If at all possible, I'd recommend a larger tank.

B

 

[Reygan2]

Hello again Rey...

Corydoras are extremely social fish and groups of at least 5 is an absolute must if they're going to live a long time. Corys are very long livers in the right conditions. I have some that are past 5 and 20 years isn't out of the ordinary. They're very active in large groups. The fact yours huddle in a corner should tell you they're unhappy in such cramped conditions and possibly lonely too. I keep small Corys in a minimum of a 30 G tank and the larger species in a 55 G.

Research and observation of your fish are almost as important as pure water conditions. If at all possible, I'd recommend a larger tank.

B

I just moved them to the 10g qt tank Tuesday. They were huddling in the corner in my 29g. Should I put them back in the 29g and add more to the school now, or wait until their barbels heal and grow back?

 

[BBradbury]

Corydoras

Rey...

You're putting me "on the spot" a little. I've kept Corys for some years, but once I put them into a tank, they're in there for life.

My best advice would be to keep those in the 10 G alone until you get three or four more. Acclaimate the new ones to the 29 G with the lights out and then carefully net those in the 10 G and put them into the larger tank. If the water conditions in the two tanks are roughly the same, then you won't need to acclaimate the 10 G fish. Just move them quickly to the larger tank.

Keep the lights off in the 29 G for a short time and then turn it back on. This is how I would do things, but when it comes to moving fish I do it one time only and that's been from the pet store to my tanks at home.

B

 

[Reygan2]

Rey...

You're putting me "on the spot" a little. I've kept Corys for some years, but once I put them into a tank, they're in there for life.

My best advice would be to keep those in the 10 G alone until you get three or four more. Acclaimate the new ones to the 29 G with the lights out and then carefully net those in the 10 G and put them into the larger tank. If the water conditions in the two tanks are roughly the same, then you won't need to acclaimate the 10 G fish. Just move them quickly to the larger tank.

Keep the lights off in the 29 G for a short time and then turn it back on. This is how I would do things, but when it comes to moving fish I do it one time only and that's been from the pet store to my tanks at home.

B

I just thought I could keep a better eye on them, and do more pwc's in the 10g. I have every intention of returning them to my main tank once they heal. I just wondered what you thought about waiting or putting them back now. I think your suggestion is good, but I'm concerned that when I do return them or add others the same thing will happen again. I never had a problem when the tank was small gravel.
Thanks for your advice. I don't mean to be difficult...I tend to over think when it comes to my fish.

 

[jetajockey]

If it's just a barbel or two on a group of cories I'd lean towards a possible damaging substrate material, but if it's the entire group experiencing barbel erosion it's more likely to be a bacterial issue IMO.

I've kept cories on everything from river rocks, standard aquarium gravel, sand, and ecocomplete and have never had one that stood out as damaging to them.

 

[Reygan2]

If it's just a barbel or two on a group of cories I'd lean towards a possible damaging substrate material, but if it's the entire group experiencing barbel erosion it's more likely to be a bacterial issue IMO.

I've kept cories on everything from river rocks, standard aquarium gravel, sand, and ecocomplete and have never had one that stood out as damaging to them.

That makes sense to me. It's just weird that all my other fish are fine. But then they're not rubbing their faces on the sand either. Is there anything other than super clean water that I can do to help the healing process?

 

[jetajockey]

I gave mine medicated flakes for a week or so and that seemed to help, or at least it coincidentally stopped at that point. I also had some that were looking thin, so I fed both kanamycin flakes and some metro flakes. I believe I got them from angelsplus. I can't recall if I tried dosing with maracyn, but it's possible also since it covers gram positive. I really don't like to dose meds into a tank if I can help it, so the flakes seem to be a more effective alternative.

 

[BBradbury]

Your Corys

I just thought I could keep a better eye on them, and do more pwc's in the 10g. I have every intention of returning them to my main tank once they heal. I just wondered what you thought about waiting or putting them back now. I think your suggestion is good, but I'm concerned that when I do return them or add others the same thing will happen again. I never had a problem when the tank was small gravel.
Thanks for your advice. I don't mean to be difficult...I tend to over think when it comes to my fish.

Rey...

If you've done a large water change within the last couple of days and plan to get a few more Corys by the weekend or so, there's no need to do another water change or series of small changes.

I've found one, large, weekly water change is more beneficial than several small ones. The effort of getting out the equipment only needs to be done once a week, so take a few more minutes and remove half the water. This will guarantee water chemistry stability and this is the most important thing for a successful aquarium.

If you're using standard aquarium gravel, then don't worry. Just keep the water extremely clean. Corys will thrive in pure water conditions.

Above everything else, have fun!

B

 

[Reygan2]

Rey...

If you've done a large water change within the last couple of days and plan to get a few more Corys by the weekend or so, there's no need to do another water change or series of small changes.

I've found one, large, weekly water change is more beneficial than several small ones. The effort of getting out the equipment only needs to be done once a week, so take a few more minutes and remove half the water. This will guarantee water chemistry stability and this is the most important thing for a successful aquarium.

If you're using standard aquarium gravel, then don't worry. Just keep the water extremely clean. Corys will thrive in pure water conditions.

Above everything else, have fun!

B

B:
Update- I took your advice and did a 50% pwc rather than 25%, and the cories are already more active and moving around more than they have in a long time. It's too soon to see if the barbels are growing back yet, but things seem to be improving.
Thanks for the advice. I'm going to continue to do weekly 50% pwc's on all of my tanks.

 

[BBradbury]

Your Corydoras

Hello again Rey...

Good for you and your fish too on doing the larger water change. I keep large, planted tanks of Corys and remove and replace at least half the water in the tanks every week. This is the single, most important thing to ensure healthy fish and plants too.

By flushing a lot of pure, treated tap water through the tank every week, you guarantee no pollutants have time to build up in the water and hurt your fish.

Keep up the good work and your Corys will live a long time.

B

 

[Reygan2]

Hello again Rey...

Good for you and your fish too on doing the larger water change. I keep large, planted tanks of Corys and remove and replace at least half the water in the tanks every week. This is the single, most important thing to ensure healthy fish and plants too.

By flushing a lot of pure, treated tap water through the tank every week, you guarantee no pollutants have time to build up in the water and hurt your fish.

Keep up the good work and your Corys will live a long time.

B

I should also add that it's much easier than doing 2 smaller pwc's during the week!

 

[jlbfish]

I know this post was quite a few months ago. I'm curious if your corys barbels ever grew back?

Thanks!