Cory catfish are hardy fish and can live in a wide range of water parameters. They are also the most common bottom dwellers aquarists prefer to add to their community tank. Their hardy nature makes them the best option for beginners.
However, keeping them in inadequate housing conditions can make them sick, and they can pass away. They will show signs of dying before passing away. Let us discuss the 12 signs my cory catfish is dying. So, let us find out.
These are the 12 signs that indicate that your cory catfish is dying:
- Not eating
- Not moving.
- Showing strange swimming behavior.
- Injured or damaged barrels.
- Injured or damaged fins.
- Fat and bloated.
- Gasping at the surface.
- Cloudy eye.
- Swimming slowly
- Patches on the body.
- Not being able to maintain buoyancy.
- Physical injury.
This article will discuss the signs of cory catfish dying and how we can prevent our cory catfish from dying. So, let us get into it.
Contents
- 1 How do I know if my cory catfish is dying?
- 2 12 signs my cory catfish is dying?
- 2.1 Cory catfish are not eating.
- 2.2 Cory catfish are not moving.
- 2.3 Cory catfish are showing strange swimming behavior.
- 2.4 Cory catfish barbel is injured or damaged.
- 2.5 They have damaged or injured fins.
- 2.6 They look fat and bloated.
- 2.7 They are gasping at the surface.
- 2.8 They have cloudy eyes.
- 2.9 They are swimming slowly.
- 2.10 They have patches on their body.
- 2.11 They are not able to maintain buoyancy.
- 2.12 They have a physical injury.
- 3 What are the reasons behind my cory catfish dying?
- 4 How to prevent our cory catfish from dying?
- 5 Conclusion:
How do I know if my cory catfish is dying?
There are numerous signs that indicate that your cory catfish is dying.
Signs like fish not moving, not eating, swimming strange, and gasping at the surface indicate that something is going wrong with them, and they will pass away if the issue is not solved as soon as possible.
Your cory catfish will show many other signs that tell you they are dying.
Cory catfish are hardy fish and can live in a wide range of water parameters and conditions.
However, keeping them in a condition that is not adequate will make them sick, and they will become prone to diseases and infections.
They will behave strangely and will look different sometimes when suffering from issues.
Let us discuss all the possible signs that your cory catfish will show when they are dying.
12 signs my cory catfish is dying?
These are the 12 signs that indicate that your cory catfish is dying:
- Your cory catfish is not eating.
- Your cory catfish is not moving.
- They are showing strange swimming behavior.
- Their barbels are injured or damaged.
- Their fins are injured or damaged.
- They look fat and bloated.
- They are gasping at the surface.
- They have a cloudy eye.
- They are swimming slowly.
- They have patches on their body.
- They are not being able to maintain buoyancy.
- They have a physical injury.
Cory catfish are not eating.
Food plays a vital role in keeping your cory catfish healthy.
If your cory catfish is not eating at all when you provide food to them, there is something wrong going on.
However, cory catfish will take some time or days to adapt to their environment when you newly add them to your tank, and till then, they will probably not eat.
But, if they don’t start eating after 2-3 days, it is a matter of concern.
The reason behind them not eating can be various diseases and high-level stress.
This will lead to starvation, and they will pass away.
Also read: Why Is My Cory Catfish Not Eating?
Cory catfish are not moving.
Cory catfish are active fish and will move from one place to another when they are fine and healthy.
They will also get to the water’s surface to gulp air from their mouth.
If they are not showing such swimming behavior, then it is a matter of concern.
The reason behind your cory catfish not moving can be swim bladder disorder, stress, constipation, and bloating.
All these reasons can result in your cory catfish passing away if not treated in the early stages.
Also Read: Why Is My Cory Catfish Not Moving?
Cory catfish are showing strange swimming behavior.
Cory catfish swim straight and remain at the bottom of the tank most of the time as they are bottom dwellers.
If your cory catfish swim sideways or upside down, it is not normal as it is a sign of something going wrong.
Remaining at the top of the tank most of the time or swimming at the surface most of the time is also an abnormal swimming pattern of your cory catfish.
