Discus eating dead cory

[714pedro]

good day to all SD,
noobie here, i have a 50gal w/ 7 juvies (around 4mos old) ranging from 1 1/2" to 2", w/ 4 corys , set up is gravel and 1 pc driftwood, eheim 2215 and HOB filters, temperature set at 27.

when i got home from work today, 2 of my corys are dead and was suprised to see 1 of my juvie pecking at the stomach of the dead cory ,dont know if he had eaten some part of it, but when i net out the cory it is still in one piece, the reason for the dead corys are still unknown to me, as of yesterday they are still active..

should i be alarm at this scenario?
must i do something or issue any medicine to the tank for pre caution?
why or how do you think the corys die?

thanks and more power to SD

P.S. planning to do a 30%wc right now

[Eddie]

No worries, definitely be a good thing to check on the cause. Being that the juvies are so small, I wouldn't assume they killed the corys but I wouldn't rule it out. Definitely check the water parameters to see if there is any ammonia/nitrite. You say your temp is 27= 80.6. I would bump the temp up to about 86F but the corys may not take the higher temps depending on the type you have. Also, increase air if you do elevate the temperature.

All the best and sorry to hear about the corys,

Eddie

[rickztahone]

if you do decide to take it up to 86 make sure to do it slowly. 2 degrees per day should be fine

[714pedro]

wow thanks for the quick response and help.. just finish 40%wc and will up the temp..
will observe if anything changes, hope not...

i have a question bout the heater, i'm using a jager150w heater, what is the purpose of the blue button on top of the heater? is it a preset button? maybe i'm not setting it correctly.. even it show 27degrees, coz when i hold the aquarium on the outside its kinda warm for 27degrees, maybe the temp is higher than it shows in the dial? maybe that is the reason why my cory dies? is that a possibility??

thanks again

[rickztahone]

wow thanks for the quick response and help.. just finish 40%wc and will up the temp..
will observe if anything changes, hope not...

i have a question bout the heater, i'm using a jager150w heater, what is the purpose of the blue button on top of the heater? is it a preset button? maybe i'm not setting it correctly.. even it show 27degrees, coz when i hold the aquarium on the outside its kinda warm for 27degrees, maybe the temp is higher than it shows in the dial? maybe that is the reason why my cory dies? is that a possibility??

thanks again

do you have a thermometer on the tank? i'm not sure if i understood this correctly but did you take out the heater from the tank and turn it on? the little blue button might be calibrate. i've never had a jager but i know they can be recalculated so that might be it.

HTH

[Eddie]

Ahhh.....The Jagers can run hot. The actual dial setting can be totally off. Definitely get a thermometer, a cheapy glass one works fine. The blue button is a calibration button in the event you need to calibrate the heater. I have had to calibrate a few of my latest ones but once they are set, they stick to the temp spot on.

Eddie

[714pedro]

@Eddie, thanks, actually i have a thermometer in the aquarium which i think is not working properly. becoz it always show 32/33degrees, i think i will find a new one..
Btw is it possible for you to explain how can i calibrate the heater correctly? or how do i use the blue button??

thanks..

[Eddie]

Actually, the thermometer might be right and the heater may be getting the tank too warm. That would explain the dead corys. :(

I will find you the directions in a second. I just need to find the post. Time me!

Eddie

[Eddie]

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=72025&highlight=jager+calibrate

That was fast!

[714pedro]

ok i got it now, pulling the blue button and set the temp of the "tank" not the temp i want, and after pushing down the button thats the time i will set the temp i want for the tank., i think i also didnt understand the instruction in the box fully,
so many thanks Eddie..

[Eddie]

Any time, always here to help.

Take care,

Eddie

[exv152]

I don't think it would hurt to test the water parameters too, just in case it was not the heat that killed the corydoras. ;)

[Jhhnn]

Wrt calibrating jagers, I put it a little differently in this thread, but it's the same deal-

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=73139

High temps will definitely kill many corys, and testing the water parameters is never a bad idea.

I'm very fond of the stick-on lcd thermos from Jehmco, for example. The precision manufacturing makes them extremely consistent and accurate. At worst, they'll measure a degree or two low in a very cool room... they don't break and they're easy to read, too...

[714pedro]

i think i got the correct temparature right now,,

thanks guys

[Eddie]

Sounds good, best of luck with your fish!
Eddie

[Apistomaster]

Wrt calibrating jagers, I put it a little differently in this thread, but it's the same deal-

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=73139

High temps will definitely kill many corys, and testing the water parameters is never a bad idea.

I'm very fond of the stick-on lcd thermos from Jehmco, for example. The precision manufacturing makes them extremely consistent and accurate. At worst, they'll measure a degree or two low in a very cool room... they don't break and they're easy to read, too...
I also use LCD color changing stick on outside thermometers. They are remarkably accurate although most aren't much help above 86*F. It's a good idea to have one digital thermometer to cross check readings.
I have calibrated dial type thermometers, 2 different electronic testing meters for pH and TDS/Electroconductivity which provide additional means to check a thermometer's accuracy.

[Jhhnn]

I also use LCD color changing stick on outside thermometers. They are remarkably accurate although most aren't much help above 86*F. It's a good idea to have one digital thermometer to cross check readings.
I have calibrated dial type thermometers, 2 different electronic testing meters for pH and TDS/Electroconductivity which provide additional means to check a thermometer's accuracy.

That's why I like the ones from Jehmco- they read from 70F up to 102F (21C up to 39C) in 2F increments... 86F is dead center, perfect for discus...

Back in the early 90's, I used some lcd thermos that had really large 1/2" square indicator windows... Can't seem to find 'em now... I could check the temp with a glance across the room...

