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Can anyone please help me, I have had my tank well established for ages and I have had no trouble until now, I have had 1 cory die and now 2 more are all wobbly and swimming sideways and I cant find another one. I have tested the water and everything is fine, I gravel vac and regular water changes, I just cant think whats wrong with them.
Any help would be great

Thanks
Claire


Last edited by ClaireH at 18-Apr-2005 14:28

Swimming sideways???

This is a new phenomenon to me. If I were you, I'd put any future dead specimens in some kind of preservative (vodka will do if you don't have formalin handy!) and seek a professional assay of micro-organisms. Usually, derangements of this kind are associated with unpleasant micro-organisms such as Myxosporidians and Microsporidians, both of which you do NOT want in your aquarium at all! However, definitive determination usually requires a trained microbiologist with histological experience: if you have a college or university campus within easy reach, ask about the possibility of the biology department conducting an assay of your dead fish to see if there is anything suspicious in there. Only if the Corys are showing no other unusual symptoms that are associated with the usual run of fish diseases, such as red/inflamed patches at the fin bases (septicaemia) or spinal curvature such as that associated with piscine tuberculosis, then it's time to seek some expert help

A university or college biology department may come to an arrangement with you: you donate your fish as teaching material for their microbiology students, for example, and they tell you what they've found. It's worth asking about this, as this will also save you the money that you would otherwise have to pay if you asked a commercial outfit to dissect and assay your fishes.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

The two that were sick yesterday are still alive but they are laying on their sides and very wobberly when they swim. I cant see any other signs that would suggest an illness but it has come on so suddenly and there are no other signs at all.
Is there nothing at all that would make them act in this way that can be treated?
I have neon rainbows in the tank along with clown loaches and they are fine as far as I can see.

A long shot Claire, but sometimes if swim bladder derangement and balance problems are not attributable to pathogens, then (believe it or not) constipation could be the answer

Feed them something that will enhance bowel movement. Live Daphnia is excellent for this if you can get it. If not, some people recommend taking fresh peas (NOT tinned - don't want additives!) and boiling them until they become soft. Mix with meaty fish food and feed to the Corys. That should result in some motion, so to speak

If this IS the problem, then they should be as right as rain once they're 'unstuck'. If this doesn't cure the problem, it's time to search for a pathogenic cause, which means reverting to my post above.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

What do you mean by meaty fish food? will cooked fozen peas be ok? I will have to place it where the cories live so my clown loaches dont get the food.
I have recently started to give them some new pellets so you could be right, iv stopped giving them now.
I have frozen blood worm would that be any good defrosted?

Just like with humans too much straight meat protein will cause....ermmm blockage . And just like with humans some more than others will need veggie matter to help move things along.
Goldfish (especially fancy ones) very often need help with this. Since you'd reciently switched pellets it may also be part of the problem. Heres how I feed peas.
Small handful of peas straight from the freezer. Lay them ontop of the tank lights to defrost. Once they're warm enough pinch them out of the outer skin and and gently mush each split half. Then drop in the water...they'll sink to the bottom where most every fish will go after them. I recently even caught my white skirt tetras fighting over pieces . Normally they go after it because it's something moving that has food written on it then spit it out...they were actually eating it this time .
HTH a bit .

^_^[hr width='40%']"I'm alright, I'm alright
It only hurts when I breathe"

ClaireH

I think more info would help
Variety of Cories and as much tank info as possible please.

I had very similar case in my tank for some reason I kept loosing peppered Cories so I stoped buying them and started buying the common Bronze cories all doing fine no losses.

No adjustments to the tank or any thing at all.

It is just that Peppered Cories dont like my tank but the Bronze do.

Keith

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I have gievn them some peas last night and they dont seem too keen on them but ill try them again tonight, im sure some got eaten.
I have or should i say had 2 adolfi (i think thats how its spelt) i have 2 jullii and 2 schwartzi lol sorry about the mispelling of names. They have all been fine for so long the only thing was the newest additions to the tank the adolfi didnt seem to get any bigger but they were active and seemed fine. All of a sudden I saw one one night at the fronyt of the tank laying on its side and i thought OH NO!!! but i looked closer and he was still breathing i put the net in and he wobbled away, the next day he was dead!! Now the 2 julii are swimming funny laying on their sides. Iv done water tests all came back fine, I done a water change and gravel vac. One of the julliis is better than the other and the schwartzis are totally normal!!
Hopefully the peas will solve the problem.
Could it be anything else?

I have actually seen something like this in a local fish store with a goldfish. It was swimming on its side slowly and went down to the gravel.

**UPDATE** well thank god they are still alive, I have been feeding them peas and they seem to be going so the cories must be munching on them.
One is worse than the other and still wobbley and swimming in circles sometimes but ill keep a close eye on them.
The schwartzi's are still good

One of the Julliis died it had been going really well and it looked like there was an improvment until i found him the other morning. They seem to really like the peas and I have totally stopped with the new pellets I had started feeding. Is there anyother veggie treats that they would like and how would I prepare them??