Corydoras wont stop dying

itiwhetu said:

Funny I must have miss read the Title of this Thread

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What did you think it said lol?

wasmewasntit said:

I can't help on sourcing plants since I'm on wrong side of the pond....but....I gave up on live planting cos I got massive pest snail infestations and my aquariums looked like a teenagers scruffy bedroom

We aren't all aquatic Picasso's so stop beating yourself up over the scaping, you'll get the hang of it eventually and if you don't, then still don't beat yourself up cos you are doing fine as you are and you're still new at this infuriating game

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Thank you it means alot

bianca_m35 said:

I'm just so surprised with the massive water changes that it's still even showing up. I've never had to do so many water changes for an ammonia spike so I had no idea that it could take so many to fix. I'm determined to get It back on schedule so hopefully within the next few or this one it will stop and I can go back to my 25 - 50 weekly and the fish are safe.

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I remember the hassle of having to do daily large changes when I had nitrites spiking in a tank because I'd added super cheap, dodgy root tabs that were releasing too much 'stuff' into the water column. Even after sifting through the sand and removing as much as I could, it took a couple of weeks of daily changes to get the tank stable again. It's hard work! But worth it to keep the fish safe, and you've already seen how much the water changes reduce the amount of ammonia in the water So when you're getting sick and tired of changing water, just remember that it's getting better day by day, and you'll be back to routine changes pretty soon.

wasmewasntit said:

You'll get there, give things time and patience

To be a fishkeeper is sometimes feels like you need a Bachelors degree in chemistry, physics and fish psychology....what you will discover is that your ability to remain calm and patient exceeds what you thought was possible

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bianca_m35 said:

I already thought I was doing everything correctly lol which is crazy because I'm learning so much but I'm happy I'm getting so much good advice and learning a lot of new things cause this is gonna save my fish lol! Thank you

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wasmewasntit said:

Another part of fishkeeping....grey hair and wrinkles...and many many sleepless nights

Seriously though once you get things settled and into the groove, everything gets easier....you just need to find that sweet spot and learn how to keep it

You're not the first person to underestimate what fishkeeping entails and you won't be the last either and sadly most of that is down to the ones on the till at the LFS unfortunately.

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Love these comments! Totally agree with @wasmewasntit about how at times it feels like you need multiple science degrees in this hobby! There really is a lot of science involved, and especially in the first year or so, the learning curve feels vertical! But that it does get easier with time and as you research, things start to fall into place.

And for those things we're still confused about or learning, having a place like this where we can have specific questions answered from reliable sources helps so much!

@bianca_m35 it's been great to follow this thread, you're open to learning more, want the best for your fish, and you're prepared to put the work in when needed too! That shows how much you care about them, and that you'll do what you need to to look after them. When I said the first W/C was an emergency, you were right on it!! Then getting the water conditioner, air stone and doing more water changes... that you were so quick to do those things likely saved your fish. Especially when you were getting all kinds of advice and questions from lots of people, that can be really overwhelming, but you learned a lot and were open minded. That's awesome!

We need more people like you in the hobby. We've all made mistakes or followed bad advice, and everyone was a beginner at one point. What counts is being prepared to learn more and fix things. When we know better, we do better. Just wanted to give you the kudos you deserve, @bianca_m35 , now that things have calmed down a bit.

Tested tank for ammonia again

It's mostly yellow but a slight green tinge so I'd say .15 or so maybe less.

Doing a water change in a sec.

AdoraBelle Dearheart said:

I remember the hassle of having to do daily large changes when I had nitrites spiking in a tank because I'd added super cheap, dodgy root tabs that were releasing too much 'stuff' into the water column. Even after sifting through the sand and removing as much as I could, it took a couple of weeks of daily changes to get the tank stable again. It's hard work! But worth it to keep the fish safe, and you've already seen how much the water changes reduce the amount of ammonia in the water So when you're getting sick and tired of changing water, just remember that it's getting better day by day, and you'll be back to routine changes pretty soon.





