Bronze Corydoras Itching please help!!

[Charlieperrott]

So it is after the tank light has been on for a time that the increased rate of respiration begins? If you have an airstone handy, won't hurt. This could be the same issue as initially. It also could be ich (which may or may not have been the issue initially) or some other internal protozoan which would increase respiration. How is the cories respiration? Are they surfacing normally or more?

Byron I want to take the slate out the tank since it might not be helping me do what i want to do, but i need somewere for the fish to hide, (lots of other places but i want them to have more)
Could i add the driftwood after boiling it for 2-3 hours to the tank or should i leave the tank while im trying to sort this issue out? Thank you

 

[Byron]

Byron I want to take the slate out the tank since it might not be helping me do what i want to do, but i need somewere for the fish to hide, (lots of other places but i want them to have more)
Could i add the driftwood after boiling it for 2-3 hours to the tank or should i leave the tank while im trying to sort this issue out? Thank you

Chunks of bogwood/driftwood are ideal for most soft water fish, the more the better. I never boil wood, just rinse it under the hot water tap or in a bucket of tap water to remove dust; the tannins are not dangerous, and will leech out and get removed with water changes in time. There are benefits from these too. If you remove present "hiding" places (= slate) you must provide others (= wood), or the cories will be severely stressed.

Here's a photo of my "cory" tank, with 50 cories representing 12 species, plus upper fish obviously. The substrate is about 80-85% covered with chunks of wood. I never see some of the cory species except at feeding, but that's fine, they are obviously "happy" with the cover. They also love browsing over all the wood picking off microscopic live food.

 

[Charlieperrott]

Chunks of bogwood/driftwood are ideal for most soft water fish, the more the better. I never boil wood, just rinse it under the hot water tap or in a bucket of tap water to remove dust; the tannins are not dangerous, and will leech out and get removed with water changes in time. There are benefits from these too. If you remove present "hiding" places (= slate) you must provide others (= wood), or the cories will be severely stressed.

Here's a photo of my "cory" tank, with 50 cories representing 12 species, plus upper fish obviously. The substrate is about 80-85% covered with chunks of wood. I never see some of the cory species except at feeding, but that's fine, they are obviously "happy" with the cover. They also love browsing over all the wood picking off microscopic live food.

okay i will be adding that as soon as then, nice tank !! my corys are itching again today my tank is now pH 7.8 GH 10 KH 9 they are still flasing, im going to do another 25% now pH 6.8 GH 5 KH 5, what else can i do ?? the gourami seems to be breathing better now though

 

[Byron]

okay i will be adding that as soon as then, nice tank !! my corys are itching again today my tank is now pH 7.8 GH 10 KH 9 they are still flasing, im going to do another 25% now pH 6.8 GH 5 KH 5, what else can i do ?? the gourami seems to be breathing better now though

Re the water parameters, those are good numbers. I would stay where you are, meaning, a GH of 5, KH of 5 and pH of 6.8 (which may lower, that's fine). So next week's water change, or sooner if needed, should aim for the same. To do this, when you mix the water for the WC, check GH, KH and pH. It is the GH and KH that matter most, get them to 5 (or one number either way is OK) in the replacement water.

Re the flashing, I still think this may be ich, caused by the combined stress. Clean water, no additional stress, moderate food. If this is ich, it is present (and will likelyyh remain) and the flashing is the fish reacting. When they build up a resistance, the flashing will be gone.

Byron.

 

[Charlieperrott]

Re the water parameters, those are good numbers. I would stay where you are, meaning, a GH of 5, KH of 5 and pH of 6.8 (which may lower, that's fine). So next week's water change, or sooner if needed, should aim for the same. To do this, when you mix the water for the WC, check GH, KH and pH. It is the GH and KH that matter most, get them to 5 (or one number either way is OK) in the replacement water.

Re the flashing, I still think this may be ich, caused by the combined stress. Clean water, no additional stress, moderate food. If this is ich, it is present (and will likelyyh remain) and the flashing is the fish reacting. When they build up a resistance, the flashing will be gone.
Byron.

I mean my tank now is ph 7.8 GH 10 KH 9 and the water that im putting in now is pH 6.8 GH 5 KH 5 so i still need to do some more changes to lower it, okay so feed them moderately, lots of water changes, and leave the tank alone. this should help them build up resistance. will the flashing stop completely once they build up a resistance ? and will there be an affect on my loaches and shrimp ?

 

[Charlieperrott]

I mean my tank now is ph 7.8 GH 10 KH 9 and the water that im putting in now is pH 6.8 GH 5 KH 5 so i still need to do some more changes to lower it, okay so feed them moderately, lots of water changes, and leave the tank alone. this should help them build up resistance. will the flashing stop completely once they build up a resistance ? and will there be an affect on my loaches and shrimp ?

