Cory Losing Barbels

[FishFanatic04]

my scrubbed sterilized 46g is get setup today Most of the plants survived so far. Hopefully no TB germs did! I'm so excited to set 'er up. Fresh starts are fun!


Hope you are just dealing with a minor bacteria. Someone answer the lady!!?

 

[tomtomtom1230]

It's definitely NOT the type of substrate. I kept cories in a gravel bottomed tank before now, no issues with their barbels whatsoever so that amount in your tank won't harm them at all. Is your sand actual sand or is it ground glass? I wonder if that could make a difference - I nearly made the mistake of buying some before! Can't be a pleasant experience for your catfish. Could it be that they're fighting with each other for some reason? Or a bacterial infection has somehow set in?

 

[This Old Spouse]

It's actual sand. I have sand-blasting silica in another tank with cory and it doesn't bother them at all (it only bothers me because it's too white) so I don't think it's the type of substrate. I haven't seen any fighting going on. I can't imagine they would. I hope beyond hope that it's not a bacterial infection. I went through that with 11 trilineatus, and only one survived.

 

[OldMan47]

Try taking some of your sand/gravel and rubbing it between your hands. If it feels sharp or rough on your hands, it is the reason that your fish are losing barbels. If it feels like the particles are just rolling between your hands, we need to look for something else. I use some very large particles in some tanks and never see barbel erosion but I am quite careful to avoid anything rough or sharp in my substrate. A rounded particle is no threat to any fish but a sharp fine sand can be. The natural stream bottom for a wild cory is mud with leaf litter, not sand or gravel. If your substrate is that soft, the barbels will not be eroded.

 

[Harlequins]

I agree with oldman , and i remember having this discussion about your playsand before...

Possible erosion of barbels is either poor diet,poor water quality,substrate or bacterial infection, if it was the last one you would have noticeable redness around the barbels/gills area... if you water is spot on and your substrate cleaning is up to par then i would rule that one out for the time being...

I still reckon your sand has a part to play in this, playsand should be uniform,smoooth and compact, not gravel looking like yours...

Personal i would change the sand if you can find the right type...barbels do grow back but not to the length they were,just check them daily if redness appears then treat with bacterial meds.

 

[FishFanatic04]

Maybe you can sift out the larger stuff? I am about to tear down my tank and while I am at it, I was going to sift all of the big particles...most of the home depot sand is very fine and soft.

 

[Scales9]

If you are going for a complete sand replacement try Wal Mart play sand, it is much finer than the home depot and at least in Canada about $3 a bag cheaper....bought some for the kids after I did my tank with the HD sand....

 

[This Old Spouse]

I think I will replace all the sand

and since I'll be in a real city this weekend, I'll shop around and see what I can find at Walmart and Home Depot.

It appears now that one of my little trilis is lethargic. I just did an 80% water change so I'll see if that helps at all. I'm scared of leaving all these fish for 5 days!

 

[itiwhetu]

How warm is your tank? I have found that this problem dosn't occur at lower temps eg at 22-24 C no problem at the high 20s low 30s this problem shows up!!!!

 

[This Old Spouse]

I keep it 72-73ºF.

 

[itiwhetu]

Thats perfect. So the other thing I would consider is the mineral content of the system. Try to stay away from really soft acid water. I make sure that I do 30% water changes weekly.This prevents the system getting to acidic.