Move over echoofformless, or, "Frakking cories!"

[irishspy]

This is frustrating. While waiting to get a new betta to replace the late, great Rocky, I bought seven panda cories for my 10g: five two weekends ago and then, when one died, two more last weekend. Now a second one has died. That two out of seven in less than a week. :wall: :angryfire:

I just finished testing the water: 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 5ppm nitrates, 1 KH, PH 6.5, phosphorus .5. Should be fine. They get fed a variety of foods twice a day, and I break up any pellets to make sure they can get some, since the three amano shrimp are little bandits.

I don't mess with the water chemistry other than to occasionally add a little baking soda to bring the KH up -- and none since the first group was added. All water is treated with Prime. Water is changed twice a week, two gallons each time.

So, I have five left, and they seem fine. Deaths of course are part of fish-keeping, but, after losing Rocky in only three months, this run of quick deaths has left me scowling.

Guess I just needed to vent. :irked:

Question: I've been overdosing Excel to control algae until I can install a CO2 unit. I've been doing that for ~2 weeks. Are cories sensitive to Excel?

(BTW, overdosing has pretty near eliminated my staghorn algae.)

[Lupin]

Sorry to hear that.:(

[muddskipper26]

i've heard panda cories are very sensitive when you first get them. So it was probably nothing you did

[Hooked Newbie]

Sorry for the losses. :(

I have no imperical evidence or anything, but I personally will NEVER use Excel in a tank with cories again. I had similar experiences with Pandas and Sterbais in tanks that were dosed and tested perfectly.

[Squeakfish]

If they're small, they're fragile. Young cories are just more fragile normally. I lost two of my six, but they were pretty much just sickly stock. It happens. Sorry to hear it though, it's so sad to lose a fish :[

[krytan]

Sorry for the losses irishspy :(.

[fishorama]

I'm sorry too, irishspy

[jpappy789]

Pandas are probably the hardest corys to acclimate and adjust. It doesn't seem like you did anything wrong...:(

[irishspy]

Thanks for the sympathies, guys. HN, that's interesting about Excel. Was there something specific that lead you to identify it as a cause of the problem?

[247Plants]

Excel actually killed my favorite loaches because I overdosed at lights out and it sucked all the o2 out of the water.

I highly recommend everybody be super watchful when OD'ing excel and only do i when you still have lights on time.

[msjinkzd]

sorry to hear it irishspy :(

[irishspy]

Excel actually killed my favorite loaches because I overdosed at lights out and it sucked all the o2 out of the water.

Really? :eek3:

Fortunately, I don't dose until I get home in the evening, and then there's about 3-4 hours left of "lights on."

By coincidence, UPS just delivered the CO2 unit (a Hagen "ladder" set up) this morning. I think I'll lay off the Excel and get this installed tomorrow.

[irishspy]

sorry to hear it irishspy :(

Thanks. I honestly think one was in bad shape when I brought him home, but the other one surprised me.

That kind of surprise I can do without. :irked: