Cory Catfish not doing well . . . Someone help!!!!

[MeredithW]

I know this is a chicken website . . . but . . . I had a very important question to ask about my aquarium.

The other day, I got and algae control because the algae in my tank was getting out of hand. I followed the directions for a ten gallon tank, and today I noticed that my Cory Catfish is feeling down. One minute he's fine, and the next he's laying on his side not moving. I have another one who seems fine, though. I was thinking, could his behavior be because of the algae control thing? I know it's a strong chemical but it said on the bottle that it doesn't harm fish. And I followed the instructions . . . :\. Right now he's swimming around as happy as ever, but not two minutes ago he was laying beside an ornament I have in the tank hardly breathing. I'm really confused.

CAN ANYONE HELP???

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I know this is a chicken website . . . but . . . I had a very important question to ask about my aquarium.

The other day, I got and algae control because the algae in my tank was getting out of hand. I followed the directions for a ten gallon tank, and today I noticed that my Cory Catfish is feeling down. One minute he's fine, and the next he's laying on his side not moving. I have another one who seems fine, though. I was thinking, could his behavior be because of the algae control thing? I know it's a strong chemical but it said on the bottle that it doesn't harm fish. And I followed the instructions . . . :\. Right now he's swimming around as happy as ever, but not two minutes ago he was laying beside an ornament I have in the tank hardly breathing. I'm really confused.

CAN ANYONE HELP???

What specific product did you use? There are certain fish that are more susceptible to certain chemicals due to their scaleless nature.

 

[MeredithW]

What specific product did you use? There are certain fish that are more susceptible to certain chemicals due to their scaleless nature.

The brand is called Api and I've used their products before and I've been happy with them . . .

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

The brand is called Api and I've used their products before and I've been happy with them . . .

Is it API Algaefix?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

That product is not all that effective and has been reported to cause reactions in fish despite the assurances on the packaging.

I would do a series of water changes over the next several days. I would also dispose of the remaining product.

Out of control algae is indicative of an imbalance within the tank - by identifying and addressing the imbalance you can prevent algae problems and avoid using potentially harmful chemicals. What type of algae are you dealing with? How much light (both from your lighting and from exposure to sunlight) does the tank receive? What is the current bio load of the tank and what size of a tank is it? What are your feeding practices?

 

[Rowsdower]

I would do a big water change to dilute the chemical. How long has the tank been established? What is your normal maintenance routine?

 

[MeredithW]

Is it API Algaefix?

Yes, it is.

 

[MeredithW]

Ok. Here is all I know about my fish/tank:

I got this tank about a year ago, but just put my fish in about three weeks ago. It is a ten gallon tank. I have gravel on the bottom, two live plants, and two ornaments. I have a filter, a heater and a lamp above the tank. I am currently housing three Red Eyed Tetras, three Guppies and two Cory Catfish. I feed the fish about one-two times a day with Aqueon Tropical Flakes. The algae got so bad, I did research and decided to buy the API product. Many people said it worked well with them and others said it didn't . . . The Tetras and Guppies seem perfectly fine . . . it's just the Catfish that I am worried about. I will do a tank cleaning this week. I don't want to harm my fish but I also want to get rid of this algae! One of the customers of this API product said it worked fine for them and it got rid of the algae. Many people said the same thing. I am not using the full amount that they told me to use. I am only using seven drops every three days when it is supposed to be fourteen drops every three days.

I hope this helps a little.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

You put the fish in approximately three weeks ago - had the tank for a year - was the tank up and running (just without fish) for anytime prior to them being added? Are you familiar with the process of cycling a tank? An algae bloom of this type is likely the result of a sudden overload of nutrients in the water (from the introduction of fish, their waste, fish food, etc) and *something* has to consume those nutrients. Since the tank was new (as far as the biological cycles involved) the algae were able to take advantage and take over. Reducing the amount of nutrients available and limiting the amount of light per day will be more effective and offer a better long-term solution to the algae problem. What are the plants you have? Knowing the type of plant will guide how much you can afford to limit lighting and still preserve those plants. The type of plant will also need to be factored into whether the light you are currently using will be likely to be succesful long-term.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

On another note - are the guppies in a same sex grouping? If all female, are any of them showing signs of being gravid (pregnant)? The reason I ask is that a 10 gallon is not very large and with guppies can quickly become overpopulated. If this is your only tank have you thought about what you are going to do with any fry produced by the guppies? (the other species are not much of a concern on that front as far as potential to reproduce in this particular setup)