I have a new cory problem. I'm starting to be worried that whatever's wrong with this cory, it might be contagious, since he was a replacement for the last fish that the LFS guy said sounded like had a swim bladder problem.
I have four Peppered cories, three of which I bought six days ago, and one that was a replacement for the fourth that died two days ago. One of them, when I got him, wasn't behaving quite normally: he would skulk in the back of the tank and didn't shoal with the other three, sometimes resting in the plants for long periods of time without moving. I came home two days ago to find him floating upside down at the bottom of the tank. He'd make a mad dash for the top, get tired, and slowly sink back down. I noticed that his gill and chin area were very red. Two hours later, he died.
I went back to the store and got a replacement (after they checked my water parameters themselves and found them fine). Now the new cory is acting suspicious. He's red all along the paler areas of his lower sides and underbelly, and he's swimming erratically up and down, not quite able to steer himself quite right. Sometimes he floats upside down, too.
The other cories seem to be just fine.
Is this swim bladder issues, or something scarier? What can I do?
Cory diet: fish flakes, shrimp pellets, and blanched butter lettuce leaves (they don't seem to eat the shelled, frozen peas I give them)
Tank size: 10 gallon
pH: 8.5
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 30
tank temp: 76 F
Tank age: cycled for 2 months, first week with fish.
I have four Peppered cories, three of which I bought six days ago, and one that was a replacement for the fourth that died two days ago. One of them, when I got him, wasn't behaving quite normally: he would skulk in the back of the tank and didn't shoal with the other three, sometimes resting in the plants for long periods of time without moving. I came home two days ago to find him floating upside down at the bottom of the tank. He'd make a mad dash for the top, get tired, and slowly sink back down. I noticed that his gill and chin area were very red. Two hours later, he died.
I went back to the store and got a replacement (after they checked my water parameters themselves and found them fine). Now the new cory is acting suspicious. He's red all along the paler areas of his lower sides and underbelly, and he's swimming erratically up and down, not quite able to steer himself quite right. Sometimes he floats upside down, too.
The other cories seem to be just fine.
Is this swim bladder issues, or something scarier? What can I do?
Cory diet: fish flakes, shrimp pellets, and blanched butter lettuce leaves (they don't seem to eat the shelled, frozen peas I give them)
Tank size: 10 gallon
pH: 8.5
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 30
tank temp: 76 F
Tank age: cycled for 2 months, first week with fish.
I think the other fish are okay. Although I can't find my smaller guy this morning, so I hope he's not lurking in the back of the tank somewhere, feeling poorly. 
