Food, where is the food??? and Fast breathing female Cory

EDGE · Post by **EDGE** » 14 Jan 2004, 05:50

I am having a hard time feeding the 3 wild sterbai cories. They do not go after discus mix or hakari sinking waffer. I have to vacumn all of it up every morning. It is kind of odd that the female has faten up with eggs and the male sterbais are still moving around. They tend to stay in one spot throughout the day and do most of their traveling at night.

They are house in a 10 gallon with no other fish.
a thin layer of gravel (5 mm thick)
no plants
regular indirect sunlight
water temp is 80 f.
kH and gH are 0 from tap.
daily water change of 50%.
constant current provided by a spray bar

I also notice the female seems to breath faster than the 2 males. Is it normal for this to happen when she is fill with eggs?

magnum4 · Post by **magnum4** » 14 Jan 2004, 21:36

Might also be worth testing ammonia, nitrite and pH.

The corys might also be full, try stopping feeding for a day or two.

Post by **Coryman** » 15 Jan 2004, 17:41

EDGE

Firstly stop using the wafers, most if not all catfish wafers are vegetable based and Corys are not vegitarians. I also think the Discus food is not ideal. Corys like insect lavae, small crustations and especially worms, Tubifex, white worm, grindle worm, chopped earth worm.

Most catfish are active at night, subdued lighting would help, or the sddition of some floating plant.

With the food you are feeding that is not being eaten will almost certainly have caused an upsurge in nitrite, this will have an effect on the oxygen levels.

My advice would be to change the diet, using a good tablet food such as Tetra tabimin or a quality flake, if you use flake bip a pinch in the water before you release it, then it will sink straight away, supliment the tablet/flake with live or frozen foods and make regular water changes.

Ian

EDGE · Post by **EDGE** » 15 Jan 2004, 19:03

Thanks for the info Coryman.

Is Tabimin the same as 'Tetramin tropical tablet' in North America?

spikythefish · Post by **spikythefish** » 22 Jan 2004, 20:38

yeah its the same

Post by **Coryman** » 22 Jan 2004, 20:48

Aquarian have also re-introduced their catfish tablet food, which should have hit your shores by now, this is another good staple food for Corys. I know Ray 'Kingfish' Lucas carries the range.

Ian

Fiskars the Whiskers · Post by **Fiskars the Whiskers** » 22 Jan 2004, 20:50

Is the Marineland sinking food for catfish and loaches all that good?

EDGE · Post by **EDGE** » 23 Jan 2004, 06:22

I started feeding the tetra tabimin a few days ago. They seem to eat it up a lot faster.

As for the female. she is still breathing heavily. On the good side, she is showing more color then before. I added an age sponge filter and doing 60% daily water change. I can't seem to get her breathing to slow down at all.

What kind of gill medication can I use on corydoras?

Would Maracyn-two be okay to use?
active ingredients: contain 10 mg of minocycline activity.

Direction:
First day add 2 tablet per 10 gallons of water
2nd through 5th day, add 1 tablet per 10 gallon of water.

Post by **Coryman** » 23 Jan 2004, 15:58

I am sorry Maracyn-two is not a treatment I know.

Ian

EDGE · Post by **EDGE** » 25 Jan 2004, 01:50

Too late to save the cory. she passed away this morning.