Upside Down Pygmy?/

[lilacamy931]

Hey guys
Watching the pygmies this morning, one was resting near the top, ok normal but then he was swimming around the tank upside down...I got him in a net, upon which this time he seemed absolutely fine, he was actually resting at one point though upside down on the tank bottom. Is it a quirk he was having or something worst???

 

[mattlee]

Hi Amy,

doesnt sound good for the little fella, if its not normal behaviour then i would be concerned. i have loaches that look dead by resting on their sides but this is quite normal but worried me at first..... i dont think its normal for any other types of fish though! sorry cant help with the pygmy but maybe wilder can help you in the emergency section. good luck.

 

[lilacamy931]

Aw thanks mattlee, unsure how old these were when they came to me, so hoping just old age, have just done a water change even though stats were fine, will post to on emergency but not hopeful, thanks hon x

 

[Harlequins]

Aww poor thing,i hope it'll be ok...

 

[lilacamy931]

Thanks Harlequins, he seems himself in the net at the moment, just really weird...

 

[Harlequins]

The only thing i can think of is swim bladder? ,contipated? try a deshelled pea?

Hows he doing?

 

[VaegaVic]

Occasionally all corys will do this, my Melini used to spend alot of the time upside down looking for scraps under some of the arches my tank has.

If he's perfectly fine now, he has the ability to right himself.

Just see how you go on it, if he gets worse, you might try a swimbladder treatment.

 

[lilacamy931]

Thanks guys, kept him in a large trap overnight, will see how he is in a moment, Wilder has suggested some treatment. Cant decide if he is good or not as he keeps doing it and floating or swimming to the bottom upside down, but then when a huge net comes at him he decides to behave.

 

[VaegaVic]

I believe the treatment advised kills filter bacteria (from memory, but can't confirm right now), so be very aware of that.

 

[lilacamy931]

Thanks for the heads up, have decided will be treating in a hospital tank with a specially prepared filter so my main tanks wont be affected! (real thanks though as wasnt aware of it!)

 

[lilacamy931]

Welll...bit of a conundrum. I caught the upside downer (at least I thought I did last night) and kept him in the net overnight to treat today while stabilising the hospital tank. This moring found a dead pygmy at the bottom, so now unsure if I have a epidemic going on, coincidence or plainly got the wrong one. Fished the dead one out and have had to run to work, going to get other half to check the params and do water change if necessary while keeping an eye on. What do you reckon guys?

One thing will say the guy I bought them from. He has his own private family run business and for instance the caudimaculatus he had had for a good year and a half forgotten in one of the top tanks (believed these live a good amount of time so got these). The pygmies were from him also and he couldnt remember when he got them in as hard to come by apparently and couldve been there a while... so there are possibilities of old age? Unsure how long pygmies live and just worried something is going on in the tank unseen.

 

[kelly528]

I hear ya! Despite my best efforts & clean water stats, mine have begun dropping like flies after only a few months of ownership I am trying to get my shoal to spawn before they head out--- pygmies are expensive in Canada!!!

 

[miss.Original]

Aw,I hope everything works out for you. Good luck!

 

[lilacamy931]

Well they were doing extremely well but had another death today, this one had a red belly think internally but unsure how long he was there for. I am panicking slightly as the second younger group of cories in another tank has been upside downing and whirling twirling... They share a tank with panda and habrosus and really unsure what to do.

Elsewhere been speaking with someone in similar region of same problems and he believes water board problems, though none of the other fish (touchwood) have seem affected. unsure whether to let nature take its course or what!

 

[lilacamy931]

Now a first lost one of the new ones. He was not swimming all that good last night, so had him in the net over night (died of whatever it is or stress from the net). All other cories accounted for..Got a pic of the fellow incase not seeing something: