What Is My Rescued Cory's Id?

[PrincessKiara]

Well they are all scraping but I cannot see any spots except on the cory. If they are shifting size and location this rapidly, however, isn't it safe to assume that that isn't ich?
Their gill movements are very rapid now.
My biology teacher just told me they scrape against the sand and decorations to "explore their new environment"! Can you believe that!? And he's a biologist!

 

[snazy]

If they are shifting size and location this rapidly, however, isn't it safe to assume that that isn't ich?
 

 
Yes, if its ich the grains won't move like that. The cory is black so its normal to see white sand grains stuck here and there from time to time. If they are breathing heavily it could be something in the gills. But with flukes they'd go to the surface from what I know.
On another hand, there's a strain of ich that attacks the gills but at the moment I am only speculating.  Make sure you do a few nice large water changes incase it's something in the water.

 

[Shaddex]

I have corys that periodically scrape on the sand / ornaments, but Ive never seen Ich on them.
Scraping as I believe is very natural for them.
Meds wise, I use "Esha 2000" and "Esha Exit" to treat them when they are not well, but unsure if you can get it in Mexico

Peppered corys will go a darker color when they are not well / stresses, so this is also a good indication that something is not right.
Also check if he is still eating, or not moving around much.
If you suspect something is wrong with the fish, remove him from the tank, and treat him separately with the above (if you can get it).
Esha 2000 has saved many of my corys over the years and you only treat for a few days.

Good luck.

 

[PrincessKiara]

All of my fish are scraping, not just him, and the guppy fry and danio are gasping at the surface. Not sure, but I think the babies' gills look a little red. Could nitrite/nitrate also cause the scraping?
On a side note, I got a little green plant that my mom just had to have. It's pretty, with small, sparse, light green foliage, and long slender stalks. It's beautiful...and it's dying, its leaves are slowly turning brown and soft and dropping off. My other plants seem fine ATM.

 

[snazy]

Could nitrite/nitrate also cause the scraping?
 

 
Nitrite/Ammonia can be the cause for scraping and rapid breathing and can also be a trigger for diseases. Make sure you've got 0 ammonia/nitrites via water changes. I presume the tank is cycled so you shouldn't have any?
Make sure the plants in the tank are aquatic, non-aquatic will just die. Plus any dying plant or leaves should be cut of and thrown away. The leaves will not recover damaged tissue and cutting them only helps the plant.

 

[PrincessKiara]

No. My tank isn't cycled. But I couldn't just leave Fideo in that soapy tank. *sigh*
That's probably what it is. Ugh, my parents don't value my fishes' lives! They say that they won't let me 'waste that much water'!

 

[mark4785]

If you can see salt-sized white spots on any of your fish you need to treat the whole aquarium even if some of the fish do not have such symptoms as whitespot has a visible and non-visible life-cycle. 
 
My bronze corydoras have suffered from whitespot before and I successfully got rid of the infestation with WaterLife Protozin.
 
As you haven't cycled your aquarium, you should be doing 100% water changes as and when your ammonia or nitrite goes above 0 ppm regardless of whether you have identified whitespot or not as unsuitable water conditions will cause such disease organisms to take advantage of ammonia/nitrite-induced irritated fish skin.

 

[PrincessKiara]

But I don't think ich spots would be moving around like these are, do you?
I will be buying a test kit very soon, regardless.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

You don't need to do 100% water changes whenever the ammonia rises above 0ppm.
 
Ammonia toxicity is a function of pH, so depending on what the pH is and what the ammonia reading is, how big the water change needs to be.
 
Nitrite, on the other hand, is the more dangerous of the two in terms of water changes and pH.  Salt is a good short term solution to keep the fish alive while there is a problem with nitrite, but unfortunately, salt and cories are a bad mix.
 
 
The best thing to do right now to help is to keep the oxygen levels very high, adding an airstone, if you have one - or causing more splashing or surface ripples with the filter will help.  Nitrite will compete with oxygen to get into the bloodstream of the fish.  THAT is the biggest concern.
 
 
(As for the issue of wasting water with water changes... that water can be reused to water plants.  I use my old tank water and the plants THRIVE with it.  That water is VERY nutrient rich for plants and its like fertilizing while watering, but in a very safe way that won't burn the plants.  If you just pour the water down the drain, then certainly the argument of 'wasting' the water could be made... but if you are watering plants with it, then it is far from a 'waste'.)

