Keeping Corys

[Byron]

Hi All

I need some advice on keeping Corys alive. I never seem to have any luck with them, they seem to be happy for a month or so then eventually just turn on their sides and kick the bucket.

My water parameters (that I know of are)

0 amonia
0 nitrites
7.2 PH
(?) Nitrates (I don't have a test kit for this)

Water temp is 26 degrees, 120litre tanks and I do a 20% water change weekly with water that is at least a week old and treated with a decholrinator of some form.

Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks

[johan008]

Can you tell us what other fish you have with the corries and what kind of setup you are running

[TroyFish]

Who are the tank mates? If any?


Can you tell us what other fish you have with the corries and what kind of setup you are running

Lol Johan, go there before me:blink1:

[Byron]

Mostly tetra's - they don't seem to bother each other at all though.

[A Bauer]

What kind of substrate do you have gravel or what.
I had a problem with keeping corys alive aswell, until i read on the forum that you need to use a fine substrate for them like pool filtersand [ silica sand ] anyways since changing from gravel to silica sand i haven't lost any corys.
So that might be your problem if you are using coarse gravel, i believe it damages their barbles and they can't eat properly.
Hope this helps.

[Byron]

Sounds like that might be the cause - I have coarse gravel. Although they seems to enjoy rooting around in the gaps. Not sure that I'm in the mood to change the gravel at this stage.

[A Bauer]

Ja mine also enjoyed rooting around in the gravel but eventually the poor things didn't have any barbles left and i lost most of them.
Unfortunatly i'm afraid if you want to keep corys you will have to change to pool filter sand. Its cruel not to because they starve to death when their mouths and barbles get damaged.

[johan008]

I believe that might be true cause I have about ten corys in my tank with angels and 2 kribs and silica sand (pool filter sand) and they have been going for almost a year now with out any problems.

Do you have a planted setup?

[alvin]

I don't think gravel is the main course but may be a contributing factor to your cory deaths. I have kept cories in bare bottom tanks and they do just fine. Try and eliminate the ffg:
1. Types of food, how much and how often you feeding them
2. Are the other fish showing any signs of stress or sickness?
3. Is the bottom fairly clean? (Try siphoning). This eliminates foul water.
4. Did you see any physical signs on the dead fish like bloat or ick??

Basically there's any number of reasons and until you have eliminated the obvious ones, its going to be very difficult to find the cause

Good luck

Rgds
Alvin

[Scaly]

My guess is substrate. They damage their barbels on course gravel (which they will not encounter in a bare bottom tank). They also need lots of cover as they are shy fish.

Also make sure they are getting food. The other fish tend to eat food up before the corys have time to forage. I feed mine sinking pellets (shrimp) along with blood worm from time to time.

My 2 bronsies are about 2 yrs now, they both have damaged barbels because my original substrate was too course (2 months). Some of the barbels have grown back and they are doing fine now.

Good luck.

Vince

[Byron]

Good advice guys, thanks.

I think it's the gravel although their barbels seem fine. Food is also fine I feed them bottom Sera bottom feeder pills.

I had a sudden outbreak of ich, but nailed it - the Cory's showed no signs of sickness though, only some of the tetras had it. But no other fish died. It might be a cumulative result of the gravel, medication, increased water temp etc. Strange though I had similar results with other Corys when I had filter sand as my substrate... no signs of any other illness.

I haven't had a fish death, other than the Corys, in months.

The tank is planted and I have just added some wood that has been leaching for the better part of the month, but the wood isn't the cause, one croaked before the wood went in.