Corydoras Sterbai problem.

[Maloney]

Hi all, one of my sterbai corys has lost its barbs from around its mouth, and doesn't seem as bright as the others in colour, its feeding ok, I have 4 others which seem fine, I have 70/30% mix of sand/small pea gravel substrate.
Any ideas?
Tony.

 

[Nathaniel Whiteside]

Hey tony,

I heard that corys loose their barbs due to damage from a course substrate when rooting through it for food.

Could this possibly be the cause? And maybe picked up an infection from that?

The information you gave was a little vague, maybe photos could help if you can snap the cory in question.

Regards,

 

[mlgt]

They do grow back, but very slowly and its perhaps best if you manage to catch it and put into a quarentine tank and monitor it.

It its lost its barbs it might be prone to infection and weaken its immune system leading it to a whole host of health issues if not looked at.

See if you are able to take a photo of it. I had a sterbai who lost its tail fins as it was being chased by the group. I had to put it aside and eventually made a recovery but the tail looks a little stumpy now

 

[Maloney]

Well substrate was my first thought too and I've had all the corys for the same among of time ,2yrs; on the same substrate ,white sand and patches of smooth pea gravel, and the others are fine ,as are all the other inhabitants, I will try n sort a spare tank tomorrow as quarantine ,as of this eve lookin worse signs of fin damage /rot, the others don't seem to hassle him and he still eating ,but swims to the surface a lot , tank is non co2 , weekly 50% water changes , weekly ferts, no camera available at the mo ,

 

[sparkyweasel]

It's commonly stated that rough substrates can erode Corydoras' barbels. But many people have rough substrates with no problems. Of course, those that say that it's a problem will say that there will be trouble later. I read recently some work by some-one who has actually studied this; unfortunatley I can't find the reference at the moment. He found that the barbel erosion is due to an infection, and usually associated with a build up of dirt in the substrate. He found that it can be cured by cleaning the substrate and making a large water change. Medication may be necessary if the infection is very advanced.
hth