Help with flashing Panda Cory

[madmoz]

Hello, we have a three month old cycled, somewhat planted tank with 5 orange venezuelan cory, 2 otos and 5 guppies. Everything was great until we decided to add three panda cory into the lot without QT about a week ago and now we've noticed one of the Pandas occasionally flashing on the substrate (We see it maybe once per day so we'd assume he does it more often than that when no one is looking). There's also an assassin snail in there to help us with the ramshorn snails that came with some of the plants.

The venezuelans also seem to be much less active and are prone to hide now after we added the pandas but not sure if that is a related issue. The pandas are actively foraging but the venezuelans do not anymore except when fed. The three pandas are a collectively tad larger than than the venezuelans, with the largest venezuelan about the same size as them.

There has been no recent deaths in the tank but we lost two otos during week 1 when the tank was first setup.

Water Parameters
a) Temperature range = 27 degrees Celsius (we live in the tropics so there's no heater in the tank)
b) pH = 7.6
c) GH = 143.2
d) KH = 8
e) Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite levels = 0,0, less than 5ppm
f) Water change frequency= 10% weekly tap water (treated with Seachem Prime)

Tank set up
a) Size = 17 gallons (60cmx30cmx36cm)
b) Substrate = gravel
c) Filtration = fluval c4
d) Food used and frequency = Hikari wafers + guppy food twice per day

We've removed the carbon and dosed Seachem Paraguard for four days but plan to discontinue that as it seems to really make the venezuelan corys lethargic. Have reintroduced the carbon and did a 20% water change to help get rid of what's left of it in the water. There's no white spots on any of the fish so that rules out ick right?

We do not have Prazipro out here but we've ordered a bottle of Eiho Prazi Gold (which also lists praziquentel as its active ingredient) which we are not sure if we should be using. Should we use aquarium salt instead and if so at what concentrations (conflicting info on the internet re salt and corys). We have a fair bit of java ferns and anubais in the tank so raising the temp won't be our first choice tbh.

Also, we have aquarium sand ready to replace the gravel (RIO Amazon) but am thinking of holding off the change until we've treated the flashing?

Thanks in advance.

[aquaholic]

Corydoras have armour plating over their skin so you wont see white spot. And the white spots dont form until they cyst up.

Just letting you know that it could still be white spot.

[madmoz]

Thanks both, will keep an eye on things.
Also here’s a pic of the fella on the side which he rubs against the substance if it helps.

https://ibb.co/TLNGLgs

[Mexnotex]

Hello,
First of all, always quarantine new fishes coming to your fish room, just for this reason.
Second, place the fish in a bare bottom tank, mature sponge filter with lots of aeration. Do water changes daily 1/3 of the tank.
I would add salt first and give them live BBS. Salts helps reestablish their slime coat and then I'd go easy with the Prazi. Hope for the best.
Try to bring the pH down a bit, and maybe move the tank to the floor where it is cooler.
Good luck
Martin

[madmoz]

Hi everyone,

A quick update - one of the guppies in the tank started flashing so I decided to go with prazi, it’s four days since the second dose so i’m doing the final water change and putting carbon in the filters later today.

There’s been no flashing since and everyone’s eating and behaving normally… well as normal as before anyways.

The orange cory have become really lazy - they’d only come out and forage when there’s actually food in the aquarium where they’ll act all cory like alongside the pandas. When the food is gone they’ll all sit quietly somewhere and laze. I’m hoping that changing to a softer substrate will make them actively forage a little bit more.

Am wondering if that the school of oranges have actually learnt that food gets dropped in at regular intervals and this is a conditioned behaviour?