Corys missing barbels and red lips

[PoconoGal]

Hello. I've just joined and have a quick question about my newly purchased C. Schwartzi. They are in QT now where they have been for 5 days. When QT is finished, they will be placed in my Discus tank along with the other Corys in there.

1. Water parameters
a) Temperature range 80
b) pH. 7.6
c) GH. 7 dgh
d) KH 4 dkh
e)Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite, levels. Ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 5 ppm
f) Water change frequency 50% every other day, along with Dicus tank.
(Most LFS's will check your water and give a list of readings).

2. Tank set up
a) Size. 20 gal
b) Substrate. Bare bottom
c) Filtration. HOB
d) Furnishings. Airstone
e) Other tank mates 10 Rummy Nose Tetras also in QT purchased from same place
f) How long has it been set-up? Several months

3. Symptoms / Problem description

I just purchased these 2 corys 5 days ago to join others in my Discus tank. Their lips are red and I see that their barbels are gone. I believe they have an infection. The LFS where purchased is a very good one, but he had these little guys since November in a tank with a thick gravel bed and I think they wore their barbels.

4. Action taken (if any) Nothing yet.

5. Medications used (if any) Nothing yet.

[PoconoGal]

Also, will the barbels grow back?

[Richard B]

Sounds like a bacterial infection - the barbels may grow back but not always. As long as the gravel had smooth rounded grains it's not damaging although smooth sand is far better.

a standard aquarium med for bacterial infections should help out. I wouldn't remove from quarantine for a good while yet & risk transfer to the main tank.

[PoconoGal]

Thanks Richard. I'm going to set up a 10 gal. QT tank for the 2 corys alone and will treat them. They are active and eating well though, so that's a plus. Yes, all of those in QT will be in QT for at least 4 weeks. Nothing goes in my Discus tank before at least 4 weeks of QT minimum, usually its 6 weeks.

[PoconoGal]

Just a little update on these Corys. Before moving them into another tank I decided to give it a bit of time and lots of water changes. From what I can see now, the redness is almost gone from their lips, they are still active and eating well. Most times there's not much that nice clean water won't cure, I guess! Also, I checked on the remaining one in my LFS's tank and that little guy had no barbels either. The LFS did have them since 11/11/08 on sharper gravel, thick gravel bed too, so no surprise. To save that little guy from further trouble, I bought him too and he is now with his former LFS tankmates in my QT. Hopefully all 3 will regrow their barbels.

[tigerbarb]

Hi,
I find that all cory's that lose their barbels on sharp gravel die because they use them for breeding,also searching for food on the bottom of the of the tank, in the sand and without them they cannot sift the sand.No one should get cories with out barbels,as far as the red lips is concerned,this is because they have been moveing the gravel with their lips to aquire their food that has dropted between it.

[Atlantis Child]

I always hate running into fish in the store that are sick or being mis-treated. It's so hard not to take them all home to rescue. I've tried, but they never seem to really recover.

From my good LFS though, I actually did have a little albino cory that seemed to do fine with having almost no whiskers. They were worn away long before they arrived so weren't going to grow back or anything, but he seemed to find food ok.

I guess it really depends on the fish. Really hope for the best for your little guys.

[PoconoGal]

Hi,
I find that all cory's that lose their barbels on sharp gravel die because they use them for breeding,also searching for food on the bottom of the of the tank, in the sand and without them they cannot sift the sand.No one should get cories with out barbels,as far as the red lips is concerned,this is because they have been moveing the gravel with their lips to aquire their food that has dropted between it.

The little guys will be kept in a bare bottom Discus tank so they won't have to sift thru anything to find food. My QT tank is bare bottom too so that's why I can see that they are eating well. I think they'll be fine and they're so cute!

[PoconoGal]

I always hate running into fish in the store that are sick or being mis-treated. It's so hard not to take them all home to rescue. I've tried, but they never seem to really recover.

From my good LFS though, I actually did have a little albino cory that seemed to do fine with having almost no whiskers. They were worn away long before they arrived so weren't going to grow back or anything, but he seemed to find food ok.

I guess it really depends on the fish. Really hope for the best for your little guys.

I know exactly what you mean, I hate to see fish suffering. In my LFS' defense, they are very good but business has been very slow. In normal times he'd never have fish still in his tanks since November 11 of 2008! I just bought a whole tank full of Rummy Noses from him that he had since Jan. 9!

[PoconoGal]

Hi all. Another update: I noticed yesterday little things sticking sort of off the sides of two of the Cory's mouths. Today they are a bit longer and it looks to me like their barbels are growing back, which is great! Hopefully the third little guy will grow his back too.