Sick New Peppered Cory.

[Memz]

Hi,

NitrIte 0

NitrAte 10 (planted tank)

Ammonia 0

48 lt tank,

4 gold tetras (this is what they were sold as in the shop but I have my doubts, look like neons but with pale blue stripe)

2 dwarf gouramis

4 peppered cories (2 new yesterday)

And my 3 singletons of 1 cardinal, 1 guppy and 1 glow-light. (cant swap them because I'm fond of all 3 and, well, they are mine!!!)

Oh and 3 cherry shrimp.

Yesterday I bought two new Peppered Cories to make up for the one my mum killed by over-feeding and one that just died a few weeks ago as I know they prefer to be in higher numbers.
I picked the two I wanted and they looked fine in the bag. I got home and did my ever-so-careful acclimatising over the space of an hour and a half and let them go. One immediately sought out the other two, the other tried to hide. I let them be without lights for a couple of hours and then had a look. The quiet one looked a little beaten up, slightly damaged dorsal and tail fin and no barbels on the left side of his mouth but swimming and eating, I think his bag mate may have had a nibble, that or he damaged his mouth on the bag. Turned out the light and left them for the night.
This morning I thought he was dead, on his side lying in the java moss. Then he perked up, swam to the top of the tank, flicked around a bit then sank back down to the bottom. He has been doing this on and off all morning but i've not seen him eat.
I phoned the shop for some advice and was told to put in a t-spoon of rock salt today and again tomorrow and they would be more than happy to replace if he died. I asked what their way of euthanasia was if I thought necessary and he replied clove oil.
I then remembered something I had read on here and came to check before adding the salt and most of the messages I have read is salt and cories dont mix and also that the jury is still out on clove oil!!!!
So really, I'm just after a bit of advice as I think the poor little chap is struggling and it's tough to watch and do nothing.

Thanks in advance.

 

[snazy]

First of all I would recommend that you do a large water change to remove the salt from the tank. Corys are intolerant to salt.
Overfeeding is not an issue and the corys will not die from it directly, but bad water quality caused by overfeeding will.
I highly doubt it the other cory ate the barbels while in the bag but just to be sure, how exactly did you acclimate? I always drip acclimate in a bucket to avoid oxygen deprivation in a bag. Also, the time it takes doesn't matter, but you need to make sure the water parameters(at least the Ph) is equal to the one of the tank. Also, if the bag was full of ammonia, then keeping them in that water for a long time to acclimate isn't best.
Here is a nice website explaining acclimation and what can go wrong:

http/www.bestfish.com/floatdip.html

 

[Memz]

Thanks for your reply Snazy, firstly, I had the presence of mind NOT to add the salt after remembering I had read that it burns Cories. When I get new fish, I generally do (as I did yesterday) a 50% water change before I go and get them so they get put into as fresh a tank as possible. I have also done another big water change today as not knowing what to do, I figured I could at least just try that.

The acclimatizing article is a very interesting read and it would appear I'm not doing it right, I float the bag for 30 minutes, open it and add an egg cup full every 5-10 minutes as it says to do on the bag!!!! I will definitely be changing that practice, thanks for the link. Mind you, the other Cory showed no sign of illness and is doing very well with the two older fish.

I think the little fella has now died,

he hasn't moved for about an hour but I'm glad I didn't add the salt and see the other 3 Cories off as well.

Thanks again for taking the time to reply.

Oh and just to edit, when we returned from our holiday in August, the water quality was so poor I could barely see in and there were 3 dead fishes. She did feel awful when I told her, she thought that I was UNDER-feeding them!!!!!!!