My cory lost it's nose. !?#

[twig]

I don't really know what happend. I just noticed earlier today that his little feeding hair nose thingies have gone AWOL.

My tank is pretty peaceful. I never see much fighting or anything of that sort. I have about 14 cardinals, 3 guppies, and a single cory in my tank.

I do know that you're not supposed to have just one of them but my tank is probably out of room as I only have a 20 gallon long.

I plan to purchase a 55 gallon soon and start a school of cories :D Just waiting on the money, really.

Anywho,
I noticed he was pretty skinny so I took a closer look and like .. those little nose feelers are gone. Is he doomed?

Could the guppies have been the culprit?

I do feed him pellets and have bene having a problem with guppies eating them before he notices their whereabouts. Could an irate guppy have done that? =(

He looks so strange now (btw he's a leopard cory)

Ohya...
My water tests are all ok ...
'cept for about .4 of ammonia I found earlier this morning ... i think im just going through a mini cycle because i added a couple cardinals who were in kept seperate for observation for a month.

[twig]

Hmm .. I think, perhaps, my substrate may have injured the little finger thingies. I'll have to change it tomorrow. ;\

[Native American]

Have you tried dropping in some food just prior to calling it a night? I once brought home a set of NVG's (night vision goggles) from work, and sure enough, the only guy rooting around was my little leopard cory (back when I lived in S. Carolina; haven't had any cory's since). Everybody else was snoozing (or the fish equivalent of sleeping).

v/r, N-A

[Roan Art]

Ohya...
My water tests are all ok ...
'cept for about .4 of ammonia I found earlier this morning ... i think im just going through a mini cycle because i added a couple cardinals who were in kept seperate for observation for a month.
Cories are VERY sensitive to water conditons, not substrate. The cory/barbels/substrate thing is a myth, pure and simple.

You say your water tests are all "ok", can you please list what your nitrites and nitrate readings are. The .4 ammonia tells me that your parameters are not "okay" and if you don't have one already, you are heading into a nitrite spike.

Do not change out the substrate! You will send your tank into an even worse cycle if you do.

The reason your cory is skinny is because his barbels are missing. They need those in order to root for food. No barbels, no food.

Please, move the cory into the QT tank. Make sure the water is pristine in there at all times. Use an anti-bacterial med or Melafix/Pimafix in his water. I suggest the Mela and/or Pima. Cories are sensitive to many medications. You need to prevent an infection from happening.

Post all the numbers of the main tank and start doing water changes of at least 50% to get that ammonia down to 0.

Roan

[twig]

The ammonia was up to .4 for about a day ... I did a 50% water change and it dropped back to 0 and stayed that way for a few days now ....

I doubt the ammonia was even up to .4 -- Thats the lowest my drip test would display and even then it was very faint.

caused by the addition of a couple cardinals to my tank >.>

I'm still changing the substrate (I hate it very much =/) :\ I shouldn't go into a cycle because I do plan to do the stocking method but will keep a very close eye on everything....

You guys are going to laugh at me but checking on my cory today showed that he still has his feelers. I don't know why I hadn't seen it before but seeing him forage for food this morning proved me wrong :|

sometimes they can just sit there and do nothing for a long time and i guess he had that all the way back.

I don't have a Q tank to setup for him but he looks alright now. Sorry for the false reading =P I looked at him quite thoroughly last night but again .. he still has them lol ;\

He's skinny but probably because he got fat when I first introduced him to the tank (I wasn't overfeeding but he had a pellet all to himself everyday. Now the guppies are eating the pellet) ...

I will try the night thing. It sounds like a very good idea.

Ohya,
0 nitrite ... Nitrate I have no idea but I think it's very very low because i've been battling BGA ... I ordered some nitrate from gregwatson -- just waiting for it to be sent out.

[liv2padl]

the "barbels and substrate" myth is up there with the "put salt in your freshwater tanks" theory.

the problem that some hobbyists have with corydoras, is the mistaken belief that these and other catfish are "bottom cleaners", when in fact, they have specific requirements and a healthy diet as does any other fish. cleaning up the other fishes garbage isn't enough. live foods should be provided regularly.

additionally, corydoras actually prefer lower temperatures --> low 70s (F) are best.
they prefer shallower tanks. corydoras breath by coming to the surface and grabbing a bubble of air. they extract the oxygen from the air bubble trapped in their intestinal tract. thus, the quicker the trip to the surface the better and the less pressure within the bubble the better.

and finally, corydoras do best in the company of other cory cats,. though it's not necessary that they all be same species.

[twig]

I just feed him a pellet of Nutrafin max "Sinking complete food tablet" ... it says its for bottom feeders and invertebrates *shrug* ... Is that alright? Theres a picture of my cory on the label :D

[webcricket]

As long as the tank is well oxygenated, they don't need to make the trips to the surface for air.

I actually find mine tend to make more surface trips when my nitrates start to creep higher than normal and my water needs a change. Otherwise they only pop up for a gulp once in a while.

They definitely like good water quality and will display great color and finnage in proper conditions.