Also read: Why Is My Cory Catfish Swimming Crazy?
Cory catfish barbel is injured or damaged.
Cory catfish are bottom dwellers and spend most of their time scavenging on the bottom, searching for food.
They use their barbels to navigate the food that is dug into the substrate and then use their mouth to dig into and suck the food.
Without barbels, they will not be able to navigate the food and come under stress.
Injured or lost barbles can be one of the signs that your cory catfish is dying.
Also read: Do Cory Catfish Barbels Grow Back?
They have damaged or injured fins.
Damaged or injured fins can be a sign that your cory catfish is dying.
Fin rot disease is the common cause behind rotten and damaged fins of your cory catfish.
It can spread all over the body if not treated in the early stages.
Also read: How To Treat Fin Rot In Cory Catfish?
They look fat and bloated.
If your cory catfish looks fat and bloated, something is wrong.
Overfeeding or infection can be the cause of such issues.
It can make your cory catfish suffer from life-threatening conditions, and they can even pass away.
They are gasping at the surface.
Gasping for air at the surface can be a sign of your cory catfish dying.
Cory catfish do have a swimming behavior of moving to the top of the tank and gasping air from their mouth.
But, if they stay at the surface for a maximum time, lack of oxygen in the water is the cause.
Lack of oxygen can make your cory catfish struggle to breathe, and they will come under high-stress levels.
Also read: Why Are My Cory Catfish Swimming At The Top?
They have cloudy eyes.
If your cory catfish is developing a cloudy eye, it is a matter of concern.
Physical injury or infection can be the cause behind such issues.
It should be treated as soon as possible, and we recommend visiting the vet for medical treatment.
They are swimming slowly.
Cory catfish are active swimmers and will not swim slowly until and unless they are suffering from some issues.
Inadequate water parameters and conditions can be the possible cause behind your cory catfish such swimming behavior.
All this can make your cory catfish come under stress and become prone to various diseases and parasites.
They have patches on their body.
It is a matter of concern if you notice patches like red patches in your cory catfish body.
Ammonia poisoning is relatively the reason behind red patches in your cory catfish body.
Ammonia poisoning will affect your cory catfish by burning their gills, fins, and body.
They will suffer from a life-threatening condition and can even pass away.
They are not able to maintain buoyancy.
When your cory catfish is suffering in maintaining buoyancy, it is a matter of concern.
Swim bladder disorder is why they are unable to maintain their buoyancy.
It will make your cory catfish come under stress, and they will become prone to diseases and even they can pass away.
They have a physical injury.
If you notice physical injury in your cory catfish, they may pass away.
Your cory catfish can get physically injured because of the presence of aggressive fish in the tank or hitting themselves with the rock or other hard objects.
Physically injured fish will be under stress and lots of pain, and because of that, they will stop eating and can pass away.
What are the reasons behind my cory catfish dying?
All these are the possible reasons behind your cory catfish dying:
- Your aquarium is not cycled correctly.
- The water quality of your corydoras tank is poor.
- There has been an ammonia spike.
- The water temperature of your corydoras tank is not adequate.
- You are overfeeding them.
- They have been affected by diseases and parasites.
- They are under stress for a long time.
- Your corydoras tank is overcrowded.
Improper cycling
If your tank is not cycled properly, your cory catfish will eventually pass away.
Performing a nitrogen cycle is essential to eliminate harmful chemicals from the tank.
Cycling the tank usually means breaking down ammonia into nitrite into nitrate.
So if your tank is not cycled properly, there will be a risk of an ammonia or nitrite spike, which will affect your cory catfish, and they can pass away.
Poor water quality
Poor water quality is the most common reason behind cory catfish passing away.
Corydoras are freshwater fish and require clean water conditions to thrive.
Keeping them in poor water conditions will make them come under stress and become prone to various diseases and parasites.
Usually, the risk of an ammonia spike is higher in a newly set tank, but it can also happen in a well-established tank if the water conditions are poor.
Even a small amount of ammonia and nitrite can make your cory catfish suffer from a life-threatening condition.
