Why Does This Keep Happening To My Pandas?

[ghostchoir]

I started off with a clan of 6 panda corydoras, and I have a feeling that soon we'll be down to zero I know that pandas have a habit of being harder to keep than other cories, but why do they just keep dying in my tank?

My tank is 125 litres. Sandy base, tonnes of plants and things for them to hide in. As well as the pandas there are 6 julli corydoras, 5 neon tetras and 5 glowlight danios. Everyone gets along.

However, my pandas just KEEP dying It always happens so suddenly too, I'm not sure what the problem is with my poor little pandas. My tank has been running for around 6-7 months now, we do water changes every week. Nitrite = 0, ammonia = 0, everything is perfect basically. It just doesn't make sense that there have been 6 deaths only in my tank - one being a neon, the others ALL being pandas.

Every time before they die they seem to lose control of their bodies, randomly. I believe it would be swim bladder failure? But it seems to be random. They suddenly can't control themselves and start swimming at odd angles in a really disturbing manner, they try and sit down but can't and keep rolling on to their sides - a while later they will suddenly be able to sit upright again perfectly and move around without falling over, and then suddenly they die Plus I believe that with swim bladder failure the fish would float to the surface upon death? Mine never do.

Is there any reason for this, or is this the name of some sort of disease? And if so, why is it only my little pandas that seem to get it?

 

[NEONCORY]

I'm not expert of diagnose the problem but I can offer you some of my experience with Pandas.
Fortunately I do have them for a while and they have been breeding frequently. So I'll tell you what works for me.

I don't know what water parameter you are keeping them. But I found that they do better with cooler highly oxygenated water. I have my group(6 adults and 5~6 3~4 month old ) with 1 albino bristlenose in unheated 10G with 550(I think about 135gph) powerhead with sponge. And temp hover around 68~72F. Ph is around 6.8~7. I don't know the gh since I have no test for it.
I know the Cory can and do take air out of the surface but...if I see my Pndas go up too often, that is a red flag. Since they are originally from the base of river near the mountain, they do enjoy the pretty strong current(powerhead is perfect) and cool water(which contain higher oxygen than warmer water as you know). This is generally speaking, some may adjust to the different water parameter since they are usually adjust to the local water parameter while they were in the store. However I believe, they do better in cooler soft high oxygenated water in long run.
If the fish born and raised in other water condition, you may need to take your time(longer than many other fish) to acclimate if you decide to change the water parameter.
I personally keep them in their own tank since they are breeding group and they do not require whole lot of space(I used to kept them in 5G with over filtered tank) And I don't see any bad tankmate among the fish you mentioned. But usually Panda require the high oxygen.

And of course, some of the Pandas from the store is not healthiest to start with. They tend to kept in wrong water and wrong tankmates.,etc. Although I don't know how long you have them, that might be the case also.

Sometime it is tough to find the healthy Pandas. If it is possible, you have to get them from other local breeder( I hear most of them are bred in China nowdays, talk about the long trip they have to take) or check with your local aquarium club or society. Some may have some frys to sell. I usually sell/trade my young frys to other members. And I have few people waiting.

Anyway, good luck with your Pandas. They are such a cute perky fish if they are healthy and kept in right condition.

 

[ghostchoir]

Thanks for the advice.

My temperature is roughly around that, it stays as close to 23C as I can make it and very rarely hovers further than one degree different of that. My pandas very rarely go up to the surface, though they do the ocasional dart I very very rarely see them do it, our water is very highly oxygenated.

I did buy all the pandas from the same store, but the store is extremely good. All of their other fish have been such high quality I'm not sure why it's just the Pandas I'm having an issue with. We bought them at different times (a group of 4 and later another 2)

It's a shame we're having so much trouble with them. They are such a cute and friendly little group, they were the one group of fish I KNEW I wanted to get when I first began researching types of fish. I think it's obvious that for some reason I'm just not meant to keep them, haha

 

[jollysue]

If you really want to keep pandas, I would try starting them in a well established ten gallon tank by themselves.

Pandas are very often bred in forced breeding tanks (like puppy mills) in Asia using hormones and other methods to force high production. (These are the methods used for most Cardinal and neon Tetras also.) These fish are easily stressed and not as healthy as those from breeders like NEON. They will probably do better in a species only tank as the other fish will stress them. You can also look on the net for local breeders or try getting some from Aquabid. Check with us first to verify your source as reputable. I know that CorysRUs has some wild caught pandas. His fish are always of the highest quality and well quarantined and treated before being released for sale.

 

[ghostchoir]

Well the last of the pandas died today like I guessed he would It's a shame as they were such cute and funny fish, but at least my julli tribe is still very alive and thriving!

Could you recommend any places in the UK though?

 

[jollysue]

PM Studz or Ian Fuller/Coryman

Sorry about the little pandas.