Love these comments! Totally agree with @wasmewasntit about how at times it feels like you need multiple science degrees in this hobby! There really is a lot of science involved, and especially in the first year or so, the learning curve feels vertical! But that it does get easier with time and as you research, things start to fall into place.

And for those things we're still confused about or learning, having a place like this where we can have specific questions answered from reliable sources helps so much!

@bianca_m35 it's been great to follow this thread, you're open to learning more, want the best for your fish, and you're prepared to put the work in when needed too! That shows how much you care about them, and that you'll do what you need to to look after them. When I said the first W/C was an emergency, you were right on it!! Then getting the water conditioner, air stone and doing more water changes... that you were so quick to do those things likely saved your fish. Especially when you were getting all kinds of advice and questions from lots of people, that can be really overwhelming, but you learned a lot and were open minded. That's awesome!

We need more people like you in the hobby. We've all made mistakes or followed bad advice, and everyone was a beginner at one point. What counts is being prepared to learn more and fix things. When we know better, we do better. Just wanted to give you the kudos you deserve, @bianca_m35 , now that things have calmed down a bit.

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Aww thank you so much I really appreciate it. I'm trying my best. A little sad cause I lost another cherry barb so I'm only down to 1 which is the male who seems very healthy. And I lost another peppered Cory but that's becomes it got stuck and was struggling to get out and died

Tank is around .15 ammonia about so I'm doing another water change.

Yeah it can be really stressful but I'm glad I've gotten all of the help and advice. Hopefully soon everything is right on track again!

bianca_m35 said:

Aww thank you so much I really appreciate it. I'm trying my best. A little sad cause I lost another cherry barb so I'm only down to 1 which is the male who seems very healthy. And I lost another peppered Cory but that's becomes it got stuck and was struggling to get out and died

Tank is around .15 ammonia about so I'm doing another water change.

Yeah it can be really stressful but I'm glad I've gotten all of the help and advice. Hopefully soon everything is right on track again!

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Man, I'm sorry Losses are rough. What did the cory get stuck on?

But you're doing the right thing by keeping on top of testing and water changes. Things will settle down eventually, then we can talk about potential for re-stocking (probably best to make a new thread for that when the time comes! Since this one is so long now, you'd get more input in a new thread).

Would love to talk about planted tanks with you too! Don't compare your tank to some hi-tech, CO2 running, pristinely aquascaped tanks - that's enough to make anyone feel inadequate! But even those highly skilled scapers started at the beginning

I didn't know anything about aquatic plants when I started either, but I like plants and knew I'd want the tank be planted, so bought a random mixed plant package and just stuck them anywhere, lol. I still only have a £30 tank light, no CO2, and rarely remember to add ferts, but have lots of healthy, growing plants, and really like the look of my randomly planted, low-tech jungle tanks



Bear in mind that the tank in the second photo started out looking like this in 2019;


And that pic was taken just after adding a load of random plants I didn't know the names of, just bought in a mixed pack online, and most ended up dying, lol. I think I only have the moss balls and a crypt left...


So you don't need fancy, expensive equipment or plants to have healthy planted tanks!

Don't let that fear put you off from trying it out, just get some fast growing, easy stem plants to get you started and you'll see! That sort of plant will also help a lot in improving your water quality, they suck up ammonia fast when they're growing well, so when you're having to do lots of water changes, or adding new fish, healthy fast growing plants can help tremendously.

AdoraBelle Dearheart said:

Man, I'm sorry Losses are rough. What did the cory get stuck on?

But you're doing the right thing by keeping on top of testing and water changes. Things will settle down eventually, then we can talk about potential for re-stocking (probably best to make a new thread for that when the time comes! Since this one is so long now, you'd get more input in a new thread).

