Can't seem to keep panda corys!

boofish2

boofish2

show me your fish
Aug 5, 2006
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Help! I've had a 25 gal for about 3 months and recently bought some panda corys (6 about 3wks ago) They were VERY SMALL and all but one has died.
From what I'ver read corys like a lower Ph (mine is bet 6.8 -7.0). Ammonia level is at 0 and my pet store who tested nitrate level said all was fine. Currently I am not overcrowded fishwise: 3 black skirt tetras, 2 serpae tetras, 1 dwarf gourami, 2 siamese algae eaters. The corys gave no sign of illness before dying just came home and they would be laying on bottom sideways. One thing I did notice is a reddiish area around gills - but actually the healthy looking ones as well as ones I've seen at the pet store also have this coloration. Anyway, I just bought 5 more pandas to keep lone one company 3 days ago and already 2 have died. The remaining cories seem to have degraded top fins (I did notice some slight harassemant from the serpaes) but are schooling and very active. Recerntly, while I had the lone cory a had a slight bacterial bloom which has been subsequently rectified for 2 weeks now. I thought corys were supposed to be somewhat hardy yet they are the only ones who keep dying!! Any suggesstions?
BTW I do reg. 20% water changes 1-2 times a week. Should I be doing it more frequently?
 
I will buy my own nitrate test on mon. and update w/exact #s.
The current temp is 78F.
Thanks for responding!!
 
I don't know what happened to my other two posts!! They just disappeared!
Anyway, NO2 - 0 and NO3 is bet. 0-5 (closer to 5)
Corys that remain seem ok for now...
Apparently, from what I see on the other posts pandas seem more difficult to keep then other corys?
 
I got up this morning to my little panda dead on the bottom. I have had him for about 4 weeks and he was doing well, eating, growing and very active. He schooled with my other cories. My water parameters are all normal and my temp stays between 76 and 79. I do weekly water changes maintain my filter. I don't understand. He was a sweet little fish.
 
I would look for a new source to buy from. Perhaps that store had some sickly fish. One problem with fish is that they can take awhile to finally succumb to an illness.
 
yeah, if the pet store fish all had redness around the gills they may have been exposed to bad ammonia/nitrite water in the past and just not able to get over it - as they grow they can't get enough oxygen to keep up because of damaged gills.
 
I have unfortunately noticed over my 20+ years of fish keeping that corys are one of the types of fish who like to do that sudden drop dead for no reason thing. You never know when you're going to look into your tank and find a dead one.
 
Hi,

One time I ordered three Pandas from a petstore, and when I saw them they were tiny and I was worried that they would get eaten by my bigger Cichlids. So, I asked if they could hold them there for a couple of weeks in till they grew a bit bigger. So when I came to the pet store to check in on them they were all dead! I think really small Cories are just not as hardy as adult Cories and are quite delicate.

If I had to guess whats happening is that your pet store has not been keeping good care of their fish and you are suffering the consequence of that.

Cory Lover
 
one thing, if you get several smaller corys at the same time and notice one is not growing as the others,thats a heads up.
i had 4 corys (a lon time back)and one kept the same size and he died like 6 months later.i thought he was the cutest....:(

but my 5 corys right now are doing splendid..... i advise you to get a water test kit (ammonia, nitrites,nitrates) so that u can have easy access to all test readings.

and keep us posted!
 
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