Also should i turn my light down to make them feel more comfortable ? they are always out but should i anyway ?
and is there a better temperature for helping them ? my tank is 24.4 - 24.8 degrees Celsius, should i adjust this ?
If i add new fish to the tank after my fish have built up resistance will these fish then have to go through the same process, its horrible to see

 

[Byron]

I mean my tank now is ph 7.8 GH 10 KH 9 and the water that im putting in now is pH 6.8 GH 5 KH 5 so i still need to do some more changes to lower it, okay so feed them moderately, lots of water changes, and leave the tank alone. this should help them build up resistance. will the flashing stop completely once they build up a resistance ? and will there be an affect on my loaches and shrimp ?

If this is ich, all fish will be "attacked," but it is interesting that some seem more affected than others. I have had ich "hiding" in a tank and the loaches and barbs were clearly being hit, but not a single Congo Tetra. The flashing should stop, though I never worry about a flash from one fish in 2-3 months, though how often fish flash when I am not watching, who knows.

Also should i turn my light down to make them feel more comfortable ? they are always out but should i anyway ?

Bright light is stressful to most fish, and loaches certainly prefer shade. I don't know how bright the light may be. Floating plants always help, I have these in every tank. Lots of hiding places, so the fish can hide if they want, which calms them as well.

and is there a better temperature for helping them ? my tank is 24.4 - 24.8 degrees Celsius, should i adjust this ?

This is fine generally for these fish. Should treatment for ich be necessary down the road, it can be temporarily increased.

If i add new fish to the tank after my fish have built up resistance will these fish then have to go through the same process, its horrible to see

Depends. New fish will obviously be stressed, and thus may carry ich or be more subject to it if present. A QT is a wise investment, as it is easier to deal with these things.

 

[Charlieperrott]

If this is ich, all fish will be "attacked," but it is interesting that some seem more affected than others. I have had ich "hiding" in a tank and the loaches and barbs were clearly being hit, but not a single Congo Tetra. The flashing should stop, though I never worry about a flash from one fish in 2-3 months, though how often fish flash when I am not watching, who knows.

Bright light is stressful to most fish, and loaches certainly prefer shade. I don't know how bright the light may be. Floating plants always help, I have these in every tank. Lots of hiding places, so the fish can hide if they want, which calms them as well.

This is fine generally for these fish. Should treatment for ich be necessary down the road, it can be temporarily increased.

Depends. New fish will obviously be stressed, and thus may carry ich or be more subject to it if present. A QT is a wise investment, as it is easier to deal with these things.

okay well i will turn the light down abit for them, and try get some floating plants, from what i have read ich will reproduce after they fall of the fish then the cycle starts again, if i leave it in my tank wont it just take over ?
or once the fish are resistant the ich doesn't have a subject to feed on and will die ?
or will i have to treat the tank before it takes over ?

 

[Byron]

okay well i will turn the light down abit for them, and try get some floating plants, from what i have read ich will reproduce after they fall of the fish then the cycle starts again, if i leave it in my tank wont it just take over ?
or once the fish are resistant the ich doesn't have a subject to feed on and will die ?
or will i have to treat the tank before it takes over ?

Ich is present in wild habitats, yet the fish manage. In the close confines of an aquarium everything is amplified. But there are reputable hobbyists and biologists who believe ich is present in most of our tanks but we never see it until the fish are severely stressed and their resistance weakens. This explains why you can have for example a tank of fish for more than a year with nothing new entering, but if the heater should fail at night and the tank suddenly chill, all the fish suddenly have ich. Obviously it has to have been there all along.

Fish have to build defenses against many pathogens if the species is to survive. We wouldn't have fish on this planet if this were not the case. Stress is the direct cause of 95% of all fish disease in the aquarium. The pathogens, parasites, bacteria, or whatever may be present, but it is stress inflicted on the fish that causes it to succumb in 95% of the time. So avoiding stress is good prevention. And avoiding stress has many facets: suitable water parameters, adequate tank size, suitable aquascape, compatible species, adequate numbers for shoaling species, proper water flow (if any), all factor in.

The ich parasite is only defenseless during the brief free-swimming stage; after they hatch out from the cyst, they must find a host within 24 hours (roughly). If not, they die. And it is only at this stage that we can kill them with salt, etc. Some maintain that high heat (90 F) will kill ich on its own. This is fairly high temperature though for many fish, so most advise increased heat and salt, or similar.

 

[Charlieperrott]

Ich is present in wild habitats, yet the fish manage. In the close confines of an aquarium everything is amplified. But there are reputable hobbyists and biologists who believe ich is present in most of our tanks but we never see it until the fish are severely stressed and their resistance weakens. This explains why you can have for example a tank of fish for more than a year with nothing new entering, but if the heater should fail at night and the tank suddenly chill, all the fish suddenly have ich. Obviously it has to have been there all along.