[Apistomaster]

jhhhn,

That is good to learn that jehmco.com sells high range lcd stick ons. Jehmco is always a good source for fish room gems, Pun intended. I'll have to stock up on a bunch. All my fish are warm water Plecos, Discus and Apistogramma spp.
86*F is my target but during the summer peak temps many of my tanks barely stay under 90*F. Yesterday was 106. This should be nearly the end of the hottest days.

I learned something else in this thread. I did not know Jaeger heaters had a calibration mode. I invested in black Stealth heaters for all my tanks because they are hard to break. Unfortunately, they seem to be just as unreliable as most other brands. I may have to try a few of the others and if I like them I will gradually replace the Stealths as they die. I already have a box of them that had failed after a year or two of use. Most heaters are junk.

[Eddie]

jhhhn,

That is good to learn that jehmco.com sells high range lcd stick ons. Jehmco is always a good source for fish room gems, Pun intended. I'll have to stock up on a bunch. All my fish are warm water Plecos, Discus and Apistogramma spp.
86*F is my target but during the summer peak temps many of my tanks barely stay under 90*F. Yesterday was 106. This should be nearly the end of the hottest days.

I learned something else in this thread. I did not know Jaeger heaters had a calibration mode. I invested in black Stealth heaters for all my tanks because they are hard to break. Unfortunately, they seem to be just as unreliable as most other brands. I may have to try a few of the others and if I like them I will gradually replace the Stealths as they die. I already have a box of them that had failed after a year or two of use. Most heaters are junk.

Hey Larry, I have about a dozen Eheim Jagers, of those are 5 heaters I bought when they first switched to Eheim, around 5-6 years ago. They are still going strong! Haven't even had to calibrate them. Its the new ones that I end up having to calibrate. It may have just been a certain batch because the last few I picked up are spot on. ;)

Eddie

[Jhhnn]

I suspect that the jagers are tough, with 2mm thick glass. Seems like it'd take a pretty strong rap against a sharp edge to break 'em.

There's nothing sharp in my bare tanks, but the fish manage to get scraped, anyway, particularly the blue bonehead crew, my scorpions. They'll spook explosively and collectively, always at feeding time, bounce themselves off the sides of the tank... I can't imagine them not being badly torn up in a tank w/ sharp rocks and manzanita branches...

[Eddie]

I suspect that the jagers are tough, with 2mm thick glass. Seems like it'd take a pretty strong rap against a sharp edge to break 'em.

There's nothing sharp in my bare tanks, but the fish manage to get scraped, anyway, particularly the blue bonehead crew, my scorpions. They'll spook explosively and collectively, particularly at feeding time, bounce themselves off the sides of the tank... I can't imagine them not being badly torn up in a tank w/ sharp rocks and manzanita branches...

Oh, mine are the same. They get spooked and crash into anything in front of them. They'll get gashed up foreheads and it takes weeks to get the spot covered in blue again. :(

Eddie

[exv152]

... I learned something else in this thread. I did not know Jaeger heaters had a calibration mode. I invested in black Stealth heaters for all my tanks because they are hard to break. Unfortunately, they seem to be just as unreliable as most other brands. I may have to try a few of the others and if I like them I will gradually replace the Stealths as they die. I already have a box of them that had failed after a year or two of use. Most heaters are junk.

I didn't know that either (jagers could be calibrated) and I have some extra ones that stopped heating, or didn't heat enough so I put them aside. I then went out and bought some stealths and now I'm thinking the jagers may just need to be calibrated, especially given the stealths have been occasionally known to deep fry discus.

I have a question though, do you really need to put the heater to the max when connecting it to a kill switch/controller? I'm thinking of getting a controller and setting it to 86ºF and leaving my heater control the heat between 82-84ºF by its own thermostat. That way you have two fail safes at work. Would that not work?

Eric

[Jhhnn]

I didn't know that either (jagers could be calibrated) and I have some extra ones that stopped heating, or didn't heat enough so I put them aside. I then went out and bought some stealths and now I'm thinking the jagers may just need to be calibrated, especially given the stealths have been occasionally known to deep fry discus.

I have a question though, do you really need to put the heater to the max when connecting it to a kill switch/controller? I'm thinking of getting a controller and setting it to 86ºF and leaving my heater control the heat between 82-84ºF by its own thermostat. That way you have two fail safes at work. Would that not work?

Eric

That'll work, although something like the ranco controllers are a lot more heavy-duty and reliable than the workings of aquarium heaters... Let the controller do the work, if you have a good one, use the heater's internals as a backup. They should last longer if they're not working on and off. You don't have to set the heater to max- just a couple of degrees above the desired setpoint- something you'll notice if the controller fails on and the heater takes over...

[exv152]

That'll work, although something like the ranco controllers are a lot more heavy-duty and reliable than the workings of aquarium heaters... Let the controller do the work, if you have a good one, use the heater's internals as a backup. They should last longer if they're not working on and off. You don't have to set the heater to max- just a couple of degrees above the desired setpoint- something you'll notice if the controller fails on and the heater takes over...

Thanks John,
I heard the heavy duty controllers can be a bit tricky to program, and some need to be wired, is this true?

[Jhhnn]

Thanks John,
I heard the heavy duty controllers can be a bit tricky to program, and some need to be wired, is this true?

My single stage ranco was a snap to program, once I read the instruction sheet, and they're available pre-wired or not from Jehmco... Mine wasn't, but I'm technically adept- it's occupational...

Their pre-wired model is the ETCI-1R, the one at the top of this page-

http://www.jehmco.com/html/temperature_controller.html

[exv152]

I just bought one today from jehmco. thnx