Also read: Can Cory Catfish Live In Brackish Water?
An ammonia spike
An ammonia spike is also a common reason behind cory catfish passing away.
There can be various reasons behind an ammonia spike in your corydoras tank.
The most common reason for an ammonia spike is an overcrowded tank, an uncycled tank, poor water quality, the presence of dead fish in the tank, and the presence of uneaten food in the tank.
An ammonia spike burns your cory catfish gills, skin, and body.
It will also affect their swim bladder, making it harder for them to maintain buoyancy and suffer swimming.
All these will make them come under high levels of stress, and they will become weak and can even pass away.
Inadequate water temperature
Inadequate water temperature will make your cory catfish come under stress, and they will start avoiding eating.
Soon they will lose their appetite and will become prone to various diseases.
Unstable water temperature will also make them come under high-level stress.
All these can result in your corydoras suffering from critical conditions and passing away.
Overfeeding
Overfeeding your cory catfish will result in constipation and bloating.
Constipated cory catfish will become weak by not eating and find it hard to move.
They will become weak and can even pass away.
Diseases and parasites
If your cory catfish suffers from disease or parasites and have not been treated at early stages, it can pass away.
Common diseases are swim bladder disorder, constipation, and fin rot.
The most common causes for such diseases are poor water conditions, overfeeding, an ammonia spike, and stress.
Also read: How To Treat Swim Bladder Disease In Cory Catfish?
Stress
Cory catfish being under stress for a long time, can pass away.
If your cory catfish is under high stress for a long time, they will become prone to diseases and parasites.
It will make them weak, and they can pass away.
All these reasons can make your cory catfish come under stress:
- Poor water conditions
- Inadequate and unstable water parameters
- Overcrowded tank
- Irregular feeding
- Presence of an aggressive mate
- Illness
- Injury
Overcrowded tank
An overcrowded tank comes with all these issues:
- It will get dirty faster than usual.
- There will be a high risk of an ammonia spike.
- Your cory catfish will not be able to live and swim comfortably.
- All your fish will not get a regular supply of food.
- Your fish will come under stress because of uncomfortable living.
Keeping your cory catfish in an overcrowded tank will make them suffer, and they can even pass away.
How to prevent our cory catfish from dying?
Ensure all these things to prevent your cory catfish from dying:
- Cycle your corydoras tank correctly.
- Ensure good water conditions.
- Maintain adequate and stable water parameters.
- Feed your cory catfish appropriately.
- Avoid overcrowding your cory catfish tank.
- Avoid adding aggressive fish to your cory catfish tank.
- Provide your cory catfish with a stress-free environment.
Cycle the tank
Cycling the tank correctly is essential to prevent your cory catfish from dying.
You can cycle your tank with or without fish.
To cycle the tank without fish, follow these steps:
- Treat the water with a water conditioner to dechlorinate it and fill it in your tank.
- Add a small amount of food, like pellets or flakes, to your tank until you see the ammonia spike in your tank.
- Continue adding small amounts of food and keep looking for nitrites.
- You will be able to detect nitrites as the beneficial bacteria will start breaking down the ammonia into nitrites.
- Now, keep monitoring nitrates, as nitrates will appear when the ammonia and nitrite get eliminated from the tank.
- When the ammonia and nitrite stand at 0ppm, the nitrogen cycle is completed, and you can now start adding your cory catfish.
Ensure good water conditions
Providing your cory catfish with good water conditions will prevent them from dying.
Perform a weekly water change of 35% to keep the water clean.
Make sure to treat the water using a water conditioner to dechlorinate it.
We recommend using the API water conditioner to treat the water, as it will help you eliminate chlorine, chloramine, ammonia, nitrite, and heavy metals from the water.
You can buy this product on amazon: API TAP WATER CONDITIONER.
Add a good filtration system with biofilter media to protect the water from harmful toxins like ammonia and nitrite.
Make sure to maintain the ammonia and nitrite at 0 ppm and nitrate below 20 ppm.
