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	Planted tanks and cory barbels.
Curare Enthusiast Posts: 196 Kudos: 130 Votes: 0 Registered: 23-Jun-2004	Hey all, just a quick query. I have a heavily planted tank with cories in it and I've noticed barbel erosion over a period of time. The tank is full of ludwigia, vals, lillaeopsis and a few other ones which I can't remember off the top of my head. Now I try to keep the substrate clean (washed river gravel) and vacuum around the plants but it doesn't make much difference. Am I doing something wrong? My nitrates run very low indeed, so I'm stumped. Any help you can give me to see my cories barbels back will be appreciated.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:05
Natalie Ultimate Fish Guru Apolay Wayyioy Posts: 4499 Kudos: 3730 Votes: 348 Registered: 01-Feb-2003	Are you using any plant subsrates, like Fluorite? That stuff is pretty jagged, but normall does not hurt corys unless the water quality is not what it should be. I keep my corys in a planted tank, and I never gravel vac, and their barbels are very long and healthy. I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:05
Curare Enthusiast Posts: 196 Kudos: 130 Votes: 0 Registered: 23-Jun-2004	no, it's just washed river gravel, it's not entirely smooth, there are sharp edges on some of it, but I think it's something else causing the erosion... that's why I'm lost
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:05
sirbooks Moderator Sociopath Posts: 3875 Kudos: 5164 Votes: 932 Registered: 26-Jul-2004	Usually when a cory's barbels are eroding, it's because the fish is either stressed, sick, or is living in poor water. See if you can determine if the cause is one of these, and try to fix whatever it is. Since it isn't your substrate, maybe it's stress. How many cories do you have in there? What size tank? And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:05
Curare Enthusiast Posts: 196 Kudos: 130 Votes: 0 Registered: 23-Jun-2004	Just a pair of cories in a 10 gal with 3 rainbows... ...and a BN. If anything is causing the stress it's the BN, he's not too happy with the cories being near him and will often have a go at them. Food for thought, any ideas on what to do? I don't really want to take them back, (they're so cute) I have thought of shifting them to another tank to see if the problem goes away. What do you think?
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:05
sirbooks Moderator Sociopath Posts: 3875 Kudos: 5164 Votes: 932 Registered: 26-Jul-2004	Well, part of the stress may derive from space problems. Those rainbows will all grow to at least 8 cm, and the bristlenose will get larger than that. You don't have enough room in there for all of your fish. Also, cories should be kept in groups of six or so, since they are shoaling fish. The more cories you have, the less stressed they tend to be. And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:05


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