Catfish keep going missing or found dead?

[Evolution]

Salt kills cories for reasons I've explain. If you folks use a little bit of salt in you tanks and get a way with it that is great, but I would certain never suggest it.

[syno321]

HAhaha funny how some knowledge gained on the internet doesnt work out in real life sometimes. A fact is a fact I guess untill the fact isnt a fact?

Some thing one must always be aware of when traveling the net' "A little learning is a dangerous thing" Pope, A. 1709

[RD.]

"A little learning is a dangerous thing" Pope, A. 1709

-roll-

[Evolution]

Here is a great link about information regarding salt in an aquarium that the Pope doesn't want you to know about!

http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/salt.shtml

I like the last part the best

"Some magical powers of salt in freshwater: protection, healing and stress. Aside from these genuine uses, salt is often given magical powers connected with healing."

Then it does on to list them...

Check it out!

[Jayba]

Here is a great link about information regarding salt in an aquarium that the Pope doesn't want you to know about!

http://www.skeptical...alth/salt.shtml

I like the last part the best

"Some magical powers of salt in freshwater: protection, healing and stress. Aside from these genuine uses, salt is often given magical powers connected with healing."

Then it does on to list them...

Check it out!

So where was the part about not using salt with Corys? I read it, and couldn't find that part anywhere....

[Evolution]

Here is a great link about information regarding salt in an aquarium that the Pope doesn't want you to know about!

http://www.skeptical...alth/salt.shtml

I like the last part the best

"Some magical powers of salt in freshwater: protection, healing and stress. Aside from these genuine uses, salt is often given magical powers connected with healing."

Then it does on to list them...

Check it out!

So where was the part about not using salt with Corys? I read it, and couldn't find that part anywhere....

Third paragraph.

[duh duh duh]

My thought would be your Dianio as well, however I'd have though your other tank mates would have been done it with before the cories.

Re-arrange the decorations for a week or so and see if they magically appear. I had one re-appear after about 3 months of me being certain he was long gone. A bronze cory.

[AvianAquatics]

And what is the gravel like? If they are even a bit sharp your cory might've gotten scratches and then gotten infections.

[ridethespiral]

I lost a sterbai to salt treatment (tbsp per gallon) and my peppered corys are fine for the past few months in treatment. Even survived maracide treatment, and coppersafe while using salt.

This is what, like 5x the theraputic dose recommended on the api salt box (tbsp per 5 gallon)

These peppered corys are the toughest fish I've ever owned.

One is named timmy (south park anyone?) Because his tail is crooked as if he broke his back once, he was gimped when I got him.

Edited November 8, 2010 by ridethespiral

[fishfan]

Sorry to hear about the Corys. You dont mention tank size or how new the set up is. Maybe going back to the basics about tank cycling and water quality might be worth looking at. Some good advice here about them hiding and water flow but it seems that you have ruled that out. I have lost mine for weeks and then they appear larger and healthy. Hope you solve this mystery and don't give up on the Corys' they have become some of my favorite fish too.

[Ishkabod]

You said the fish were new. Did you Quarantine them before you added them to the tank? If not that could easily be the reason you have had one dead one and that in and of itself is a big warning flag to me that the new fish had problems. Now what i would do is wait for lights out and add a few sinking algae wafers near the front of the tank in an open area. Then i'd turn the lights off in the room and leave for a bit. come back in the room without letting light in to possibly scare them off then turn on the lights of the tank while watching for your missing fish. You might be able to spot them feeding this way.

Anyway good luck

edit. did you QT the apple snail too? if not it could be carrying even more problems.

A few livebearers I see! Do you add salt for them? If so, salt kills cories. If you do not add salt, then they are dieing from their poor ability to osmoregulate within your tank.

Salt does not kill Corys.

It's a well know fact that salt does kill cories as it negatively effects their osmoregulation. Combine that with the already hard water of Alberta and if salt was added to suit the needs of the livebearers, then it would easily kill the cories in a few short weeks by way of blood and kidney poisoniong. And target feeding cories in a livebearer tank is not very hard to do considering cories and livebearer eat from completely opposite zones of the tank.

Somebody better tell all those species of Corys that have bred for me, including the C. weitzmani, C. hastatus and Scleromystax barbatus that I'm raising now.

Okay the debate does it or doesn't it. I'm no biologist and no expert yet but here is what i have gleened from reading multible articles from multiple sites and from people who have been in this hobby for many many many years.

1. Almost all fish can tolerate salt to some degree and quite a few can tolerate allot more than one might expect especially if they are aclimatized to the salt by increaseing it in small doses.

2. Fish breed in good conditions and if salt affected them as badly as you said then there is no way they would be breeding.

3. They are said to be salt sensitive because they lack scales from everything that i have heard but you have forgotten a KEY FACT. Freshwater fish like us humans have a higher concentration of salt in their bodies than in their surounding environment and constantly are looseing salt and do their best to extract as much as they can from the water around them to keep the amount in their bodies up. Saltwater fish do the exact opposite and have to constantly remove salt from their bodies and have very few ways of absorbing it and that is why salt in a freshwater tank won't kill the fish but too mush freshwater in a salt tank can kill the saltwater fish.

I read and read allot from many different sources and i trust a few more than most but even the most knowlegeable person can have learned something that isn't completely true and pass it on. That is why i'm allways learning new things and i don't pass things on unless i have done research or warn about the fact that i heard or read or someone said. The above statements are things that i have come across many many times and have yet to see any contradiction to contadict that. It could be that all freshwater fish can tolerate some salt but i don't know that we have found all the freshwater fish in the world or that all of them have been tested and have shown to be salt tolerant. Biology of freshwater fish is something else entirely though.

Do research and if you find a contradiction don't vehemently defend what you thought you knew. Do more research and possibly ammend your opinion.

Many years ago tobacco companies and so called experts were saying that ciggaretts had medical benifits that outweighed any alleged health problems would you believe them? they even had studies and graphs and doctors and lab test and crap. Basicly don't believe something that came from one sourse. the internet can be a great tool for learning and also a great tool to fool the unsuspecting. The Skeptical Aquarist is the name of the site quoted and we should all remember to be exactly that even with the site itself.

This is something to think about and the reason forums like this are soo intersting to me since i can ask a number of people with different experiences and backgrounds and access to different learning materials their opinions and i always seem to find something else to look up the reason for or a new interesting website to check out. I have a handful of things i would consider facts but 99 percent of those or more are still up for reevaluation. One fact would be take a fish out of the water and freeze it and it will die eventually.

Thanks again for stimulating my brain everyone

and I hope you find your fish or what might be wrong with them.

L

Edited November 15, 2010 by Ishkabod