Another Panda Down!

[saphphx]

So went to the fish room to feed the little dears, and one of my little pandas was swishing about and kept falling on his side. This tank is on a different floor and has its own set of kit and is no way related to the other tank I am having problems with (here: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=191760) so I am quite confused and depressed with it all. His tank mates are bopping about like happy bunnies, and this morning he looks better, swimming some, and not on his side at all. All I did was give him a half dose of tonic and move him to his own tank with a sponge filter and some java moss.

The Sick Fish

Species: Panda cory
Size: less then an inch
Food: sinking cat fish food, frozen foods
Feeding times: very small amounts in the morning, afternoon and evening.
Normal Tank Mates: 8 other panda corys, 5 albino bronze corys,​

Water parameters

Temerature range: 75F
pH: 7.4
GH: no test for this - its on order
KH: no test for this - its on order
Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrate: 0.4ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Water change frequency: 25% once a week​

Tank set up

Size: 36x12x15 inches - 99 l./22 gal. (26.15 US gal.)
Substrate: Sand
Filtration: Fluval 4+
Furnishings: Slate caves, castle, little plant pots
Other tank mates: 6 albino bronze corys, 3 schwartzi corys, 8 other panda corys, 2 normal bronze corys, 2 hillstream loaches on the 31st of March 07
How long has it been set-up? over a year now
When was the last new fish added? hillstream loaches 3 weeks ago
Is there a heater in the tank? no - room is heated
Symptoms / Problem description: went in to evening feed and he was swishing about in his side.
Action taken (if any): removed the fish, put him in a 10ltr tank, treated with tonic and used aged but clean water.
Medications used (if any): 1/2 dose of liquasil tonic​

NEW QT Tank

Size: 10ltr
Substrate: none
Filtration: sponge filter
Furnishings: java moss to hide in
Other tank mates: none​

Any ideas? I'll be doing a water change today just incase my test kit is off, but just had this fight with the LFS, and discovered THEIR kit was off when I took mine in, both tested the same water with different results, then they opened a brand new kit and we got the same results, so did another new kit and had the same again. (Moral: sometimes the shop is wrong )

 

[saphphx]

Unfortunately during the morning feed he looked fine, though on closer inspection he was actually still upright but dead. So I am guessing when he "looked fine" last night (I know they often die "standing up" but I hate to poke them until they haven't moved in some time as it just stresses them out) I would expect he had already died, even though I swore I saw him swimming normally before feeding him in the evening.

Hopefully the other cory will do alright. He looks loads better this morning. Actually swimming and fighting off the bigger corys for food lol!

 

[jollysue]

So sorry. They are little tykes, so maybe they are just not handling the stress of the big boys. If you bought them that size, maybe they hadn't had to fend in a tank with adults before coming to you. Well, just an idea. That's why they say pandas are more sensitive.

I put 6 new panda juvies in with Cories not much bigger, and 2 died quickly which set off a die off of others in the tank. It was combined with an attempt to lower the temp of the tank. The tank was already at the lower temp when the new little guys joined. I had been encouraged to lower it. This very long experienced breeder told me he kept his pandas and other Cories at 76 degrees and the little juvies had not been with adults before. So he thought these two things with the shipping stress were too much for the little guys.

This thing with temp and pandas, I am concluding, is more about what they have been bred and kept in. My Cories reacted very badly to prolonged cold. The breeder sent me three more juvies and one of them died. I raised the temp and everyone did fine. So as I have said elsewhere, I keep all my tanks above 72 now (I lower temps in the summer because of the air conditioner.)

It is hard to know always what is wrong. We learn as we go and there is always more to learn.

When I buy at the lps, I always ask how long they have had the fish. I let them acclimate them.

 

[saphphx]

I have mine all at around 72-74 (depending on if I remember to move the heater back to the middle of the room or not lol) and have been feeding them medicated food, and they all seem MUCH better.

Thank you for the help and info

 

[jollysue]

I'm really glad they are doing better.

I found the info on panda sources and longevity very informative and have determined that I must have some wild caught pandas!