# Mystery Cory cat deaths?



## ChrisK (Sep 14, 2011)

So yesterday i come home and feed the fish as i usually do (3 neon tetra, 3 glowlight tetra, and two peppered cories) they are all acting normal as they normally do no signs of the tank being dirty or anything. I ran out to run a few errands and i come back to my cories either not swimming at all in a vertical position against the sides of the tank or swimming upside down and falling to the bottom. Then I woke up this morning to find both of them dead?? I did notice some like white fuzz on the newer cories barbels and fins. the 2nd cory was added just a few days ago from petsmart im starting to think he was sick when I got him. Any input would really help


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## k19smith (Aug 19, 2011)

The fungus you saw could have been before or after death. This is why I highly recommend a quarantine tank before adding any new fishes as you can wipe out every fish you own with a dollar fish. How long has your tank been set up? Do you know you ammonia, nitrite, nitrate readings? How many gallons is your tank?

Cories also need a school I think 5 minimum, you can check this out in the profile section at the top of the page.


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## ChrisK (Sep 14, 2011)

k19smith said:


> The fungus you saw could have been before or after death. This is why I highly recommend a quarantine tank before adding any new fishes as you can wipe out every fish you own with a dollar fish. How long has your tank been set up? Do you know you ammonia, nitrite, nitrate readings? How many gallons is your tank?


The fungus was before death and even more after. Im leaning toward Ich. 

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0 

Its a 10 gallon tank and it has been set up for a little over three months it has two kyoto plants, a java fern, a crested tropica fern, and a moneywort plant. I got home tonight and all the fish were dead  and the water is very cloudy. I removed all the fish and turned up the heat as per byrons post in another Ich thread. I also ordered coppersafe. This all started shortly after i added another peppered cory catfish from petsmart.


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## k19smith (Aug 19, 2011)

Sorry to hear that.

Ich looks like the fish have been sprinkled with a salt shaker. 

I do not know right off if coppersafe is safe for use with live plants you may want to check that. 

If the tank is completely fish less you can just go with the heat and time method. I believe ich can only live without a host for a few days, 3 maybe?


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## ChrisK (Sep 14, 2011)

k19smith said:


> Sorry to hear that.
> 
> Ich looks like the fish have been sprinkled with a salt shaker.
> 
> ...


Yeah they did kinda look like salted lol. I'll definitely check about the coppersafe. But I do have the heat up around 80 ish now i have it set at 86.

also their eyes looked cloudy


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## k19smith (Aug 19, 2011)

I myself wouldn't use chemicals as you don't have fish, I would just let it die off. Copper can be hard on some plants I don't know if I would risk it.


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## wannalearn (Jan 22, 2011)

i thought ich could live in the enviroment for months.. not days...


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## ladayen (Jun 21, 2011)

It needs a host. It can live on a fish and not show itself for months.. years probably. With no fish whatsoever in the tank it should die off in a few days... however the fish that were in there(tetras) will still have it, even if there are no symptoms.


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## k19smith (Aug 19, 2011)

I've been doing some reading it seems like there are a lot of mixed reviews on exactly how long it takes to get it out of your tank. The high temps will speed the life cycle but as whether to add new fish in 2 weeks or 6 weeks seems to vary. 

I had though it was only a week or so but after this research I'm not sure.


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## wannalearn (Jan 22, 2011)

thanks for claifying that for me ladayen..k19 i know in the saltwater world, most ppl recomend wainting 90 days after all signs of disease are gone.


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## ChrisK (Sep 14, 2011)

What I'm going to do is remove the plants and put them in a bucket with some sand and just lower the dosage of the cooperate for the plants or i could just put new water in the bucket and hope for the best. As far as the tank goes I'm just going to wait it out and treat with coppersafe/heat


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## patadams66 (Apr 16, 2011)

i used the coppersafe with Live plants, and Cories in the tank...no deaths, although the plants did take a hit as to color, but they are all still alive.


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## ChrisK (Sep 14, 2011)

patadams66 said:


> i used the coppersafe with Live plants, and Cories in the tank...no deaths, although the plants did take a hit as to color, but they are all still alive.


Did they just fade? Or did the become translucent? There's no fish in the tank. Also did they come back? The plants?


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## patadams66 (Apr 16, 2011)

Their color faded. The vals swords the rooted ones java firm moss and anubias was fine 
It wrecked my ancaris and basically turned those to leafless stems but I trimmed them and they r growing back everything is recovering and I didn't lose hardly any leaves off my vals and swords


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## ChrisK (Sep 14, 2011)

Good to know I wonder how my moneywort is going to do in still waiting for the coppersafe to be delivered


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