1 of my corydoras is going around the tank shivering, please HELP.

HI I have a 10 gallon tank, five about one year old tetras, a red mickey mousefish and two corydoras.
(I also have plants the majority about one year old and they have thrived)

Everything is normal except that today I noticed that one of my corydoras was shivering or something.
I know he wasn't eating any algae because he was swimming around while he was shivering.

This was also before I feed them.

Please help me.

 

What are the water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)?

Do you have a liquid test kit or strips?

 

well I now that last time I checked with my tests that the ammonia was at the minimum I could get it......

il go right now and do a test with my kits.

liquid tests ive done them just give them time to develop.

Okay here are the test results no ammonia and 7.6 or higher PH, I don't have any other tests.

 

You should also know your nitrites and most especially your nitrates.

What is your tank maintenance schedule?

 

No ammonia is good.

Sorry but I really can't picture what you're trying to describe. Could you somehow upload a video?

I would start by doing a water change.

 

I know what I doing I have been doing my aquarium and only one fish has ever died and that was because he was too stupid to even eat the food his type of fish was meant to like.

Tell me this do you know any possible explanation in even circimstantial ?

I don't know if there's a problem but I noticed unusual behavior that started this morning or night, I just want to be sure if there could be something wrong.

 

I'm not doubting your fishkeeping ability, but more information would be helpful. Your nitrite and nitrate readings would be immensely helpful.

What other fish are in this tank? What species of tetra?

Is he shivering or is he flashing against things?

 

Did you read my first post fully ?

oh srry I didnt fully read your post either

The store I got my tetras from said neon yellow(orange ?) but I didnt think that was important because it might have been dye in them and it was only a color

 

The reason I ask is from a compatibility point of view. Plus, most tetra species are too large for a 10 gallon tank. Color doesn't matter.

Any question we ask is meant to help us diagnose your current problem.

How long have you had the corys? What species of cory?

Can you bring a water sample to your fish store and have them test the nitrite and nitrate?

 

panda cory doras and my tetras are extremely small, they are a lot smarter then they might appear,
the pet store said 1 of these tetras per gallon and my mickeymouse fish (a type of platy) is doubl the size and the cory are about the in between. that amounts to the 10 gallon space I have.

 

I heard that when a fish is shivering, they some kind of bacterial infection... because baby black moor used to shake a lot, then I treated him, I just used quick cure cuz I ddnt know the other stuff.. now hes fine.... that's just my opinion... if ur not lazy on cleaning ur tanks,,, id suppose ur reading will be fine.. my tank never gets any algae I clean 2 times a week... 1st clean.. 10% water change no vacum,, 2nd 30% water change.. then vacum.... fishies fine no illnes no algae.

 

wait not panda corys but something else

okay thanks ralph you have had the best single reply I have ever seen from a forum, just one question....
could you give me a product link to amazon to show me what you use?

 

How often do you do water changes/gravel vacs?

Don't use meds until you have an absolute diagnosis.

 

1-2 week to let the rainbarrel I get my water from to fill, if you think that a disease could be from that, well I filter the water twice once fomr a screen on top of the rain barrel and a second time just before I pour the water in. Ido my gravel cleaning at the same time.

Lynda please don't continue arguing and asking more questions if you won't give any end solution, give more than one possible answer and then il go to extent of wasting time trying to find a diagnosis that no fish disease chart shows.

 

I'm sorry to hear your fish is ill. The shaking/ flashing could be caused by several things. Out of wack parameters being one...we know your ammonia is okay, but do you think there is any chance you could have a build up of nitrates?

I have a green severum that exhibits this kind of behavior for about 10 minutes after I do a water change every week. I use conditioned tap water but there is something in the fresh water that irritates him slightly every time.

Internal parasites could cause your problem as well. So could something like gill flukes or even planaria worms can irritate and cause the fish to itch.

I believe Lynda was trying to gather as much info as possible because medications in aquariums can be very hard on fish and even can kill your cycle. So it is good to be as certain as possible which med is needed if any at all.

Another thing is are you using only rain water or are you mixing it with tap water? Only rain water will have a low buffering ability and could cause ph swings which could cause the symptoms you are seeing

I hope your fish gets better soon.

Jared

 

Lynda isn't trying to argue with you, but it is very difficult to diagnose a problem and give accurate advice on the way to treat the problem without all the information possible. The more information we have about your tank, the more likely we will be able to tell you what is wrong and the correct medicine to use. What if it it isn't bacterial and it is parasitic? You could be using the wrong medication and making the situation worse. What if it is just a nitrite spike and all you need is to do a few extra water changes and no medication is even needed?

Before jumping to the conclusion that you should medicate you should get a water test for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate to rule that out. Once you get good readings on those you can try and find an appropriate medication.

Until then, I would add a water conditioner to the water such as Prime to reduce the stress on the fish.

 

Lynda please don't continue arguing and asking more questions if you won't give any end solution, give more than one possible answer and then il go to extent of wasting time trying to find a diagnosis that no fish disease chart shows.

