I'm pretty new to fishkeeping - I got into it a few months ago after watching too many youtube videos and just wanted to keep my own ecosystem with happy inhabitants.
I've had this tank going a few months now without issue. I started with the chili raspbora and neo cherry shrimp & everyone seemed to be doing well. Lost 2 shrimp in the beginning due to improper acclimation but otherwise everyone is thriving. I decided I wanted to add some nano cories to the tank community.
The cories settled in okay, but a week into it I began having unexpected deaths where the cories would grow pale and listless. I've tried everything to troubleshoot. I've tried adding brine shrimp to their diet because that's what the petshop had been feeding them - affected corys wouldn't touch it. I seperated the first fish to a quarantine tank and treated with Paracleanse, thinking it was internal parasites - fish dead in 24 hours (also treated main tank with Paracleanse because I was feeling paranoid). I've added a bubbler, thinking it might be improper oxygenation despite of all the plants I have - next fish dead the following morning. I've tried a 30% water change and attempted vacuum cleaning a densely planted tank (that didn't go great) - 3rd fish in the slow decline of dying. I continue to loose cories in what I'm worried is some dumb newbie mistake. I'm down to my last 2 of the 5 I brought home. These 2 continue to show good foraging activity, however I am expecting more abrupt deaths.
This experience has really spoiled my enjoyment of the tank and hate watching them waste away for no explainable reason. Nothing I do is working. I really loved watching these guys when they were well but I can't go down and look down in my tank and see dead or suffering animals. I probably won't have corys again, it's just too tragic, but if there's any additional ideas to save the remaining 2 I'd love some help.
All the tank-specific info is given below.
1~What type of fish is afflicted? - Corydoras hasbrosus. Loss of activity/appetite/color, wasting away to death in 24-48 hours after symptoms appear. Occasionally the dying fish might swim up to the surface to gasp for air, but that is it. On death I've observed their bodies and noted no visible damage that indicates injury from substrate on their bellies, discoloration along their gills, loss of barbels, strange spots of infection/etc. Corys came from a good quality LFS that quarantined a week and a half and only sources from US breeders.
2~What are your tank parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, pH)? - 0/0/0 for Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate. 7.4 pH, 8 gH, 6 kH
3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up? - 13 gallons, 3 months old. Fully cycled (confirmed before adding any fish). Substrate system is pea gravel topped with aqua soil topped Imagitarium black sand. Densely planted tank (java fern, anubias, anacharis, amazon swords, ludwiga reppens, weeping moss). Aqueon clip-on light is used on an 8 hour cycle.
4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number - Aquaclear 50 HOB filter 200 gph
5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes? - 8 cherry shrimp (4 berried), 6 chili raspbora, presently 2 and a half corydoras hasbrosus (was 5). Corys are not yet to their full adult size.
6~When is the last time you did a water change and vacuum the gravel? How often do you do this? How much water do you remove at a time? - I don’t vacuum the gravel because there’s too many plants. Recently tried to clean a corner of it - minimal success (still plenty of debris if I really stirred up the substrate). Was previously changing water weekly or biweekly but never registered nitrates. Recently changed 30% of the tank water to try and trouble shoot.
7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them? - Obtained corys a week and a half ago. They were floated on the surface of the water for 20-30 minutes, then drip acclimated with a turkey baster for an hour. I did not add to a quarantine tank as I thought the stock was a high quality (shame on me).
8~Have you added anything new to the tank—recently planted the ludwiga reppens & replanted some pruned anacharis. However the first fish demonstrated symptoms before this replanting. Also dosed with ParaCleanse after first fish showed symptoms as I was concerned it might be an internal parasite (no longer believe this is the case)
9~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently? - Hikari micro predator pellets (which are floated down by tube to make sure corys get fed). Recently added in brine shrimp with spiraling per advice from the petshop. Fish are fed 1x per day and fed what they can eat in a few minutes (corys might pick at their food more but everything is gone in an hour after I drop it)
I've had this tank going a few months now without issue. I started with the chili raspbora and neo cherry shrimp & everyone seemed to be doing well. Lost 2 shrimp in the beginning due to improper acclimation but otherwise everyone is thriving. I decided I wanted to add some nano cories to the tank community.
