Corys Lost Their Barbles

[KrystaK]

I've had this happen before and it was due to the substrate..... So I know that can cause it but now that i have two tanks and two different types of corys i don't understand how one set has managed to wear away their barbles when the substrate is the same.
 
In the 30 Gal my pandas are fine and have their barbles
but in my 20 G the Julies corys have lost theirs, and it's the same black sand in each tank.
Can a cory loose it's barbles due to stress? There are only 3 Julies corys in my 20 G while there are 5 Pandas in my 30 G. (I know I need about 6 of each, I'm working on it)
 
Is there anything I can add to the water to make sure my Julies corys don't get an infection? And can their barbles grow back? 
 
(sorry about spelling and such, I have to go to work but wanted to get this posted before I left) 

 

[DiddleBug]

I haven't had a ton of experience with corys, but I have had one of mine get an infection on their mouth and lose some barbels too.  (It wasn't because of stress though.) Try raising the temp a bit, add some salt, maybe tea tree oil, and they should grow back.  I hope this helps.

 

[DrRob]

Yes, barbels can come back. No I wouldn't put salt into a tank with cories in it unless I had to though.
 
They can lose barbels though trauma, infection or poor substrate maintenance (or due to sharp edges, as you've discovered before). Sands can be sharp so they're worth checking but if they're digging around in a mess at times then they can be prone to infection, so have a look for any spots in the tank where debris is building up, especially as food is likely collecting in the same place.
 
If there was no sign of obvious infection apart from the barbels then I would be loathe to add anything to the tank apart from what I've mentioned.

 

[laurac94]

My bronze Cory lost its barbells due to a fungal infection in its mouth, I successfully treated it once but it came back a month later and it died so keep a look out for white 'fluff' and treat immediately..

Good luck!!

 

[This Old Spouse]

Do not add salt to the tank. Losing barbels is a sign of poor water quality. And black sand isn't actually sand but crushed volcanic stone and generally is quite sharp. Take a little bit between your thumb and finger and rub back and forth. If it's sharp to your fingers it's sharp on their little barbels and mouths.
 
How often are you changing the water? How much? Did you first cycle the filter before adding fish?
 
The barbels can grow back to some degree but will likely never be as long as they once were.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I agree with TOS... The best thing is good water quality.  As mentioned already, you are going to want to do a very thorough cleaning of the substrate to get whatever may have built up out of there.
 
 
Then, do more frequent and larger water changes on that tank than you have been to keep the water quality as pristine as possible.  Many times the fish can actually heal problems on their own if kept in a clean enough environment.