Panda deaths?

[Rich_Finch]

In the past 2 weeks I have lost 3 pandas. The first one was fine one day the next morning he was dead? the second one looked unhappy for a few days then died and the 3rd one I noticed 2 days before it died that he was loosing his barbels (is that how its spelt?) I started putting melafix in the a day after I noticed this he had fungus around his mouth then the morning after that he was dead?

But the worring thing is, is Ive noticed on one of my sterbai that he is also loosing his barbels?

The tanks been running 6 months and is well maintained. I have 2 test kits one liquid the other tablet which bot almost read the same. Ammonia 0, nitrate 0, nitrate 5 on one kit and 10 on the other. there is small rounded painted aquarium gravel in the tank. and I had, had the pandas a good 2 months and where as happy as larry! and the sterbai ive had about the same?

Im just worried about loosing them all?

what could it be?

[EDGE]

First thing, how old are the nitrate test kits and what kind are they? Theres only a couple available on the market that can produce accurate result. Lamotte, Sera, and jungle (dip N strips).
Hagen and Seachem are very inaccurate with the nitrate kit.

How much and how often are you doing water changes?

Corydoras are really sensitive to medications.

[Rich_Finch]

Hi edge.

I have an API Liquid Nitrate test kit and my other test kit is interpet

I do a 25% water change everyweekend

The only medicine ive been putting in at the moment is melafix as I noticed the corys loosing there barbels and one of the pandas died with fungus round his mouth.

[jhd]

I had similar problem, but nowhere near as severe. How big is your gravel? Do you vacuum from the bottom of the gravel? Just sink you vacuum in the gravel and see if puffs of goo and uneaten food will be vacuumed out. If it is, than this is what your corys swim in. They smell food and suck water with uneaten food that is trapped in between the gravel. To remedy, I mixed my gravel (5 to 6 mm initial gravel with new gravel 2 to 3 mm.) Food can not sink between the stoned and all is eaten.
If your gravel is very fine, than do you stir it from time to time. You do not need to stir it if your tank is heavily planted. Roots would help to take care of bacteria that can form there without presence of fresh water. Again sinking you vacuum in that gravel would suck the still water out of the bottom of the gravel.
This is just a possibility of what can be a problem. Hope this helps.

[Coryman]

Rich_Finch

What substreat? how deep is it? What filtration are you using?

With the barbel and mouth damage you are describing it is almost certainly a substrte problem.

Ian

[EDGE]

Try increasing the amount and frequency of water change. It will reduce the toxin in the water if it is cause by uneaten food and still water. I do between 50-75% water change every 2nd day to 5 days on my 4 tanks.

[Rich_Finch]

Hello All!

My substrate is just normal gravel size. Not fine but sort of pea sized I suppose.

I hoover every weekend when doing water changes and always get as much muck as I can up.

The tank is a fluval duo 800 with a juwel compact filter in.

At the moment looking at my last panda his barbels havent got any worse. which is a good sign I suppose.

[Anglafish]

Edge,

I wish my lfs had have told me that cory's were sensitive to meds...Ive been treating for Ich with Aquarisol and I just lost one my panda cory's too. He didn't have any spots on him by the way. I have one left but my lfs has advised me to keep medicating...what do you think.

Angela

[Coryman]

Rich_Finch

Although I always advocate very small gravel or sand, it is the type of grain that is the most important factor. The grains should be loke pebbles, rounded. There are some types available that are more like grit, with sharp edges, this type is not good at all and causes not Cory barbel problems than anything else.

Ian

[metallhd]

and Ian agrees with Ian - if your gravel is literally "pea-sized", it's way too big, with particular relevance given your predeliction for cleaning - you're taking their dinner!

I have a half-sand substrate in my big tank; that is to say, all the sand is down one end to keep it away from the filter intake. It's about an inch deep, and all the corys hang out down that end, rooting around. Large gravel can damage barbels, as can the wrong kind of sand - make sure you get sand with round edges - it might be called play sand or river sand.

Good luck!

[skids]

I just got 5 juvenile panda corys and put them in a heavily planted tank with 7 young discus , SAEs and otos, and clown loaches. Like many aquatic gardners are now trying, I used Turface ProLeague gray for the top half of substrate over Profile Aquatic Plant soil. It grows plants great. But it's grains are the size of kitty litter and has an appearance of flat shaved or fractured flakes. Are my Panda's barbulles also heading for trouble? On the bright side it is an incredible light substrate. It is very porous and so not dense. Even at under 1 cm the 3-4 month old (I estimate) pandas can easily lift it with a tail kick.