[Fin2you]

So the 1st 2 I got on Friday settled in nicely & then on Monday we got 3 more. Within a few hrs 1 had died, but that happens. All was well Tuesday and all day today until about 1/2 an hr ago when I noticed a 2nd cory floating sideways at the top of the tank in a corner. Fin nudged it and it swam away & it is now in the bottom of a plant almost being held there by a few leaves. I am certain the 2 that are always hanging out together are the orig. 2, 1 I know for sure b/c it's lighter in color than the others.
Not sure this community tank for my Betta is worth it. :-?
thoughts suggestions?

 

[fishy friend2]

Did you acclimate them properly? typically most Corydoras species don't tolerate hardness and PH conditions well when it dracstcalyy changes in a short time period, and it majorly affects them leaving them stressed, making there immune system low which leaves the helpless to diseases. Also what are your readings?

 

[Fin2you]

yep they got 45min floating in their bag in the tank b4 I netted them into the tank, where I fed everyone a bit to help them settle.
the only thing that's not normal readings is yesterday and today my ammonia level has gone up it was .5 yesterday (I immediately did a 20% water change & the emergency tank buster treatment) & today the reading was between .5 & 1 & I did another 20% change with day 2 of the treatment.
the only thing I've changed is I ran out of my Splendid Betta conditoner & a friend highly recommended EasyBalance w/Nutribans(?) so when I did my weekly 75% water change I used that... I'll be honest I'm not sure I'm happy with this conditioner. I wish the Splendid Betta came in a bigger bottle b/c I go thru it so fast with my tank!

 

[Hanky]

Research DRIP ACCLIMATION for your fish, floating the bag only gets the temperature equal you need to get them used to the chemicals as well

 

[Fin2you]

Interesting! I've always done something similar with my bettas each time I've gotten them (putting them from the bags/containers into my 1gal sick bowl, after an hr adding a couple tbs of tank water, then another every 15min until the bowl is almost full. Then I net & transfer.)
I'm hopeful #4 makes it he was swimming around normal for a bit but then went right back to sideways against the corner. now is back under the 1 plant. I hope in the morning he'll be back to normal, the new female is doing just fine together with the other female & my original male. It's amazing just how easy it is to tell the difference is shape & body color on these guys if you really look at them!

 

[fishy friend2]

20% water changes aren't enough when the ammonia is that high, ideally you should do water changes around of where the fish only has enough space to swim upright

 

[Fin2you]

I thought so too, but was just following the directions on the bottle of Tank Buster Ammonia & Nitrate Spike Solution. Tomorrow will do a full clean after I go get a different water conditioner!

 

[Hanky]

Yea it really is a much better way, just get yourself a few feet of air tubing enough to reach from the tank to a bucket tie a few knots in the line so the water just trickles out. Dump the fish and water from petshop in bucket get the tube to syphon into bucket and let it go for an hour or two then just net them out and dump the bucket down the drain and refill tank

I do 50% water change ounce a week as basic maintenance, more if I have ammonia issues, keep in mind dead fish can raise your ammonia pretty quickly

 

[Fin2you]

the 1st 1 that died on Monday I removed immediately he couldn't have been dead more than 1/2 an hr. I've been watching this one's funny behavior for the last 5 hrs. Only change is now there's no laying on side at top of tank, but he's back hiding in a plant.
But call me crazy but I just went and checked the tank again, (been about an hr since I was in that room)...I didn't turn on the lights I turned on the hall light & I swear the Betta is stalking all of the cory's. he's creaping up slowly and staying a bit away and then lunging, just touching the tail then darting away when the cory moves. I watched this for a good 5min & if the cory caught sight of Fin they'd lunge at him and he'd bolt. Could this in ? cory have been scared by my playful (or is this the start of aggression?) & extremely stressed out?

 

[Hanky]

Yea he might be getting stressed out, you had cories in this tank before right? had no problems till you got more? Could be your betta is just curious but the cory is in fear for its life.

 

[Fin2you]

Yep I got my 1st 2 cory's on Friday last week along with a Spixi snail & everyone was getting along fine, even eatting together. Then Monday a friend was at the store & offered to pick me up more as everyone recommended min. 5 or 6. 1 right from release was swimming with tail crooked, it's the 1 that died within a couple hrs. the pet store offered me a refund on that one. Then ya from Mon afternoon-today late afternoon everyone seemed fine, sometimes the 4 of them were together, sometimes paired off othertimes they were all on opposite sides of the tank....

 

[Fin2you]

ok so this morning "scardy-cat" came out from the plant when I fed, he ate a bit then he bolted right back for the hiding spot.... would adding a few more cory's make this 1 feel more comfortable? Or does he just need some time?

 

[Fin2you]

Update; pre-treatment (today would have been day 3 of a 4day treatment) ammonia test levels were all the way up to 2.0. I blew my top it should have been down to .25-.50 I went into my local Pet Planet store & said HELP, the spike is going up not down. after a long discussion they recommended switching water conditioners as they agreed with my suspision that the Tetra EasyBalance was the problem. They recommended API's TapWater Conditioner or their Stress Coat+. Infact the owner who's kept fish her entire life suggested using them together today and then just the conditioner tomorrow with day 4 of the tank buster spike fixer.
While I was changing the water all 4 cory's were swimming together, & afterwords Scaredy-cat didn't go hide in the plant.
after an 80-85% (couldn't go more b/c 1 of my plants would have collapsed completely over the tank on the fish~I know it's overkill for this tank but my betta loves it, it's his sleeping spot!) the ammonia test reading was between .25 & .50 (couldn't tell which parameter it really was), nitrates & pH 0