Cory barbels...

[Strikh]

(I think that's what they're called).
Anyway, lately my male cory (I have a male and a female spotted cory in this particular tank) has had his barbels practically disappear!
He's in a tank with community live-bearers (mollies and platys).
The substrate is pea-sized gravel.
What could have caused this, and more importantly, what can I do to help him out?
He's been getting thinner over the last week or so. Is it because of the damaged barbels?

 

[grimlock3000]

Check the water parameters first. The loss of weight could be caused by a bacterial infection, parasite, lack of nutrition, sharp edges in the tank...

 

[Strikh]

Ammonia and nitrates are at 0. Nitrites are a little high, but I've been doing 20% water changes daily for the last week to lower them.

The gravel isn't sharp, and he's been fine with it for 6 months.

I did have some uninvited guests show up a month or so ago, when I added some lily bulbs to the tank. Mark -- of MarkandMelissa -- suggested that they're either daphnia or ostracods. Some kind of tiny (maybe 2 millimeters max) crustacean. Either way, they're not supposed to be harmful, and they're actually supposed to help clean out the substrate.

I do pamper my fish when it comes to feeding. Every day they get flake plus some kind of treat -- bloodworms, tubifex worms, freeze dried sand fleas, freeze dried brine shrimp, etc.

I feed twice a day. In the a.m., I give the bottom feeders a "variety wafer" or a few shrimp pellets. In the p.m. they usually get either an algae wafer or I peel some canned peas for them -- although the mollies don't leave many peas for anyone else!

The female seems to be finding ample food, as she is nice and chubby.

 

[webmoose]

Any evidence of decreased fin on the cory as well? or slightly light along the edges? If you can see any decrease on the fins it could be a fin rot type of thing going on. Try looking at the mouth and see if it looks a little warn.

IF you don't see anything like that it could be from the larger rocks. (but I doubt it.. ) you would more likely witness one missing first type of thing.

I would cut back the feedings slightly and maybe a couple of extra gravel vac's.

I had a similar experience with my male while my female remained unchanged but I did see slightly less tail fin compared to the others.

The good news is that in my case he fully recovered and has nice long barble / whiskers.

 

[Menagerie]

What exactly is the nitrite value? How often do you vacuum the gravel? I suspect something is eating away at the barbels. You can check to see if the substrate is to sharp, just run your hands over it many many times. This will give you an idea of how smooth/sharp the substrate is.

 

[Christmasfish]

Do the betta test...our hands sometimes are not sensitive enough.
Take a suspicious decorataon, ,handfull of gravel and run fine nylons over it. They snage or worse run? It's to prickly for some.......