# Injured cory cats?



## K House (Feb 2, 2006)

My cory cats are all missing the little feelers near their mouths. I have 4 albino cory cats in a 29 gallon tank. It is semi-heavily planted with a flourite substrate. Every one of my cories has no sign of those little whiskers. It's gotta be the flourite, right? I wouldn't say that flourite is sharp, but it definitely has edges on it and I think rooting around in it has worn off their whiskers. Do you think it is hurting them? If I move them into a tank with a regular gravel substrate, will their feelers grow back?


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## micstarz (Oct 22, 2005)

thats kind of weird. are they showing any stress or injury signs like clamped fins and hiding? =/


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## Corydora_FREAK (Feb 21, 2007)

Ok the "whiskers" are called barbels, and any chipped large substrate can wear them down painfully, do you provide food for them or do you leave them to forage for falling foods like flakes? Also check your water conditions, they can induce stress and increase barbel erosion, were their barbels eroded when you got them? and Their barbels will not grow back UNLESS they are 100% stress free and have ideal substrate nutrition and perfect water. They will NOT grow back if they are completely worn away.  Thats unfortunate, their barbels are like or fingers with taste buds attached, they usually dont live as long without them.


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## Guest (Aug 20, 2007)

I'd blame the Flourite. When my cories were in a tank with regular gravel and flourite mixed, they had short barbels....but after changing to Eco Complete, they have grown longer. 

I've had problems with regular gravel too, but not because of it being sharp....it was more a problem of not keeping the gravel exceptionally clean for them. It was hard to do in a heavily planted tank.

If you can keep the gravel really clean then move them to the other tank. IMO a fine substrate is best for them because its easier to keep clean and isn't sharp.


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## K House (Feb 2, 2006)

micstarz said:


> are they showing any stress or injury signs like clamped fins and hiding?


Nope.




Corydora_FREAK said:


> Ok the "whiskers" are called barbels, and any chipped large substrate can wear them down painfully, do you provide food for them or do you leave them to forage for falling foods like flakes? Also check your water conditions, they can induce stress and increase barbel erosion, were their barbels eroded when you got them? and Their barbels will not grow back UNLESS they are 100% stress free and have ideal substrate nutrition and perfect water. They will NOT grow back if they are completely worn away.  Thats unfortunate, their barbels are like or fingers with taste buds attached, they usually dont live as long without them.


I thought they were called barbels but I wasn't sure! ;-) No, I just let them forage. As a general rule, I overfeed. And I feed them frozen bloodworms, mysis shrimp or spirulina enriched brine shrimp twice a week. But I usually only feed in the mornings. I can start putting some brine shrimp pellets or sinking tablets in at night if that would be better for them. My water quality is good and I do a gravel vac/water change of 25% once a week. No, their barbels were not eroded when I got them. But they were tiny babies when I got them and they are actually all still pretty small.

I am thinking about setting up just a 10 gallon tank for them with some sort of really small gravel. I don't want sand particularly because I already have a tank with sand substrate and I hate it. It's such a pain to clean! I end up missing the poop and siphoning out a cup of sand!

That is VERY sad that their barbels are so sensitive and they won't grow back. Maybe if I get them into their own tank... Can't hurt to try, right?


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## Sowilu (Jul 16, 2007)

Flourite is out of my supply list.....thanks for the info.

I don't want my fellows to go through this.


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## Corydora_FREAK (Feb 21, 2007)

right but i doubt they will grow back, but you learn through your mistakes. good luck!


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