Having Problems With My Albino Cories

[thenightgoddess]

Ive noticed over the past couple months that my three albino cories have been losing there fins. I just noticed how bad it has gotten when I turned the light on I almost never use my light. I was using salt in the tank and I recently stopped thinking that might be the problem because I know cories are sensitive to it but it doesnt seem to be helping at all. One of them is pretty much missing his side fins completely and another is missing most of his back fin. Ive had two of the albino cories for over a year and the other for at least 5-7 months. They are in a 15 gallon with a fancy male guppy, a cobra endler guppy, a baby platy, and a bristlenose pleco. I always have problems in the tank with nitrates because of the bristlenose who I have also had for about a year. I am planning on upgrading to at least a 25 gal by the end of the year but there isnt anything I can do about the tank size right now. The nitrates are between 40-80 when I usually test it. I just tested it and it was inbetween that and I did a small 15% water change because I did almost a 50% on monday so I couldnt do anymore. I also dont have anywhere else to put the cories or a hospital tank. The filter on the tank is an aquaclear 50 so there is more than enough filtration and the temp is at about 80. What could I do about the cories and Is the high nitrates what is causing the problem?

 

[Sickbound]

I'm no expert but I have SOME experience. 
How many corydoras do you have? Do you only have the 3? If so you really need to get at least 6 of them for them to be really happy. I doubt this is what is causing your issue, though.
Do you have any live plants? Live plants will help with your nitrate problem.
Why is the temp at 80? It should be between 76-79 for your fish (especially the corydoras) to be comfortable.
 

 

[thenightgoddess]

I said I have three in the first post and no I dont have live plants I said I almost never have the lights on maybe once every couple months so it should have been obvious. I dont have enough room on the bottom for plants its a column tank so there isnt much of a bottom and I tried plants in my 10 gal and they died on me. Its at 80 right now because its been hot out the last couple days and I highly doubt one degree is going to make a difference. Also its not 6 everything Ive read online incuding the website I use for my tank stocking says four but I dont have enough room on the bottom of the tank for four the three barely have enough room.

 

[Sickbound]

I said I have three in the first post and no I dont have live plants I said I almost never have the lights on maybe once every couple months so it should have been obvious. I dont have enough room on the bottom for plants its a column tank so there isnt much of a bottom and I tried plants in my 10 gal and they died on me. Its at 80 right now because its been hot out the last couple days and I highly doubt one degree is going to make a difference.

There is no reason to have an attitude with somebody who is trying to help, even if you are concerned for your fish.
Try blowing a fan at the tank during the day, it will drop your temp by a few degrees. Make sure it turn it off at night.  Yes it does make a difference because over time it will cause stress on the fish and that might be why your corydoras fins are rotting off....
 

 

[Sickbound]

 Also its not 6 everything Ive read online incuding the website I use for my tank stocking says four but I dont have enough room on the bottom of the tank for four the three barely have enough room.

I wouldn't take what you read online too seriously. Although they say they will be fine and happy with only 3-8 fish in their shoal, they are NEVER found with just 3-8 in the wild. They are found in the HUNDREDS so the more the better. They show better schooling habits if there are more of them and they show better colors. 

 

[stanleo]

Think of it like this. Our body temp is 98.6. Its an average, some people run hot some cold. We are still fairly comfortable at 97 degrees or 100 degrees. But if our fever reaches 101 or 102 we start to feel pretty crappy.
 
Fish are cold blooded so their temp is the same as the water in which they live. So if a fish is good between 76 and 79 degrees, 79 degrees is the top of the range for them to feel comfortable and stress free. One degree can and will make a difference if left like that for too long.
 
It may not be the reason for the fin loss, but it will inhibit them from getting better.
 
Look into a product called Malifix. I have never used it but I have heard it does wonders.

 

[Wildbetta]

How often are you vacumning your substrate?  Barbell and fin loss suggest there are pockets of dirty substrate.  You can never do too much water changing so if you believe that your nitrAtes are too high you can always do another 50% water change at any time.  
 
