Whats on my Corydoras skin?!

Thank you AdoraBelle!!! Yes I will update next week on my little panda buddy!
I'm feeling exactly as you did with your bronze spawn. Feeling so excited that I can possibly have cory fry to raise, but also very nervous that they won't hatch. (Note to self always have Methylene Blue on hand). Awe, the cutest of all the cory cats Pygmy Cory ❤ If I ever get an additional aquarium those are going to be my next species I get!

Awesome! Crossing fingers for you. But even if this batch doesn't work out, you know now that they've spawned, so they can do so again! Once they start, they usually spawn again. There are some great tips and tricks to help induce spawning in cories too, so can link you to some great threads here if you like. They helped me a lot, both in learning about how to condition them to spawn, and raising fry.

For now, I highly recommend having a spare airstone and pump on hand for eggs/fry, and get some Indian almond leaves and perhaps alder cones too. Add those to the parent tank as soon as possible, so they start growing biofilm and producing micro-organisms that the fry can feed on in between you feeding them. I'm positive that those were the key to keeping my pygmy fry alive, since they were born in the tank without my knowing, until they were pretty big! So they lived for weeks on what they found in the tank, and the microworms I was using to feed the adults. Alder cones have anti-fungal properties, so help reduce fungus on eggs.

If you have the leaves aged from the parent tank and covered in micro-organisms, then they'll be ready to pop into the container you use for the fry :)
 
It just looks like excess mucous. the fish might have scratched itself and has put a bit more mucous over the area. Monitor over the next week and see how it goes.

On a side note, the fish looks a bit skinny and could have worms , which might be reducing its immune system.

How often do you feed them and what do you feed them?
 
Awesome! Crossing fingers for you. But even if this batch doesn't work out, you know now that they've spawned, so they can do so again! Once they start, they usually spawn again. There are some great tips and tricks to help induce spawning in cories too, so can link you to some great threads here if you like. They helped me a lot, both in learning about how to condition them to spawn, and raising fry.

For now, I highly recommend having a spare airstone and pump on hand for eggs/fry, and get some Indian almond leaves and perhaps alder cones too. Add those to the parent tank as soon as possible, so they start growing biofilm and producing micro-organisms that the fry can feed on in between you feeding them. I'm positive that those were the key to keeping my pygmy fry alive, since they were born in the tank without my knowing, until they were pretty big! So they lived for weeks on what they found in the tank, and the microworms I was using to feed the adults. Alder cones have anti-fungal properties, so help reduce fungus on eggs.

If you have the leaves aged from the parent tank and covered in micro-organisms, then they'll be ready to pop into the container you use for the fry :)
Yes, please give me the link to the threads on spawning and raising! I've been online all day watching Otter Creek Aquatics, Girl Talks Fish, Prime Time Aquatics, and LRB Aquatics taking notes. I have a battery operated air pump on hand with additional hosing and airstones that is in my container. The only thing I'm missing is Methylene blue to prevent bacteria from my killing eggs. I actually have a package of almond leaves I've used once, but took it out of my aquarium because my water looked like dark tea? I'm going to have to look up Alder cones. I have never seen that at my local pet store nor have I heard of it. Maybe I could cut my large almond leaf in half to prevent my water from changing colors but also giving them the natural benefits of it. I'll try that out.
 
I think you will find that pH is your main problem. Also check your temperature these guys don't like heat, and should be kept in a cooler tank.
 
pH 8 is too high for Cories. In addition, pH 8 paired with rather low GH 7 and KH ≃ 5 seems weird to me.
 
The pH is artificially raised by water companies so the water pipes don't corrode as quickly. In Perth we had a pH around 8.5-9.0 and a GH & KH of 0ppm
 
It just looks like excess mucous. the fish might have scratched itself and has put a bit more mucous over the area. Monitor over the next week and see how it goes.

On a side note, the fish looks a bit skinny and could have worms , which might be reducing its immune system.

