Mari

Hello,
I've had 2 cory albinos in my 20 gallon tank for over 4 months. I do 50% water changes every 5 days and my water has good parameters. Yesterday, one of them, the biggest one, died. I found him lying in a plastic plant, here I attach a pic of the plant I found him tangled in. It's the tall green one next to the red one.
When I turned him around I saw this huge hole in his tummy (see pics attached). I was wondering if he died because he got caught in the plastic plant and that made this big hole? What you guys think? What else could it be? I loved my fishie

Attached Images

	fishlore 1.JPG (153.8 KB, 23 views)
	fishlore 2.JPG (88.6 KB, 22 views)
	fishlore 3.JPG (119.3 KB, 22 views)

Isabella

I don't know the reason why he died, but I don't think the plastic plant made such a large hole in his tummy. I mean, maybe that's what happened, but I wouldn't think so. I'd guess another fish did that to the poor cory after he died. You only have (well, "had") 2 cories in the 20 gallon tank? No other fish?

I know you said your parameters are good, and I believe you because you said you perform 50% water changes every 5th day. So they've gotta be excellent. But would you mind posting your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate readings anyway?

I also have a question: If you only have 2 cories in a 20 gallon tank, why do you need such large water changes so often?

I'm sorry about your poor fish

COBettaCouple

isn't there a disease related to hole-in-the-head disease and/or lateral line disease that can cause holes in the body like this?

MrWaxhead

No there was other fish, I see a betta in the left of that picture, it looks like that cory had its insides sucked out. Looks cleaned right out to me.

COBettaCouple

yea.. i missed the betta in the left.. but even our most aggressive betta totally ignored the corys.

MrWaxhead

Yes neither have any of mine, but if there is a betta in there, Mari may have other fish they didn't mention as well. Or the betta or the other cory, ate its insides after the cory passed away. I have had shrimp do that to fish that passed away in my tank, they seem to go straight for the insides.

COBettaCouple

yea, good points.

Mari

Yes I do have other fish. I have 6 cardinals and my one betta Pepe. They have all been great tank maates, especially with the corys. Sometimes my betta will chase the cardinals but only when they get near to what he considers is his territory. He ALWAYS has ignored the corys completely, even when they like to play with him by bumping into him. However, my betta is a little piggie, loves to eat so maybe he did eat the insides of my cory But I don't think any of them killed him.

MrWaxhead

No I would lean more to it dying then being picked at, with the fish you described in your tank.

COBettaCouple

me too.