I personally believe you are majorly overstocked with the fish you have.  Albino corys need around a 20 gallon and so does the bristlenose pleco.  The corys need around 6 or more to be completely secure and to act normally.  The smallest group I would keep them in is 3 but I wouldn't do it in a tank of your size.  They need the floor space and are being cramped.  The bristlenose is making the tank very dirty and if you are not siphoning the substrate then that is the cause of the fin/barbell loss most likely.  
 
One degree makes a world of difference in the health of fish.
 
Are you getting any readings for ammonia?  
 
One last question, why do you not have the lights on but every couple of months?  Does your tank get natural light?  If not, your fish are probably stressed from not having a normal day/night schedule as well.

 

[Noahsfish]

I said I have three in the first post and no I dont have live plants I said I almost never have the lights on maybe once every couple months so it should have been obvious. I dont have enough room on the bottom for plants its a column tank so there isnt much of a bottom and I tried plants in my 10 gal and they died on me. Its at 80 right now because its been hot out the last couple days and I highly doubt one degree is going to make a difference. Also its not 6 everything Ive read online incuding the website I use for my tank stocking says four but I dont have enough room on the bottom of the tank for four the three barely have enough room.

Daaaaaammmmmmnn

 

[thenightgoddess]

Think of it like this. Our body temp is 98.6. Its an average, some people run hot some cold. We are still fairly comfortable at 97 degrees or 100 degrees. But if our fever reaches 101 or 102 we start to feel pretty crappy.
 
Fish are cold blooded so their temp is the same as the water in which they live. So if a fish is good between 76 and 79 degrees, 79 degrees is the top of the range for them to feel comfortable and stress free. One degree can and will make a difference if left like that for too long.
 
It may not be the reason for the fin loss, but it will inhibit them from getting better.
 
Look into a product called Malifix. I have never used it but I have heard it does wonders.

 

How often are you vacumning your substrate?  Barbell and fin loss suggest there are pockets of dirty substrate.  You can never do too much water changing so if you believe that your nitrAtes are too high you can always do another 50% water change at any time.  
 
I personally believe you are majorly overstocked with the fish you have.  Albino corys need around a 20 gallon and so does the bristlenose pleco.  The corys need around 6 or more to be completely secure and to act normally.  The smallest group I would keep them in is 3 but I wouldn't do it in a tank of your size.  They need the floor space and are being cramped.  The bristlenose is making the tank very dirty and if you are not siphoning the substrate then that is the cause of the fin/barbell loss most likely.  
 
One degree makes a world of difference in the health of fish.
 
Are you getting any readings for ammonia?  
 
One last question, why do you not have the lights on but every couple of months?  Does your tank get natural light?  If not, your fish are probably stressed from not having a normal day/night schedule as well.

ammonia is at zero it is always at zero and the stocking website I use and everything I have read online says 10 is fine for cories I have three julii cories in my 10 gallon and they do fine. There tank is also right next to the light in our bedroom and from what I know plecos and albinos like it in the dark better anyway. I also vaccum the tank everytime I do a water change not including the small water change I just did. I try to do a water change once a week. I dont have a plug for the light thats why.

 

[stanleo]

Go to Liveaquaria.com. In my experience it has the most reliable information as far as minimum size requirements, compatibility, pH requirements ect. If you want to verify what you are reading here that is.

 

[Sickbound]

 

Think of it like this. Our body temp is 98.6. Its an average, some people run hot some cold. We are still fairly comfortable at 97 degrees or 100 degrees. But if our fever reaches 101 or 102 we start to feel pretty crappy.
 
Fish are cold blooded so their temp is the same as the water in which they live. So if a fish is good between 76 and 79 degrees, 79 degrees is the top of the range for them to feel comfortable and stress free. One degree can and will make a difference if left like that for too long.
 
It may not be the reason for the fin loss, but it will inhibit them from getting better.
 
Look into a product called Malifix. I have never used it but I have heard it does wonders.

 

How often are you vacumning your substrate?  Barbell and fin loss suggest there are pockets of dirty substrate.  You can never do too much water changing so if you believe that your nitrAtes are too high you can always do another 50% water change at any time.  
 
