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I made this a post on my own page, but I’m repeating it here in hopes there’s folks who can help.
Had an incident in one of our two tanks involving two Cory catfish. In the end, one of them died and it has left me scratching my head as to what happened or what could’ve happened. Warning: this is my first experience with fish tanks as an adult, and my husband has very limited experience with what his dad has taught him over the years of keeping numerous tanks.
little context: husband bought a 20 gallon almost two months ago. We added 2 Cory catfish (one albino and one green) about 5 or 6 Platy (sunset and sunburst platys) two ghost catfish and one pleco to start. We bought another 20 gallon about a month later, and added some Black Kuhli loaches to the first tank who would be moved to the 2nd tank when it was set up properly. About a day or two later, I woke up one morning to find my albino Cory mutilated on his mouth and fins. (His dorsal fin was completely torn off, his front side fins in pieces, and his mouth sucker looking more like a gaping hole with no sign of ever having whiskers.) the green Cory also suffered damage, mainly its whiskers and tail, but not nearly as badly as the albino.
I moved them both quickly to a separate spot from the community, and the Albino seemed to get stronger but didn’t move much. After a couple days, I moved them to the 2nd tank (making sure levels in the water were appropriate) and both seemed to flourish for two days, though I had a suspicion the albino wasn't eating. (It seemed to try) On the 3rd day, the albino had white mold growing from its dorsal fin hole and it’s mouth. It stopped trying to move, even when my guppies or ghost shrimp would come over to it and either bump into it or nip it. It also had brown growth moving down from the wound on its dorsal fin, which I assumed meant infection as it began to grow on its mouth later. That night, Albino guy was on his side barely breathing. He didn’t fight the net when I went to get him. He died in the isolation box.
Im perplexed as to how or why this happened, and what to do if this happens in the future. I have never seen an injury like this, or know what could’ve happened. I suspect the loaches, as I read somewhere they will terrorize sucker mouthed fish. But I also saw a post about Pleco liking to suck on sleeping tank mates, and that Cory “don’t have scales to protect from pleco sucking off their fins” or something to that effect. any advice is helpful. Especially on what to do when a fish is injured and how to save it. Though I am especially asking if there was any way to save this catfish, or if he was doomed due to his mouth and top fin being so damaged.
update: The green Cory I mentioned above was found today with the same white mold covering what looked like one of his side fins/gills. (For the last couple days, I’d lost track of him. This is the first time I’ve seen him since Friday, April 30th) This Cory was not showing signs of injury around that area, and it was moved to a only guppy/Cory tank. (Also the shrimp I mentioned) I’m flabbergasted, as I discovered this too late to have ANY chance of saving him.
Had an incident in one of our two tanks involving two Cory catfish. In the end, one of them died and it has left me scratching my head as to what happened or what could’ve happened. Warning: this is my first experience with fish tanks as an adult, and my husband has very limited experience with what his dad has taught him over the years of keeping numerous tanks.
little context: husband bought a 20 gallon almost two months ago. We added 2 Cory catfish (one albino and one green) about 5 or 6 Platy (sunset and sunburst platys) two ghost catfish and one pleco to start. We bought another 20 gallon about a month later, and added some Black Kuhli loaches to the first tank who would be moved to the 2nd tank when it was set up properly. About a day or two later, I woke up one morning to find my albino Cory mutilated on his mouth and fins. (His dorsal fin was completely torn off, his front side fins in pieces, and his mouth sucker looking more like a gaping hole with no sign of ever having whiskers.) the green Cory also suffered damage, mainly its whiskers and tail, but not nearly as badly as the albino.
I moved them both quickly to a separate spot from the community, and the Albino seemed to get stronger but didn’t move much. After a couple days, I moved them to the 2nd tank (making sure levels in the water were appropriate) and both seemed to flourish for two days, though I had a suspicion the albino wasn't eating. (It seemed to try) On the 3rd day, the albino had white mold growing from its dorsal fin hole and it’s mouth. It stopped trying to move, even when my guppies or ghost shrimp would come over to it and either bump into it or nip it. It also had brown growth moving down from the wound on its dorsal fin, which I assumed meant infection as it began to grow on its mouth later. That night, Albino guy was on his side barely breathing. He didn’t fight the net when I went to get him. He died in the isolation box.
Im perplexed as to how or why this happened, and what to do if this happens in the future. I have never seen an injury like this, or know what could’ve happened. I suspect the loaches, as I read somewhere they will terrorize sucker mouthed fish. But I also saw a post about Pleco liking to suck on sleeping tank mates, and that Cory “don’t have scales to protect from pleco sucking off their fins” or something to that effect. any advice is helpful. Especially on what to do when a fish is injured and how to save it. Though I am especially asking if there was any way to save this catfish, or if he was doomed due to his mouth and top fin being so damaged.
update: The green Cory I mentioned above was found today with the same white mold covering what looked like one of his side fins/gills. (For the last couple days, I’d lost track of him. This is the first time I’ve seen him since Friday, April 30th) This Cory was not showing signs of injury around that area, and it was moved to a only guppy/Cory tank. (Also the shrimp I mentioned) I’m flabbergasted, as I discovered this too late to have ANY chance of saving him.
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