I refuse to just grab a diagnosis out of the air without gathering full information from you. I'm not being argumentative, I'm just looking for information to help you and your fish. I keep asking questions you're not answering so it is getting just a little frustrating trying to assist you.

Rain water is not a good source for fish tanks. There are too many pollutants in the air that the rain gathers on its way down. Although you are screening, it will not remove these pollutants. This could well be the source of your problems.

 

I have to agree with the other members. The reason so many people are asking so many questions is because you didn't provide enough information. If you don't know what's wrong with your fish, and we can't even see him or have any of the information you do, then how are we supposed to tell?

In addition to possibly containing pollutants, rain water doesn't contain trace minerals that fish require to be healthy, because rain water is only water that has evaporated and condensed; the minerals don't evaporate, and thus you're left with pure water. Pure water sounds like a good thing, but your fish and plants need other elements in small quantities to be healthy. Also, I can't imagine rainwater having a very high carbonate content, meaning your water wouldn't be able to adjust to pH swings as well as tapwater.

I also must emphasize that treating an illness just to be treating for something isn't a good idea. There are so many diseases and disorders out there that the chance you'll pick the right one is rather low, and administering unnecessary medicine can stress your fish, when their immune systems are already compromised.

 

Rarely step into to the fold with stuff like this, but how the is anyone going to diagnose anything without knowing about the tank, ammonia levels we know - super, nitrite and nitrate would be good considering nitrite is as deadly as ammonia. What type of product do you use on your water? What are your cleaning procedures? What's in the tank, bogwood etc? Never heard of a fish dying because it wound not eat the food it's meant to, and I hope you do know cory,s should also be kept in a larger group also.

 

I think.... its your Rain Water... from waiting for it to fill up, bacteria's probably accumulated in it.. because if its ammonia, you'd see burns or fishies scratching on stuff ex:gravel or ornaments. <(ive had ammonia probs before and that's the symptoms I see)

and for the meds I use.. I just use "Quick CUre" I buy it from walmart.. people say it doesn't work that much but I have a diff method on using it on fishies.

theres also Melafix and others that u can buy on LFS.

theyre right about getting all the water reading is a must..... but,,,,, we can't take back the time that is wasted.. so I just rather put possible solutions.. I'm not that experienced.. but I posted tons of questions in this forum..

 

How are things looking today? Any improvement?

 

Sorry about my rudeness for a first(I was fustrated yesterday), well I went and bought new filter cartridges. That stopped the behavior of the shivering about.
But when I was looking I saw that one of my corys was getting darker and he had shorter feelers.

I now realise that it was juliI species and yesterday I was telling you all the most information I could really get, because I have no nitrite, nitrate tests.

I said before that I use rain water because my water is alkaline which I'm trying to change (yesterday I also put in a correct PH pill).

 

1. There is nothing wrong with alkaline water.
2. Did you replace the filter cartridge? If so, you've unfortunately thrown away your beneficial bacteria, so you'll have to re-cycle your tank.

 

My filter cartridges were extremely dirty they were almost pure bron with gunk and I plan to do an extra water change within the day and I will try and use tap water witch I will add good bacteria to.

For my procedure I first take your average pump for fish tank cleaning I turn up the gravel so that all the dirt comes up, I clean the filter scrub the glass if any of y plants come out I put them back in.

I have a pottery dish where I put my cory food and a dollar store fish tank decoration.

 

1) Do not use any pH up/down product, your pH will settle down once the cycling process is done.

2) Do not use any bacterial product, it could crash your cycle.

If your filter media was that gunked up, then you will need to increase your water changes/gravel vacs. Try to remember to rinse out your filter media and also the filter housing itself at least every 2 weeks but check it weekly, just in case.

Your life will be so much easier once you have that API master kit. It answers a lot of questions for you.

 

Well thanks for the advise I think the discussion is about at an end.
As soon as I possibly can I will get a nitrite-nitrate test kit and if it is il try my best to lower the level of it.
If its a bacterial infection I will do more extensive research and find the right cure.

By the way I have an old 5 gallon tank should I use it as a quarantine to make sure nothing spreads ?

 

5 gallons is a little small for a quarantine, but if the fish are small enough (IE a few guppies, etc) then of course quarantining is a good idea Don't forget that tank will need to be cycled too, of course.

 

The best way to lower nitrates is water changes. That's a pretty easy and cost effective remedy.

Definitely post your readings when you get the kit.

I don't see the need to do a quarantine tank. Plus, that tank would not be cycled, right?

 

If you do switch to using tap water be sure to use prime on it to clear out any chlorine. I have been on a hunt for what would be a good source for water personally I don't think there is a perfect choice but I would say conditionally well water is best next is tap

It could be your city sprays for mosquitoes the pesticide made it on your roof and into the water. When you changed the filter media you replaced the carbon and the new carbon absorbed the toxins in the water.

What filter do you have?
How long has the tank been going?

You said the tetra were orange do they have a orange strip down the middle of their sides?