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Hello all,
I was talking with my freind who is also a fellow fishkeeper. He says his cories are becoming ill one by one. He says they begin to become less active, and skinnier until they die. He said he has lost 3 this way. He hasnt sent me his parameters except for that it is a 12 gallon tank with guppies and cories, with a temp of around 80-82. Any ideas as to what it is? Hopefully he will send the parameters soon.

Well, without the parameters it's kind of hard to tell if it's a possible water quality problem, however if he's not losing any of his other fish then that may not be the problem.

Are the cories getting enough food? It may be that if he is not making sure that he's feeding them specifically the other fish might be eating all of the food before it can reach them or they can get to it. You might ask him if he's using a food specifically designed for the cories and that he feeds at lights out time for them.

Jim

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Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

He hasnt yet given me the parameters but I asked him about feedings and he said that they eat like pigs-even the ones that get skinny. I asked him about his other fish and he said they are just fine and breeding so I am not thinking water quality either.

Has your friend actually seen the Corys eating actual food, as opposed to just rummaging around in the gravel?

Might be a good idea for him to give that aqaurium a big water change and thorough gravel vac FAST. Even though the water parameters may be fine, it's possible that there's something else lurking in the gravel - intestinal worms being one possibility. A thorough gravel vac will not only remove excess mulm which could be causing other problems, but will suck out any lurking nematodes that oculd be afflicting the Corys too.

While we're at it, it's worth checking the Corys to see if there are any worms emerging from the anus. If that's the case, your friend is looking at Camallanus, which can be a pig to treat. De-worming foods containing piperazine (or more modern equivalents) are the treatment required in this case, combined with frequent gravel vacs to remove any worms that are shed once treatment begins.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002