How often do you feed them and what do you feed them?
He's my youngest C. panda when I got him 2 months ago he was smaller than the length of my fingernail. I rotate my foods feeding small breakfast such as fluval Bug bites or Aquarium Co op Easy Fry/Small Fish. Their dinner portion is bigger rotating foods nightly Xtreme Flakes, frozen Bloodworms, frozen brine shrimp, frozen daphnia, sinking shrimp pellets, or sinking algae wafers. They are my babies spoiled so much that they are well taken care and probably overfed. This little guy is young so he probably appears underweight but there's no way he is. There's no competition in my aquarium for food because of the amount of fish & species I have. Maybe worms? I don't know how he'd get worms though.
 
I would like to make a comment about pH. Remember pH is a logarithmic scale. Therefore for every 1 point on the scale it is 10 times as strong. pH8 is ten times as basic as pH7. If you have a fish that likes pH 6.5 and your pH is 8.5 that is 100 times as basic . That is why I always think pH is important. When reading pH the reading is always + or - 0.2 so your reading could be as high as 8.2.
 
I would like to make a comment about pH. Remember pH is a logarithmic scale. Therefore for every 1 point on the scale it is 10 times as strong. pH8 is ten times as basic as pH7. If you have a fish that likes pH 6.5 and your pH is 8.5 that is 100 times as basic . That is why I always think pH is important. When reading pH the reading is always + or - 0.2 so your reading could be as high as 8.2.
Maybe it is important to sensitive fish and certain species of fish. I had my fish shop show me their water parameters which was more basic/alkaline. I drip acclimate all my fish when I introduce them to their aquarium. I have not encountered one illness in my aquarium, my fish are fed high quality & variety of foods, they are not in a filthy neglected aquarium, and all are thriving. Thriving so well the adult corydoras have bred and gave us four panda fry. If my pH was an issue for these fish, then they would have had compromised immune systems prone to coming down with numerous illnesses over the last 9 months, I would have had fish die on me, nor would they would have bred ultimately producing healthy eggs/fry.
I've noticed some of you all are very critical towards others thoughts, opinions, and questions. Especially towards new fish hobbyists. We are all here on this forum because we have one thing in common. We love aquatics! Instead of being harshly critical why not positively encourage other fish hobbyists? Avel1896 "Amen?" What does religion have to do with this?
When you are nicely educating new fish owners, then they'll be more inclined to sticking with the hobby. Instead, some of you come off very arrogant and opinionated.
 
You had a problem with your Corydoras, being an Acid loving fish and keeping them in an Alkaline system, I only suggested that this could be the issue. Sometimes we don't look at all the things going on in a tank and we all approach things differently. You are more than welcome to ignore anything I write.
 
"Amen?" What does religion have to do with this?
So what ? "Amen" is also and very often used informally outside of a religious context to express (strong) assent...
Don't forget that, "Amen" is originally a verbal adjective used in an instruction book, meaning "sincere and true"...
We are all here on this forum because we have one thing in common. We love aquatics!
I agree ! But with respect to the needs of fishes held captive. And it is always this point of view I made mine that I would defend come hell or high water.
 
So what ? "Amen" is also and very often used informally outside of a religious context to express (strong) assent...
Don't forget that, "Amen" is originally a verbal adjective used in an instruction book, meaning "sincere and true"...

I agree ! But with respect to the needs of fishes held captive. And it is always this point of view I made mine that I would defend come hell or high water.
My fish are respected and taken care of.
 
Nevertheless, one of your Corydoras has well and truly a problem. I am sorry for him. I do.
Corydoras are gregarious benthic freshwater fishes, they are bottom dwellers of streams at very shallow depths, often less than 40 cm high, very often with strong current and in schools of sometimes several hundred individuals. Keeping them in hard, basic water is a mistake even if parameters ranges say, for example : pH 5.0 to 7.0 | GH 3 to 8 one should never aim for extreme parameters.

Reminder, Panda Cory parameters are, from SeriouslyFish :
pH: 6.0 (lowest tolerated) to 7.4 (highest tolerated).
Hardness: 1 (lowest tolerated) to 12°GH (highest tolerated).
Tolerate need or prefer.
 

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