Why do my cories keep dying??

[vampregrl]

I bought a cory for my tank (which is only a week old) on Friday, Oct 8th.. it died on Sunday which is when I got a replacement for it and the 2nd cory died today.

My guppies are having no problems at all.

Is it to soon to be putting a cory into the tank? I can't figure out why it's dying. There's plenty of food for it to eat and the guppies certainly don't attack it.

 

[MissClaire]

Sorry to hear about your cory They are cute little guys!
Have you tested the water lately? Can you post up the water/tank stats....
Is the cory one week old or the tank? If it's the tank then yes it's much too soon to be adding a cory.
Also corys love to be in groups, so when we work out the problem with the first cory and second cory that died, maybe get two at the same time - they will be much happier

 

[dixaisy930]

Cories can be a pretty sensitive fish. Since your tank is in the middle of cycling, the ammonia and/or nitrite levels are probably the cause of the deaths.

Best to wait until the tank is finished cycling and stable (probably wait atleast six weeks or so to try and add any cories).

 

[vampregrl]

My tank is a little over a week.

I don't know what the stats are, the guy didn't really tell us.. he just said that it's a little high but it's normal for new tanks.

My guppies are fine, infact one had babies yesterday and the babies are even doing ok.

 

[vampregrl]

if i wait that long for a bottom feeder, who is going to clean up the food at the bottom of the tank?

 

[Inchworm]

Hi vampregrl

I'm sorry to learn that you are getting off to a disappointing start with your new tank.

I suspect that since it it only a week old, your tank isn't cycled yet and that could have a lot to do with your problem. I will move your thread into the beginners section where you will be more likely to get the help you need.

In the meantime, please read this thread. It will give you some understanding about the process of cycling and help you to understand what the members are talking about:

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=10099

 

[MissClaire]

You should buy a gravel-vac for the bottom of your tank in the mean time (its just a plastic tube that sucks the gravel and gets all the gunk out and they are really cheap) That should help you if you are concerned about the bottom of your tank not being clean and it wont die mid-cycle

 

[dixaisy930]

if i wait that long for a bottom feeder, who is going to clean up the food at the bottom of the tank?

As long as you try not to overfeed your current fish, you shouldn't have alot of excess food on the bottom of the tank. Also, regular vacuming of the substrate will also eliminate left overs.

 

[vampregrl]

I do have a vacuum thing which we've done once. I was told to do this about once a week so I'll be doing it again on the weekend (we did it on Friday).

I just hope my guppies are ok since i read that it's harmful to have fishies in a new tank that hasn't fully cycled.

 

[dixaisy930]

I think just doing it once should be ok....you can over-vacume gravel.

As long as you keep doing daily partial water changes during the cycle, the guppys should be ok.

 

[Koda]

You might add some ghost shrimp to help keep the tank bottom clean.They are inexpensive,fun to watch and very good at scavenging up any leftovers.

Koda

 

[clutterydrawer]

It would be a good idea to get a kit to test your water. If you test for ammonia and nitrIte, you can tell if the levels get too high, so you know when to do a water change to help your guppies survive.