The cories settled in okay, but a week into it I began having unexpected deaths where the cories would grow pale and listless. I've tried everything to troubleshoot. I've tried adding brine shrimp to their diet because that's what the petshop had been feeding them - affected corys wouldn't touch it. I seperated the first fish to a quarantine tank and treated with Paracleanse, thinking it was internal parasites - fish dead in 24 hours (also treated main tank with Paracleanse because I was feeling paranoid). I've added a bubbler, thinking it might be improper oxygenation despite of all the plants I have - next fish dead the following morning. I've tried a 30% water change and attempted vacuum cleaning a densely planted tank (that didn't go great) - 3rd fish in the slow decline of dying. I continue to loose cories in what I'm worried is some dumb newbie mistake. I'm down to my last 2 of the 5 I brought home. These 2 continue to show good foraging activity, however I am expecting more abrupt deaths.
This experience has really spoiled my enjoyment of the tank and hate watching them waste away for no explainable reason. Nothing I do is working. I really loved watching these guys when they were well but I can't go down and look down in my tank and see dead or suffering animals. I probably won't have corys again, it's just too tragic, but if there's any additional ideas to save the remaining 2 I'd love some help.
All the tank-specific info is given below.
1~What type of fish is afflicted? - Corydoras hasbrosus. Loss of activity/appetite/color, wasting away to death in 24-48 hours after symptoms appear. Occasionally the dying fish might swim up to the surface to gasp for air, but that is it. On death I've observed their bodies and noted no visible damage that indicates injury from substrate on their bellies, discoloration along their gills, loss of barbels, strange spots of infection/etc. Corys came from a good quality LFS that quarantined a week and a half and only sources from US breeders.
2~What are your tank parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, pH)? - 0/0/0 for Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate. 7.4 pH, 8 gH, 6 kH
3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up? - 13 gallons, 3 months old. Fully cycled (confirmed before adding any fish). Substrate system is pea gravel topped with aqua soil topped Imagitarium black sand. Densely planted tank (java fern, anubias, anacharis, amazon swords, ludwiga reppens, weeping moss). Aqueon clip-on light is used on an 8 hour cycle.
4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number - Aquaclear 50 HOB filter 200 gph
5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes? - 8 cherry shrimp (4 berried), 6 chili raspbora, presently 2 and a half corydoras hasbrosus (was 5). Corys are not yet to their full adult size.
6~When is the last time you did a water change and vacuum the gravel? How often do you do this? How much water do you remove at a time? - I don’t vacuum the gravel because there’s too many plants. Recently tried to clean a corner of it - minimal success (still plenty of debris if I really stirred up the substrate). Was previously changing water weekly or biweekly but never registered nitrates. Recently changed 30% of the tank water to try and trouble shoot.
7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them? - Obtained corys a week and a half ago. They were floated on the surface of the water for 20-30 minutes, then drip acclimated with a turkey baster for an hour. I did not add to a quarantine tank as I thought the stock was a high quality (shame on me).
8~Have you added anything new to the tank—recently planted the ludwiga reppens & replanted some pruned anacharis. However the first fish demonstrated symptoms before this replanting. Also dosed with ParaCleanse after first fish showed symptoms as I was concerned it might be an internal parasite (no longer believe this is the case)
9~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently? - Hikari micro predator pellets (which are floated down by tube to make sure corys get fed). Recently added in brine shrimp with spiraling per advice from the petshop. Fish are fed 1x per day and fed what they can eat in a few minutes (corys might pick at their food more but everything is gone in an hour after I drop it)
Their color is paler today than yesterday. The larger cory cat is showing no activity or much interest in food. Weirdly it is the smaller one that is still showing activity & foraging behavior, but I'm sure by tonight that will change. Water parameters still test the same as before. I might take a water sample down to the local fish store to double check my work - but given no other fish are showing any issue (I even had a mass shrimp molt - probably from the 30% water change)