 

[PrincessKiara]

That's another issue. My dad says I can't do w/c's unless I find a way to not waste the water, but it's raining a lot here and he doesn't get that my land garden needs watering too.
Any other uses for old tank water?
Thanks!

 

[mark4785]

You don't need to do 100% water changes whenever the ammonia rises above 0ppm.
 
Ammonia toxicity is a function of pH, so depending on what the pH is and what the ammonia reading is, how big the water change needs to be.
 
Nitrite, on the other hand, is the more dangerous of the two in terms of water changes and pH.  Salt is a good short term solution to keep the fish alive while there is a problem with nitrite, but unfortunately, salt and cories are a bad mix.
 
 
The best thing to do right now to help is to keep the oxygen levels very high, adding an airstone, if you have one - or causing more splashing or surface ripples with the filter will help.  Nitrite will compete with oxygen to get into the bloodstream of the fish.  THAT is the biggest concern.
 
 
(As for the issue of wasting water with water changes... that water can be reused to water plants.  I use my old tank water and the plants THRIVE with it.  That water is VERY nutrient rich for plants and its like fertilizing while watering, but in a very safe way that won't burn the plants.  If you just pour the water down the drain, then certainly the argument of 'wasting' the water could be made... but if you are watering plants with it, then it is far from a 'waste'.)

 
OP hasn't said what his/her pH is and the pH of the replacement water will probably be on the other end of the scale so making a judgement over how much water needs to be removed based on the tank water pH will be a waste of time as you'd need to measure the pH of the tap water and the tank water in the same container, measure it's temperature, and then make a calculation as to how free ammonia and ammonium there is according to the pH and temperature.
 
It is easier and safer with hardy species of fish just to do a big 100% water change when there is a presence of total ammonia to stop skin irritation and prevent the onset of nasty diseases like fin and mouth rot which often occur in irritant water.
 
Oxygen has a high pH which boosts the free ammonia/ammonium variables that comprise total ammonia in favour of free ammonia (of which is deadly beyond 0.09 ppm) so you do NOT want more oxygen than is needed in that water.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

While I agree with you mark, the OP has mentioned that their parents want to limit the amount of water to be changed.  So, while you are correct when you say its 'easier' to just change 100% of the water, that's not really an option for this individual. 
 
 
Secondly, you are confusing the points that I was making regarding ammonia and nitrite.   If there is ammonia present, that's one thing.  If nitrite is present that's another.
 
 
 
Finally, I have no idea how you come to the conclusion that the OP's tank water and replacement water would be at opposite ends of the pH scale.  That's not a given, in any circumstance.  It is possible, but that's not even the norm.  In my own case, my tap pH is around 7.0 and the tank water is roughly 6.4 - 6.6.

 

[mark4785]

While I agree with you mark, the OP has mentioned that their parents want to limit the amount of water to be changed.  So, while you are correct when you say its 'easier' to just change 100% of the water, that's not really an option for this individual. 
 
 
Secondly, you are confusing the points that I was making regarding ammonia and nitrite.   If there is ammonia present, that's one thing.  If nitrite is present that's another.
 
 
 
Finally, I have no idea how you come to the conclusion that the OP's tank water and replacement water would be at opposite ends of the pH scale.  That's not a given, in any circumstance.  It is possible, but that's not even the norm.  In my own case, my tap pH is around 7.0 and the tank water is roughly 6.4 - 6.6.

 
I did say the pH difference would be a probability. I did not say that it was; I wouldn't know anything about Mexican tap water.
 
I am giving practical tips that are geared towards avoiding fish fatalities. If the OP and his parents cannot access replacement water it does beg the question why they decided to take on the fish in the first place.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Its not a matter of cannot access water, its a question of being allowed to change that amount of water...  The tank is ~260L, iirc.  That's a lot of water to be changing 100%.
 
 
Zeolite might be the best option, actually.

 

[PrincessKiara]

I have access to the dang water, but my dad...aaargh!
I do wonder myself why he let me trade my tablet for a fish tank he didn't plan to allow me to care for properly.
My mom does let me do w/c's, but only if my dad isn't at home. Usually he isn't, then it's a question of time (as my only water change container is quite small and it takes hours to change the water), which I usually don't have. But I do have time on the weekend, which is when he IS here. *facepalm*