We recommend using the freshwater master test kit to regularly check your tank’s ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH level.
You can buy it from amazon: API FRESHWATER MASTER TEST KIT.
Adding plenty of live aquatic plants to your corydoras tank will help you keep the tank clean and well-oxygenated.
Maintain adequate and stable water parameters
Maintaining adequate and stable water parameters will help prevent your corydoras from dying.
Ensure all these things to provide adequate water parameters to your corydoras:
- The water temperature should be between 70-82 °F.
- The water pH level should be between 6 and 8.
- The water TDS level should be between 300-600ppm.
- The water hardness should be between 5 and 19dGH.
Consider adding a heater to your cory catfish tank to ensure stable water temperature.
We recommend using the Fluval M200 Submersible heater for your tank.
You can buy this product at amazon: Fluval M200 Submersible Heater.
Also read: Ideal pH Level For Cory Catfish?
Feed appropriately
Cory catfish are omnivore fish that require meat and plant-based nutritional value to fulfill their ideal nutrition requirements.
Feed your cory catfish with foods like bloodworms, brine shrimp, mosquito larvae, blanched vegetables, algae wafers, sinking wafers, and bottom feeder tablets.
To ensure that you are not overfeeding your cory catfish, feed them in a quantity that they can finish eating in one to two minutes.
If your corydoras are taking more than that time to finish their food, you are overfeeding them, and if they finish their food in seconds, you are underfeeding them.
In such cases, increase or decrease the quantity until you get the amount that your cory catfish takes one to two minutes to finish.
Also read: How Often To Feed Cory Catfish?
Avoid overcrowding
An overcrowded tank looks attractive and fantastic, but it has many consequences.
To ensure you are not overcrowding your cory catfish tank, follow the one-inch one-gallon rule, which means one inch of fish per gallon of water.
Cory catfish can be as long as 4 inches, with an average of 2-2.5 inches in size.
Also, they are schooling fish and prefer to live in a large group of their species.
So consider keeping them in a group of at least 5-6 of their own.
All these make a 20-gallon tank a minimum-size tank for your cory catfish.
Also read: How Many Cory Catfish In A 10-Gallon Tank?
Avoid aggressive fish
Cory catfish are peaceful fish and prefer to live with other non-aggressive fish.
They will thrive living with other peaceful fish in a community tank.
Cory catfish are so peaceful that they will not even fight back.
So, if you add aggressive fish like cichlids or others in your cory catfish tank, they will constantly chase and bully your corydoras.
Your cory catfish will keep running and hiding from them, resulting in them becoming stressed and weak.
You must know fish being stressed for a long time will become prone to various diseases and parasites.
These are some best tankmates you can consider adding to your cory catfish tank:
- Neon tetras
- Guppies
- Mollies
- Platies
- Zebra danios
- Snails
- Shrimps
Also read: Can Cory Catfish Live With Neon Tetras?
Provide stress-free environment
Providing your cory catfish with a stress-free environment will make them thrive and prevent them from dying.
Ensure all these things to provide your cory catfish with a stress-free environment:
- Avoid adding aggressive fish to their tank.
- Avoid overcrowding their tank by following the one-inch one-gallon rule.
- Feed your cory catfish regularly with high-quality nutritional food.
- Ensure good water conditions by performing a weekly water change of 35% and adding a good filtration system.
- Keep a stable water temperature by adding a heater.
- Add an air pump to your cory catfish tank to ensure enough oxygen in the tank.
- Keep the ammonia and nitrite at 0 ppm and nitrate below 20 ppm.
- Keep them in a large group of at least 5-6 of their species.
Also read: How To Tell If A Cory Catfish Is Stressed?
Conclusion:
There are numerous ways to know if your cory catfish is dying.
They will show signs according to the issues they are suffering from.
Signs like not eating, not moving, swimming strange, swimming at the top, and damaged fins and barbels indicate that your cory catfish is suffering from issues and is dying.
Provide your cory catfish with adequate water conditions and parameters, avoid overcrowding, avoid adding aggressive fish, and ensure a stress-free environment to prevent such issues.