cory dead with sore

[corykitty516]

I am NEVER leaving town again!!!!

When I got home from an overnight trip everyone was fine ...I did my little obsessive/compulsive fish count. THEN not 5 hours later I find an upturned cory with a large red sore, bleeding slightly on its side/belly below/behind one fin.

So Ammonia 0, NitrIte 0, Nitrate 40ppm (eeekk... higher that usual) pH 7.5-6 also higher than usual (7.2-7.4 is normal) ... reasons... unknown

Did a water change 25-30%, and tested the tap water. For the first time I found about 10 ppm NitrAtes... Its usually 0. I'm beginning to think my water source chemistry is not consistant.


All tank mates are peaceful ... pristella tetras and julii corys only in this tank.

What causes a sore like this?

Should I worry about the others?

Can I reduce nitrates chemically?

 

[mwm]

Sounds like he got attack or cut up my something. I dont think high Nirtrate would leave him bleeding

 

[aloaring]

Last year i had this happen to one of my albino cories a sore turned up on its head overnight and within days it was dead, the smae then happened to the other albino cory in the tank and yet no other fish were affected. To this day i do not know what caused it but like many popular fish cories are over bred and i regurlarly see freaky looking cories and i suspect they are just prone to bizarre diseases. Just a theory but the only thing i could think of. Personally i wouldn't go messing with the chemistry of your tank as you could just end up killing the rest of your fish. Keep a close eye on your other cories and keep your fingers crossed hopefully they will all be okay and it was just a one off for you.

 

[WILDER]

Could it of been an ulcer.

 

[corykitty516]

I might have found the culprit. There is a hollow log ornament (plastic or resin or something like that) that I found a sharp edge on. I pulled it so hope that was it and nothing else. Everyone else in this tank is looking ok.

 

[Inchworm]

...but like many popular fish cories are over bred and i regurlarly see freaky looking cories and i suspect they are just prone to bizarre diseases. Just a theory but the only thing i could think of...

Hi aloaring

I don't know what you are talking about. I've seen lots and lots of corys. but none that were "freaky looking." Further, corys are not prone to any strange diseases; they don't even get ich. Most, corys are very sturdy little fish, provided that they are kept in the proper conditions.

The most thing to go wrong with corys is that they can get various bacterial infections when the tank water is not regularly changed. This has nothing to do with ammonia, nitrites or nitrates. The amount of bad bacteria cannot be measured with test kits.

Any tank has some bad bacteria in it all the time, but they seldom effect corys unless they have been stressed out, and weakened. by other conditions. While I cannot tell what caused the death of corykitty516's cory, or harmed it after it was dead, I can tell you that the problem was not due to overbreeding.

 

[corykitty516]

well overall I've had very few deaths so this one really freaked me out. THis was one of my less recent purchases. I did have 3 die not long ago while still in quarrintine. I'm fairly sure they had a parasite (some symptoms anyway) but I had to go out of town and didnt catch it in time. Anyway the LFS replaced them since they were gone in less than week and my water params are good. I water change every week and this tank was started up 6 months ago.


What concerns me most is the unstable presence of nitrates in my tap water. Should I seriously consider a RO unit? this is the first time in a year or more that I have gotten inconsistant readings on the tap water and the highest my nitrate in the tanks has ever been.

 

[aloaring]

Hey cory kitty glad to hear you found the reason for the death and hope the rest of your fish are doing fine.

I don't know what you are talking about. I've seen lots and lots of corys. but none that were "freaky looking." Further, corys are not prone to any strange diseases; they don't even get ich. Most, corys are very sturdy little fish, provided that they are kept in the proper conditions.

maybe its different in america but in some of my local lfs's even a good one i have seen what can only be called deformed bronze corys. they had very strange looking eyes -they looked sunked in. and i've even seen some with curved spines. But i completely agree that cories are the hardiest of fish which was why i was gutted when the two i had died as there was no obvious reason for these fish to develop ulcers so quickly as the water was fine and they had no aggressive fish in the tank.
i was just thinking that maybe like neons and certain livebearers that overbreeding has led to weaknesses in fish. Mine were albino corys so maybe that was a factor but maybe i'll just defer to your greater knowledge and put it down to one of those freaky fish deaths !!