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aerie
11-30-2010, 8:34 PM
Hi All,

I've got a 10 gallon tank that's been running smoothly for a few months. I had three dwarf frogs and four cories (3 panda and 1 albino). I have a few plants and some ornaments. Two days ago, my dwarf frogs decided to go on a terrestrial adventure in the middle of the night. I woke up to two dried up frogs on the floor. In a bit of panic, I began to lift up the ornaments in the tank and check around the tank, but no frog. Eventually, I found a third dried up frog in my kitchen.

I thought the worse was over, but then I realized that my cories weren't moving in the tank. They looked fine, except for that three had closed their dorsal fins. This is unusual, because my cories are usually hyperactive (day and night), and I have never seen their dorsal fins down before. Since that morning, I sometimes catch them lazily drifting up to the surface to get air and then return back down to sit on the gravel. The albino sometimes swims up and down the side of the cage. They haven't touched their food since the Frog Kamikaze incident.

I do weekly 25% water changes. My ammonia are 0.5 ppm, nitrite = 0ppm, nitrate = 10ppm. My pH has always been high (8.0) but I've been told that it's better to keep the pH stable than to constantly fight with it. Tank temp is about 68 degrees.

Are they just stressed because I was mucking around their tank searching for frogs? Are they sick? If you can help, thank you so much!

BettaFishMommy
11-30-2010, 10:57 PM
your ammonia levels should always be zero. you need to get your ammonia down to zero,and to do that you need to be doing daily water changes of at least 50% or more.

i would suggest bumping up your weekly water changes to at least 50% each week once you've seen consistent zero ammonia for a while during the daily water change regime.

what dechlorinator are you using? Prime (by Seachem) is great for tanks that are showing ammonia and/or nitrite levels, because Prime will detoxify them when dosed at 5x the regular dosing.

what test kit are you using? if dip strips, they are not very accurate. i highly suggest getting an API Freshwater Master Kit if you don't already have one.

your frogs probably left the water due to the ammonia, and that is also what is stressing the cories. also, your temperature is way too low. cories need their temp to be between 76 and 80.

aerie
12-01-2010, 12:07 AM
Okay, my ammonia levels are down to 0.25 ppm right now, and I'll do as you suggested until I see 0ppm. I think my problem was that I wasn't adequately vacuuming the gravel.

I use Aqueon's water conditioner. I'll get Prime if I continue to have ammonia troubles. I use API's Master Kit right now. I've placed in a heater set to 76-78 degrees right now so hopefully, a higher temp will help things.

Do you know of a non-net way to catch cories? One of them is starting to show some fuzz on one side, so I want to quarantine him. I know that nets are really bad for fish, but he still moves too quickly to scoop up with a deli cup.

My fish guru also suggested using a little salt. I know that salt and cories don't mix well because they're scaleless, but she said to half the dosage. Have you any experience with salt and cories?

Thanks for responding so quickly!

EOD
12-01-2010, 2:38 AM
Make a trap to catch them. I don't feel like searching for it now, (on my iPhone) but someone once explained how to catch fish easily using a plastic soda bottle with food inside it. They had to modify the bottle in a way I cannot remember off the top of me wee little head.

Reframer
12-01-2010, 1:21 PM
No salt, just dose the tank with some pimafix for fungus. Salt is bad for the cories and will not help the fungus. It might be fungus, but it might also be excess slime coat from the stress.

Please do vacuum the whole tank with every water change. It is the stuff at the bottom that turns into ammonia. After the level is at 0, then you should be fine with your weekly 25%.

You would be fine with adding a betta or dwarf gourami or a few platies when you are ready to replace your lost frogs.

BettaFishMommy
12-01-2010, 6:23 PM
i've always netted cories with no problems whatsoever. just be careful that they don't get stuck in the net (as you would with any fish).

aerie
12-01-2010, 7:44 PM
Thanks for the advice, everyone!