I personally believe you are majorly overstocked with the fish you have.  Albino corys need around a 20 gallon and so does the bristlenose pleco.  The corys need around 6 or more to be completely secure and to act normally.  The smallest group I would keep them in is 3 but I wouldn't do it in a tank of your size.  They need the floor space and are being cramped.  The bristlenose is making the tank very dirty and if you are not siphoning the substrate then that is the cause of the fin/barbell loss most likely.  
 
One degree makes a world of difference in the health of fish.
 
Are you getting any readings for ammonia?  
 
One last question, why do you not have the lights on but every couple of months?  Does your tank get natural light?  If not, your fish are probably stressed from not having a normal day/night schedule as well.

ammonia is at zero it is always at zero and the stocking website I use and everything I have read online says 10 is fine for cories I have three julii cories in my 10 gallon and they do fine. There tank is also right next to the light in our bedroom and from what I know plecos and albinos like it in the dark better anyway. I also vaccum the tank everytime I do a water change not including the small water change I just did. I try to do a water change once a week. I dont have a plug for the light thats why.
 

Again, even though it says that a 10 gallon is fine, it's really the bare minimum and it's not exactly humane. That is a tiny amount of space.

 

[This Old Spouse]

Daaaaaammmmmmnn 
 
There are so many things wrong with the living conditions of your poor fish I don't know where to start. I'll bet your substrate is gravel, right? Add that to the list.
 
My first suggestion is a bit of an attitude change. If you'd like help with this problem, that's what we're here for. But the snarky comments won't do you any good. 

 

[DoubleDutch]

Agree with that.

1 Oxigin : Will get into your tank by plants and by asexchange at the watersurface. No light/plants and a columntank
(lot of water compared to te surface) means less oxigin.
2 LNitrate : iving plants will reduce the amount of nitrate in your water (with waterchanges)
3 Bacteria : High temps let bacteria grow as h*ll !!!

Advice:
Pull out the heather, plug in the light.
Put some fast growing plants in and do more waterchanges on a regular basis.
This is the way to get your tank stabil and your fish healthy, though a columntank is pretty difficult.

Cheers Aad
Are they still have their barbels

 

[Wildbetta]

ammonia is at zero it is always at zero and the stocking website I use and everything I have read online says 10 is fine for cories I have three julii cories in my 10 gallon and they do fine. There tank is also right next to the light in our bedroom and from what I know plecos and albinos like it in the dark better anyway. I also vaccum the tank everytime I do a water change not including the small water change I just did. I try to do a water change once a week. I dont have a plug for the light thats why
 

.
Ok
Number 1:   there is no need to get snarky.  We are all here to help you figure out the issue and help you heal your cories.  Just because you do not want to hear what we have to say is no reason to get an attitude. I get the impression that you know that the cories should be in better tank accommodations but don't want to hear that is the issue.   
Number 2:  the gallonage of the tank doesn't make a difference if there is not a good amount of surface area for the cories.  The website that you are using might say that 10 gallons is fine for 3 cories (I do not agree by the way except in cases of the smaller cories like panda cories) but it doesn't take into account that the tank you have is a column tank.  Column tanks are not good for a lot of fish because of the small horizontal swimming area.  Cories are bottom fish that are really active and need a decent sized area to explore and swim.  They are cramped - short and simple. The high temperature of your tank makes things worse because it  makes them want to be more active since their metabolism is sped up with high temps.  This all leads to stress which lowers the immune system and allows a fish that otherwise would be healthy in a tank with higher nitrAtes to start having negative issues like fin rot, fin loss, or worse death.
 
 I agree with losing the heater right now and plugging in your light instead.  All the fish you have will be perfect in mid 70's water -- most actually will be better off.  Add some plants like hornwort or anachris/elodea to help suck up those high nitrAtes.  Both of these plants float and are easy lower light plants.  I recommend water changes twice a week until you can get your tank more stable with lower nitrAtes.  You might actually have to keep up this regimen until you get a bigger tank since you have the pleco which is a very messy fish. 

 

[DerpPH]

I see the most obvious problem. The fishkeeper is a bit stubborn. Just listen to what pros say. Get a bigger tank and get plants: java fern or jungle val. Easy growers.