2 dead cories!!! Help!

[fraggle]

I've had my 2 albino cories die in the last 2 days, they've been in the tank for nearly a year, but the day before yesterday I noticed that one of them had a red patch near it's tail, then the next day the red patch had spread and the last night it was dead, the the other one had develped a red patch yesterday and this morning it had spread further and it was dead too!!! I don't know it the other cories have got it too and I just can't see it because they are bronze or if they don't have it at all, or even what happened to them.

Anyone got any ideas? My reading are ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 5. I started treating the tank with Melafix and Pimafix last night, didn't know what it was that I was treating and thought that they couldn't hurt!

I've attached a pic of the cory that I found dead this morning, it did have fins etc yesterday, must have been picked at last night.

[Sir Tristen]

Sorry for your fishies, and sorry I don't have any good advice. I just thought I'd bump your post and offer my sympathies:(

[fraggle]

Thanks :)
Think I'll just keep treating the tank with 'fixes. Don't know what else to do!

[Sharon]

I'll bump it as well...I can't help much with disease...but if I had to guess I'd say bacterial infection, resulting in septicemia. I'd be treating with an antibiotic.

[Northernguy]

Sorry to hear about your fish,looks nasty!:c2:
Have you been doing your gravel cleaning and water changes?
Have you changed anything in their diet or added anything to the tank like plant fertalizers or new decorations?

[fraggle]

I vac the gravel every 2 weeks, change 50% water every week, rinse the filter every 4 weeks, haven't added any new decorations, don't have real plants as the dollars eat them, so no fertilisers, been feeding NLS for the last month.
The other cories seem to be fine, can't see any red on them and they are still alive!
I've never had antibiotics for fish before, do you have to take them into the vet or just ring the vet up or what? Or is it even the vet you take them to? I'm still treating with Melafix and Pimafix.

[Stetothevo]

Naw, you just try and identify as best you can what they are sick with and then go to the pet store and buy the medication for that disease. Then just read the instructions and go from there, usually tho most fish only need half doses of whatever meds you give them. I Personally though, would do less of a water change every week, you may be sucking up too much of the good bacteria, or shocking the fish with different temperature water too much, anyone else correct me if I'm wrong but I would do maybe a 20-25 percent water change every week, or possibly every 2 weeks unless you have a very heavily stocked tank. I dunno what other advice I can offer than that tho.

P.S. I had a pleco once die of a red spot on his skin, and then some weird behavior, but I think I just had a bad ammonia spike, my tank was like 3-4 weeks old at that point, and if your ammonia readings are fine then I doubt its that, what type of filter do you have?

[Northernguy]

Your water change schedule sounds great.
Thats the same as mine and it keeps the tank in great shape.
It hasnt hurt my cory fry or any thing else in the tank.
I add garlic juice to the fish food.It kills internal parasites.
I wish I could tell you what happened to your corys.

[Algenco]

what other fish are in the tank? the tail and fins appear to have been eaten

[fraggle]

There are 2 silver dollars, 2 bala sharks, 10 black widow tetras, 10 serpae tetras, 8 buenes aries tetras, 20 neons, 2 bronze cories, 2 panda cories, 2 clown loaches, 4 Kuhli loaches, a bristlenose and a twig catfish. I figured that the tetras has picked at him once he was dead, when he just didn't look flash the night before, he had all his fins, and none of the others have any fin damage.