Would love to talk about planted tanks with you too! Don't compare your tank to some hi-tech, CO2 running, pristinely aquascaped tanks - that's enough to make anyone feel inadequate! But even those highly skilled scapers started at the beginning

I didn't know anything about aquatic plants when I started either, but I like plants and knew I'd want the tank be planted, so bought a random mixed plant package and just stuck them anywhere, lol. I still only have a £30 tank light, no CO2, and rarely remember to add ferts, but have lots of healthy, growing plants, and really like the look of my randomly planted, low-tech jungle tanks
View attachment 143166
View attachment 143167

Bear in mind that the tank in the second photo started out looking like this in 2019;
View attachment 143169

And that pic was taken just after adding a load of random plants I didn't know the names of, just bought in a mixed pack online, and most ended up dying, lol. I think I only have the moss balls and a crypt left...


So you don't need fancy, expensive equipment or plants to have healthy planted tanks!

Don't let that fear put you off from trying it out, just get some fast growing, easy stem plants to get you started and you'll see! That sort of plant will also help a lot in improving your water quality, they suck up ammonia fast when they're growing well, so when you're having to do lots of water changes, or adding new fish, healthy fast growing plants can help tremendously.

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He got stuck in the tiny driftwood piece I had. I accidentally buried him in it

Don't worry I'll make a whole new thread when the time comes!

Wow that's insane. Your tank is beautiful as well! I haven't had a lot of luck with plants but the anacharis in my tank is doing awesome. The before and after of the tank is just crazy. What fish do you have in that tank?

The 2 first are aquariums after my own ♥

BN pleco died now I think there's not enough beneficial bacteria being pumped out so the water changes are hurting them a bit.

Tank is at about .15 ammonia again.

bianca_m35 said:

BN pleco died now I think there's not enough beneficial bacteria being pumped out so the water changes are hurting them a bit.

Tank is at about .15 ammonia again.

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Very sad news.

bianca_m35 said:

BN pleco died now I think there's not enough beneficial bacteria being pumped out so the water changes are hurting them a bit.

Tank is at about .15 ammonia again.

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Water changes do not affect bacteria because bacteria live on surfaces. It can take a fair amount of scrubbing to remove them.

Something in the "fresh" water is a totally different thing, but I think we solved that.

Another thing to keep in mind, is that the previous chlorine issues were affecting all the fish in the tank, even though the cories may have shown the most reaction. Problems with water, including ammonia and nitrite, do affect fish even though they may live through it, but it has weakened them and down the road they may have other issues, or even die, all of which can be traced back to the chlorine (in this case) or ammonia, nitrite, etc.

Nevertheless, I would not acquire any new fish for this tank until everything seems to be "normal."

bianca_m35 said:

BN pleco died now I think there's not enough beneficial bacteria being pumped out so the water changes are hurting them a bit.

Tank is at about .15 ammonia again.

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Yes, seconding what Byron said - don't blame the water changes, those, along with discovering the chlorine/lack of water conditioner problem - are what have prevented the entire tank going belly up.

I'm sorry about your pleco But to back up what Byron said, about how you have to consider what the fish have already been going through in the weeks/months until now, a relatable example is if you imagine someone was rescued from a housefire. They're in the ICU, they're alive, but have severe burns and high risk for secondary infections etc.

It's not as simple as "well they're alive, so they're fine". It can be a long hard road to recovery, some will succumb to their injuries later, some may survive, but still never be quite the same as they were before, and more vulnerable to problems down the line.

bianca_m35 said:

I think there's not enough beneficial bacteria being pumped out so the water changes are hurting them a bit.

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That makes no sense, as you've typed it.
What do you mean by "not enough beneficial bacteria being pumped out"?
It won't be the water changes that are hurting anything, it'll be the ammonia in the water.

Concurring with what @Byron says.

AdoraBelle Dearheart said:

They're in the ICU, they're alive, but have severe burns and high risk for secondary infections etc.

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...And someone keeps on setting fire to the waste paper bins.

AdoraBelle Dearheart said:

It's not as simple as "well they're alive, so they're fine". It can be a long hard road to recovery, some will succumb to their injuries later, some may survive, but still never be quite the same as they were before, and more vulnerable to problems down the line.

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Definitely agree.