dwarf cories dieing

[SpiritualSniper]

i have a 10g with 1 betta, ~5 ghost shrimp, and 6 dwarf cories. 2 of those cories have died and i don't know why.... 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, ~7.8 pH, and temp has stayed around 76-78F, but on hot days has gotten up to 82F, and few cold days down to 72F. the temp hasn't changed more than about 5 degrees in 6 hours though.... i have no idea why they are dieing.... i need to get a nitrate test kit, other than that anything else i left out?

edit: forgot to add, i got 3 of the cories 2 weeks ago, along with the shrimp and betta, and the other 3 of them 1 week ago.

[anonapersona]

Are you saying that this is a new tank? First fish added 2 weeks ago? and you have no ammonia and no nitrite?

Is this tank still cycling?

[SpiritualSniper]

sorry, i should have talked about that. this tank has had other fish in it, which i moved, so it is cycled and all. inbetween the moving of the other fish and putting these fish in, i was adding ammonia to keep it cycled, then i did a water change before i added the fish.

[OrionGirl]

How did you acclimate the fish? Your pH is a bit higher than what dwarf cories prefer, and a sudden transition could be shocking them. Other option--contact the LFS and see how their fish are doing. Occassionally, they will get a bad batch.

[SpiritualSniper]

i believe my LFS's water quality is same as mine.... i floated bag in water, unddi band and put in stress coat, waited a couple minutes, then netted them and put them in. their's are doing fine. i know the pH is high, but is it enough to kill them? i've kept neons in this kind of water, and they didn't die because of that....

[SpiritualSniper]

now my betta looks unhealthy. he is just laying on the ground, occasionally coming up for air, and he looks like he's old, but i don't think he is. think there is a disease infestation?

[OrionGirl]

Could be, or it could be the stress coat. That stuff is snake oil, IMO, and there are a few members here who will tell you that using it killed thier fish.

I'd do some large water changes, using nothing more than a treatment for chlorine/chloramine (Aquaplus, Prime, etc.). Avoid products that claim to help the fish' slime coat.

For better acclimation, try adding a small amount of your tank water, 1/2 cup or so, every 10 minutes.When the bag gets full, pour half the water out, and continue adding as before. This way, the water in the bag will transition to match your specs, not just the temperature. As is, just floating the bag means the fish still is exposed to a complete change in water parameters.

[SpiritualSniper]

really? i've used stress coat for a while without fish dieing right after using it.... the betta died :( i did a water change today, will do another in a couple days, and will see if any more die.... i'll try your introduction method from now on, just in case.

side note: i checked out the nitrate test at a pet shop, it was like $11! is that expensive for those, or a regular price? my ammonia test was only like $6....

[Skittyfish]

I have pygmy cories in my planted tank. The ph is about 6.6-6.7 and temp is 78 degrees F. (I also use stress coat, mainly because I started out using it 14 years ago and just never changed.) Are your cories getting enough to eat? I know someone who keeps them with Discuc, so I know they can stand the higher temps. Do they have a place to hide? plants, caves etc? They may be getting really stressed out otherwise.

[SpiritualSniper]

skitty: yes on all of those. and if it was just because they were stressed, why would the betta die too?

[Skittyfish]

Maybe he wanted to join the crowd:D . I don't know, other than to check all of the water parameters, which it looks like you've done. Is there anything visible on them? white spots, cotton looking stuff? Maybe its a parasite. Puzzling...

[SpiritualSniper]

nothing is visible on them while they are alive. although, when they die, a white fuzz grows on them.... if it was an infestation, what should i do to make the tank ok for more fish? if the fish that are left just don't die, will that mean it's ok?

[SpiritualSniper]

i just thought of something: i recently added a small clay pot for a cave. it used to be used for plants, but i cleaned it thoroughly, with soap, and then let it soak in a bucket for 3 days, changing water once a day. could it possibly have carried anything with it then leached into the water and killed the fish? anyone have experience with that happening?

[OrionGirl]

Ooooh. Yeah, that can happen. Many house plant fertilizers are not aquarium safe, and if the house plant was fertilized, that would have soaked into the clay, and leached out under water. The soap you washed it with wouldn't have removed any of these, and in fact could have been absorbed by the pot as well.

In the future--use brand new pots only. Don't wash porous things with soap--even using bleach, and then rinsing and dechlorinating is a safer option. Sorry!

[SpiritualSniper]

i see.... i was about to buy a new pot and my mom was like: we have plenty of pots at home, don't buy a new one! i guess i'll take the pot out, and get new. thanks for all the help, i think we finally figured out what the problem was.