Lost a Corey cat

[Makavelli02]

Yesterday I found my healthy looking emerald quarry cat dead at the bottom. I have like
13 neon tetras
4 zebra danios
1 dojo loach
1 bristle nose plectrum
1 betts
1 other emerald Corey
2 panda corey
Just added today a spotted Corey

 

[siva]

What size tank is it?

 

[Makavelli02]

Sorry phone was dying so had to cut my post short. It is a 29 g with ac 110 and 2 bubble stones. Also added some peaceful cichlids today 3 of them. I can't remember there names starts with a k. The guy I always deal with at my local feed store told me they would be a great addition as a center piece.

 

[siva]

kribensis?

 

[Makavelli02]

Sounds right

 

[Makavelli02]

They are a bluish color and the male has a redish tint to his belly. I got 1 male 2 females.

 

[siva]

Hmm I don't think you have room for 3 kribs in there..but I'm not positive. I just asked a question in another thread if I could put a krib in a 29 gal. They get 3-4" so with what you have in the tank already I don't see their being room for them. I would return 2 of them and just keep one as your centerpeice fish.

As for the cory, was he new? Do you test your water?

 

[Bettababe1011]

Were it's barbs intact? If those come off they can starve.

Did you do a fishless cycle before this, or did you do an in fish cycle? Was it completed, either way?

You said it looked healthy? There weren't any marks on it's body?

What were water parameters? Sorry if you already posted these. On my iPod I can't see previous posts as I'm typing.

 

[Makavelli02]

I only test the ammonia on a regular basis. And I only did a very quick look over him before I disposed of him. He looked fine no marks can't remember about the barbs I would not have known to look. Ammonia is 0 . I have never seen any aggression in this tank. Temp is 80 degree. Only thing I could think of is the pleco sometimes comes off his driftwood perch and lands hard I have seen him actually land on the loach or coreys. I wonder if the plectrum could have hurt it.

 

[Bettababe1011]

What test kit do you use? It's very important to check for nitrItes and nitrAtes as well, because they are also deadly to fish. Your parameters in a healthy and cycled tank should be:

0 ppm ammonia
0 ppm nitrItes
<40 nitrAtes

NitrAtes aren't as dangerous as the others until they reach high levels. Thats one of the functions of a PWC, to remove some of the nitrAtes and return them to a safe level, or keep them at a safe level.

I recommend the API Master Test Kit for testing these levels. The liquids are best, because strips are notorious for being inaccurate.

 

[Homedog98]

Read the link in my signature on fishless cycling... This should answer your question.

 

[siva]

Cories are sensitive to high nitrates as well as the ammonia. I never let my nitrates exceed 20ppm. I would pick up a master test kit if you can, or at least the nitrate and nitrite kits. It may also be that there is no reason you can determine as to why the fish passed. Sometimes it just happens. If it's been in the tank since the tank was brand new, and you didn't do a fishless cycle, it most likely had tissue and organ damage and it's lifespan was shortened from prolonged exposure to ammonia and nitrite.

 

[Bettababe1011]

Cories are sensitive to high nitrates as well as the ammonia. I never let my nitrates exceed 20ppm. I would pick up a master test kit if you can, or at least the nitrate and nitrite kits. It may also be that there is no reason you can determine as to why the fish passed. Sometimes it just happens. If it's been in the tank since the tank was brand new, and you didn't do a fishless cycle, it most likely had tissue and organ damage and it's lifespan was shortened from prolonged exposure to ammonia and nitrite.

One of my guppies recently passed for no apparent reason. This could be the situation with your Cory.

I also don't want my nitrAtes going above twenty, but most people generally say 40 is the max.

 

[Makavelli02]

The tank has been running since December it has been cycled for a while. I did change my filter i was running to smaller filters then i switched to an ac 110. i put the media from my ac 50 in the new filter. I did leave out the carbon is that bad?. I have seen so much on this forum about not using it so i just left it in the box.

 

[Bettababe1011]

The tank has been running since December it has been cycled for a while. I did change my filter i was running to smaller filters then i switched to an ac 110. i put the media from my ac 50 in the new filter. I did leave out the carbon is that bad?. I have seen so much on this forum about not using it so i just left it in the box.

You don't need the carbon. I think carbon is for taking meds and odors out. So you still had some of the old filter media in?

 

[ejaramillo01]

The tank has been running since December it has been cycled for a while. I did change my filter i was running to smaller filters then i switched to an ac 110. i put the media from my ac 50 in the new filter. I did leave out the carbon is that bad?. I have seen so much on this forum about not using it so i just left it in the box.

Leaving the carbon should not had anything to do. Even when a lot of people said that it is not useful besides removing colors or meds, at the same time doesn't have a negative effect in the health of the fish.

My opinion is that the tank maybe went through a mini cycle when you change to the new filter. Even with the old media, the change of conditions probably caused a spike in the ammonia and nitrites for a short period of time.