Fish have to build defenses against many pathogens if the species is to survive. We wouldn't have fish on this planet if this were not the case. Stress is the direct cause of 95% of all fish disease in the aquarium. The pathogens, parasites, bacteria, or whatever may be present, but it is stress inflicted on the fish that causes it to succumb in 95% of the time. So avoiding stress is good prevention. And avoiding stress has many facets: suitable water parameters, adequate tank size, suitable aquascape, compatible species, adequate numbers for shoaling species, proper water flow (if any), all factor in.

The ich parasite is only defenseless during the brief free-swimming stage; after they hatch out from the cyst, they must find a host within 24 hours (roughly). If not, they die. And it is only at this stage that we can kill them with salt, etc. Some maintain that high heat (90 F) will kill ich on its own. This is fairly high temperature though for many fish, so most advise increased heat and salt, or similar.

okay so say all my fish do become resistant to the ich that's in my tank, they will be fine and not flash/ich but if they get stressed again then the ich will be able to irritate them again.
say they become resistant and do not become stressed again and there immune system is strong will the ich keep reproducing until the fish cannot fight it off anymore ?
also i did notice one of my loaches swimming around the side of my glass last night, he never really does this, i have one that has done this for the last two years now and then, he swimms in a certain pattern around my suction cups and outlet, could this just be him playing ?

 

[Byron]

okay so say all my fish do become resistant to the ich that's in my tank, they will be fine and not flash/ich but if they get stressed again then the ich will be able to irritate them again.

Yes, this is possible. But it takes fairly severe stress. I do major water changes every week, and I've no doubt the fish are not overly happy with my crashing about in their environment, but I never see ich. But adding stress on top of stress on top of stress...this might do it.

say they become resistant and do not become stressed again and there immune system is strong will the ich keep reproducing until the fish cannot fight it off anymore ?

I frankly do not know. Many biologists do believe ich is always present. I assume one must get through to reproduce. Ich does first attack a fish in the gills, so it may be that when we see the odd flash this is what it is. Provided the fish are healthy, and their immune systems have not been compromised by stress, they seem able to "fight it off." We know with humans that you are more susceptible to colds and flu when you are stressed--which for us we call "tired and run down."

also i did notice one of my loaches swimming around the side of my glass last night, he never really does this, i have one that has done this for the last two years now and then, he swimms in a certain pattern around my suction cups and outlet, could this just be him playing ?

Probably. I don't know that I could say this was stress-related or not. Sometimes after years of observing a species I can easily spot negative things, but it is not always easy.

 

[Charlieperrott]

okay so say all my fish do become resistant to the ich that's in my tank, they will be fine and not flash/ich but if they get stressed again then the ich will be able to irritate them again.

Yes, this is possible. But it takes fairly severe stress. I do major water changes every week, and I've no doubt the fish are not overly happy with my crashing about in their environment, but I never see ich. But adding stress on top of stress on top of stress...this might do it.

say they become resistant and do not become stressed again and there immune system is strong will the ich keep reproducing until the fish cannot fight it off anymore ?

I frankly do not know. Many biologists do believe ich is always present. I assume one must get through to reproduce. Ich does first attack a fish in the gills, so it may be that when we see the odd flash this is what it is. Provided the fish are healthy, and their immune systems have not been compromised by stress, they seem able to "fight it off." We know with humans that you are more susceptible to colds and flu when you are stressed--which for us we call "tired and run down."

also i did notice one of my loaches swimming around the side of my glass last night, he never really does this, i have one that has done this for the last two years now and then, he swimms in a certain pattern around my suction cups and outlet, could this just be him playing ?

Probably. I don't know that I could say this was stress-related or not. Sometimes after years of observing a species I can easily spot negative things, but it is not always easy.

Okay so all i can really do now is get my water parameters close to pH 6.8 GH 5 KH 5 , keep stress to a minimal, feed them well, and see if there still iching, should i still be feeding them frozen bloodworm 1 time a week?
if it just gets worse what would i do from here ?

 

[Byron]

Okay so all i can really do now is get my water parameters close to pH 6.8 GH 5 KH 5 , keep stress to a minimal, feed them well, and see if there still iching, should i still be feeding them frozen bloodworm 1 time a week?
if it just gets worse what would i do from here ?

I would wait for that to occur, but treatment for ich would probably be advisable at that point. Salt and increased heat.

Bloodworms once a week is fine. Thaw completely first; I do this in a saucer of warm water, then use a pipette to squirt the bloodworms wherever. Just dropping them in may not work as upper fish are quick to grab them and the bottom fish get nothing.

 

[Charlieperrott]

I would wait for that to occur, but treatment for ich would probably be advisable at that point. Salt and increased heat.

Bloodworms once a week is fine. Thaw completely first; I do this in a saucer of warm water, then use a pipette to squirt the bloodworms wherever. Just dropping them in may not work as upper fish are quick to grab them and the bottom fish get nothing.

okay the corys are still iching at the moment, i will just wait it out ,yes this way is good
its stressing me out watching them flash lots