Cories barbels are gone!!!

[Elisabeth83]

Yesterday in my 30 gallon I found one of my female bettas had dropsy. I euthanized her and treated the tank with a bacterial medication. I just went over to the tank to check on them and noticed all 4 of my albino cories barbels are gone!!! The only one who still has barbels is my pepper cory

I did get new females last week and did notice one of them nip one of the cories but after that they didn't seem interested in them.

I am so scared that something is terribly wrong in that tank. I feel so bad for the albino cories. Where their barbels are gone it's red. I noticed some of them their fins are a bit tattered. One of them is so stressed that he's kind of in the middle of the tank swimming in circles. They are trying to sift the sand but they cant

Does it sound like they are being picked on by the new females or does it sound like I've got an awful bacterial infection on my hands???

Help please!!

edit: I just saw that it's 3 of the albinos that are missing their barbels the biggest albino still has hers but I can see that one looks like a red band in the middle of it. Maybe like one of the girls tried to bite it off. I'm going to watch closer and see if the girls are nipping at them.

 

[Elisabeth83]

I've moved the cories out of the betta tank and into an empty tank I had running. It seems to me after watching the betta tank that the new females might of bitten of the cories barbels especially after I threw a wafer into the tank I saw the cories were eating it and then the females would lunge towards the wafer and I'd see the cory jump and swim away.

If it is the females who are biting their barbels off it's the new girls because I've had the cories living with the older females for a long time and they have never bitten the cories barbels off.

I've added a bacterial medication in with the cories ..I just hope they get better. I feel terrible..I've been having some bad luck lately

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Elisabeth83

It sounds like you have a major problem going on there. It's not likely that the bettas are biting the corys. I think you have a bacterial infection (aka finrot) going on and that it is already in its advanced stages.

Both your corys and bettas are most probably involved so, unless you have actually seen them attacking, you might as well keep them in the same tank and treat them together. Dropsy is bacterial and corys can get it too. You will not see pineconeing because they don't have scales. They will just have a sad, bloated appearance. Once this happens, there is not much hope.

I suggest you use Tetracycline or Kanamycin or other antibiotic if you can get them. Or, Myxazin or Interpet's Anti-Fungus and Finrot medicine are good too if you have access to UK meds.

Since you have already started medicating, continue to use it for the full course of treatment. If it does not seem cured at that time, or at least look a lot better, change medicine. If improvement is showing, but they do not seem completely cured, do a good water change and repeat the treatment.

Their fins and barbels will probably grow back if they have not been totally destroyed, although not completely. As long as they can eat, they will be ok if they recover from the disease.

Please don't feel that you are alone with this. Some of my corys are fighting an infection and a number of other good fishkeepers are having the same problem.

Let's hope for the best!

Before you start, I would suggest doing big water changes to lower the number of free floating harmful bacteria in the tank. If needed, increase the aeration and keep the temperature around 96 degrees F. This will slow the bacterial growth.

 

[Elisabeth83]

I'm so confused though because their barbels have just gone missing within days. If it's in it's advanced stage would the barbels just be gone all of a sudden? I would of thought it would take awhile for them to rot away?

I moved them to another tank because I wasn't sure if it was the bettas doing it and if it was them I'd feel terrible for leaving them in there to be picked on by the new girls

I noticed the pepper cory is having a boyancy problem..like swim bladder is that because of the bacterial infection or dropsy?? He is still able to stay on the bottom of the tank but I can see sometimes when he moves that his tail end will lift up in the air a bit and he'll wiggle to get back down.

They look so awful without their barbels They are still quite active so I am still hopeful that they will make a recovery.

I'm using a product called JBL ektol fluid to treat both the bettas and the cories.

I will keep a close eye on them and if they don't look like they are going to make it or are just getting worse I will put them out of their misery

edit: I do notice on one of the cories who is swimming in the middle of the tank kind of in circles that his belly looks pudgy. It's not looking too great for him....

 

[Elisabeth83]

Just wanted to update and say the cories are doing just fine. I'm still unsure if the bettas were responsible or if they had/have something bacterial but now that they have been moved and are being treated they are acting as usual. I think I even see a little re-growth of their barbels

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Elisabeth83

Thanks for posting the update! I'm glad to learn that it's good news after hearing so much bad these days.

I'm not familiar with the medicine you are using, but it must be a good one.

 

[Teelie]

Bacteria can move fast on a fish depending on how weak it's immune system is. I have two Pandas that got finrot over night practically. One has no tail left and the other has most of it's dorsal fin gone and might be having problems with the body too. Neither of them were showing signs the day before. Oddly enough, I have a third Panda with no signs at all even though it's from the same batch. None of my other cories have it either thankfully.

IMO, it probably was the bacteria though admittedly, barbels are a more fleshy part of the body than the fins, it's still possible the bacteria did it.

 

[Elisabeth83]

It must of been bacteria then that caused them to loose their barbels. I just never knew it could strike so fast Like you said Teelie with your cories it just struck overnight.

I'm happy they are doing well too I've got them in a 14 gallon tank by themselves and they are doing so much better in there. It's so much easier to feed them. Usually it's a struggle to make sure food falls to the bottom before the chubby betta girls grab it Now the cories are in heaven though getting as much bloodworm and wafer as they would like

I don't think I will move them back in with the female bettas I think I'll leave them in the 14 gallon and once they are back in good shape I'm planning on getting some wild type bettas that would probably live nicely with them

 

[Polardbear]

Glad to hear your corys are doing better. Bacterial infections move fast and the corys don't seem to show a lot of early warning symptoms. Or perhaps they are more subtle and we just don't spot it. My Schwarti's that are recovering from one didn't give me any obvious warning, one day they were fine and the next I thought for sure I was going to lose them. They bounced back real quick though once I started treating them. I'm paying a lot closer attention to all my corys now than I used to, I've always done 2 or 3 daily roll calls and inspections on my swordies but didn't pay the corys all that much attention other than just a casual head count. Now they get the full inspection routine along with the swordies.