Cory pectoral fins are stubs and barbels gone

[dohaver]

my Albino Corys ate having a terrible time with my planted substrate. The barbls are stubs as well as a pectoral fin on one.
How can I put sand on top of the existing substrate where they have taken up residence in the corner of my tank. No signs of red sores or bacterial visual problems. They are still swimming an eating. What can I do about the loss of pectoral fin loss? My poor babies.
A video attached.

 

[Colin_T]

As long as there is sharp gravel in the tank you will have this problem. Ideally you want to change the gravel to a smooth round gravel or sand. Other options include moving the fish into another tank with a different substrate, and putting a shallow plastic container with sand in the tank so the cories can play in that. However, they will still damage themselves if they go onto the gravel.

There also seems to be a lot of current in the tank. Are there any calm areas in the tank where the fish can sit and not be washed around by the current?

If you turn your phone on its side so it is horizontal, the video will fill the entire screen and show the fish better

 

[IHaveADogToo]

As for *how* to add sand to an existing aquarium, you could try something like this:

Just make sure you keep the sand submerged when adding it. If you are above the water level and dump it in, it will stick to the top and get all cloudy. Pouring it from below the water will keep it from sticking to the top, and going as low to the bottom as possible before dumping it will keep it from making the water cloudy. Make sure you pre-wash the sand too.

*This is not my video.

 

[seangee]

Its a good idea to remove as much of the gravel as practical first otherwise the sand will just filter through the gravel. Turn your filter off while adding the sand. If the water is still cloudy after adding sand leave it for 10 minutes or so before turning your filter back on. That's enough time for the solid sand particles to settle, anything that's still left is probably dust.

 

[Byron]

I had exactly the same issue; I set up my 70g with Flourite substrate, and within a few weeks the cories had no barbels, and one had even lost half its mouth. I moved them out into a tank with play sand and they recovered, I still have them now five years after I moved them. The one still has half a mouth but obviously is able to eat, and some of the barbels re-grew. This depends upon how far gone they are (the barbels).

As others have mentioned, you cannot mix sand with this substrate; the sand being finer will sink to the bottom leaving the rough gravel on top. You have two options; remove all the cories and do not get any substrate-feeding fish, or change the substrate.

Plant substrates are not good with any substrate-level fish. Aside from the possible sharpness, there are other issues like bacteria. Plants do not need these anyway, in my experience; having replaced Flourite with play sand, the same plants are doing just as well.

 

[dohaver]

As long as there is sharp gravel in the tank you will have this problem. Ideally you want to change the gravel to a smooth round gravel or sand. Other options include moving the fish into another tank with a different substrate, and putting a shallow plastic container with sand in the tank so the cories can play in that. However, they will still damage themselves if they go onto the gravel.

There also seems to be a lot of current in the tank. Are there any calm areas in the tank where the fish can sit and not be washed around by the current?

If you turn your phone on its side so it is horizontal, the video will fill the entire screen and show the fish better

As long as there is sharp gravel in the tank you will have this problem. Ideally you want to change the gravel to a smooth round gravel or sand. Other options include moving the fish into another tank with a different substrate, and putting a shallow plastic container with sand in the tank so the cories can play in that. However, they will still damage themselves if they go onto the gravel.

There also seems to be a lot of current in the tank. Are there any calm areas in the tank where the fish can sit and not be washed around by the current?

If you turn your phone on its side so it is horizontal, the video will fill the entire screen and show the fish better

I am looking into re-home my 3 Corys. In the meantime, what medication can I use to reguvinate his pectoral fins and their Burbels.
I will get some play sand and get a shallow plastic container that would fit in the corner of the tank that they love to lay on together.
I am in a sm. apartment, 1 room. On my dresser sits my 10 gal. tank, 2-2.5 gal Aqueon Betta Bow. I took out the filter and use a spounge filter in those. One houses a betta. The other I use it as a bare bottom hospital/quarantine. I can put the wounded Coreys with the worn pectoral fins in the 2.5. Thoughts?
Thank you.

 

[Colin_T]

Don't use medications unless there is an infection or disease. If the face and fins develop red patches or white fluffy bits then treat the fish, otherwise leave them to heal up themselves. Red is bacterial and white fluffy is fungus.

a 2.5 gallon tank (with sand or nothing on the base) would possibly be ok for a short time but you would need an established filter to go in the tank. A 10gallon plastic storage container would be better for water volume but harder to see into