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well, i posted a while back about barbel erosion on my corys, and i got the suggestions to do more water changes/gravel vacs,others suggested i get finer substrate. well, they seemed to be getting better for a while, but lately its gotten worse. on one of the julli's the barbels are gone and now part of the snout! i cant see any open sores, its like the barbels and snout just disappeared!

Strangly, only 4 of 7 have been affected by it, the other three are fine. none of my perameters have changed.

29 gallon tall,ph of 6.9,water temp 79 degrees Farenheight, filtration is two over the back aquaclear 50's,dual airstones, charcoal changed weekly with 30% water changes per week. i tried adding a smoother smaller rock and it didnt help. the fish are fed once a day, only as much as the cories consume within about 5-10 minutes.

the load out is:
1 bolivian ram
2 cherrybarbs(only about 1",not full grown m&f pair)
6 lemon tetras
7 corys(unfortuantly mixed, bought 4 jullies and 2 spotted/peppered cories and one bronze before i knew better than to mix schools, they still all hang out.only 3 jullies and one peppered are sick.)

i have noticed no odd behavior or nipping by any of the other fish, and everything else in the tank is healthy.

im wondering if this is a disease...does anyone know??? if so why hasnt it spread to my other cories?

I have the same problem, I have 6 cories and only one has that, but he eats normally so I dont worry. No Opend sores.

10gallon: 8neons 5gallon: 1betta
1oto
2platys

Barbel rot isn't a communicable disease, more of a physical condition. It's tough to say exactly what would be causing this extended problem and what steps can be taken to fix it. The four Corydoras may have injured their barbels at some point and gotten an infection, which could have caused the barbels to deteriorate. Supposedly it is a bacterial problem, so isolating the fish and treating with an antibacterial med may help. The fish won't be killed or disabled as a result of the barbel erosion, though they will have a slightly tougher time finding and consuming food. The effect won't be noticeable because cories have an excellent sense of smell.

I am having a similar problem with my three C. polystictus. They had short barbels when I bought them months ago, and at this point they have lost them altogether. The affected area on each of their snouts is white, sort of like fin rot but in the wrong area. The other cories in the same aquarium all have medium to long barbels for their size, and show no signs of injury.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Well, thats where we arrive at a problem, my only tanks are full of fish right now, the 7 gallon quaranteen tank got shattered with a little help from my 3 year old(dont panic, luckily it was empty with no fish or water inside).

so right now, i have no where to put them and treat them till i start working again. i start work on monday, but wont see a check for two weeks

is there another way to treat them other than isolation and medication? also what medication to use? most corys are adversly affected by antibiotic treatments, am i correct?

Hi Reun,
I had this same problem with my corys at one
point, turned out the gravel was rough and was
wearing away their barbels. When I replaced
it with round smooth gravel, the barbel erosion stopped.
You should be ok to keep them in the main
tank they are in, and treat with an antibiotic.
You could try Melafix coupled with PimaFix,
its worked for me in many occassions of wounds
on fish. Remember to only do 4 doses then a small
25% water change, as melafix can be harsh on fish in
high levels.
Maracyn 2 would also work, and is well tolerated by
cory catfish.
Triple Sulfa may also be useful, and is also
well handled by cats.
Any of these meds could easily correct the issue,
but if the substrate is too rough, or some decor
is too rough, the fish will continue to have these
kinds of problems.


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