# Other Aquarium Forums > Freshwater Fauna > Catfishes >  Corydoras with Seachem's Acid Buffer

## jazzyboi

Hi guys, I would like to bring to everyone's attention of Seachem's Acid Buffer. I have lost a few batches of panda and pygmy cory after adding Seachem's Acid Buffer to my tank after a water change. I had always add Seachem's Discus Buffer with no problem. Then it happened when I added Acid Buffer to further lower the PH to 3.7. The corries was covered with white cotton like substance on its body, when left untreated for 24 hrs, you will find their carcasses on the aquarium floor. I have read in some articles that they would produce a venom when stressed which would eventually kill itself. After the first batch experience, I went to buy more panda and pygmy corries. Again, it happened after I added the Seachem's Acid Buffer. Then I catch them all out immediately and put them into another tank with clean water with no Acid Buffer added. After about 15 mins or so, you see that the cotton like stuff started to clear and the corries were active again. My other fishes like apistogrammas, altum angelfish, suriname angelfish, rams and few other discus, have no problem with the Acid Buffer. I was wondering if anyone have similar problems as mine. Probably Seachem's Acid Buffer is a no-no for corydoras keepers! It could wipe out your corries!

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## furyprix

probably due to the lack of scales? they're pretty sensitive to parameter changes, some of my corries are getting erosion on their barbels. i recently added salt to my water, trying to save my neons from dropsy and stuff. and i read today that im not supposed to add salt to water with corries in it.  :Shocked:

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## jazzyboi

> probably due to the lack of scales? they're pretty sensitive to parameter changes, some of my corries are getting erosion on their barbels. i recently added salt to my water, trying to save my neons from dropsy and stuff. and i read today that im not supposed to add salt to water with corries in it.


Yeah I just read that too earlier on, that I am not supposed to add salt to my tank with corries in it! But I need to add some for my Altums....I had since shifted all the cories to another non-Altums tank. They are doing very well. I just lost one Panda cory out of 7 after last night's addition of Acid Buffer after a water change. Managed to save 6 out of 7, not so bad, better that before, all wipe out.

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## furyprix

Do u have any experience with breeding them? Mine spawned yesterday, collected ~30eggs. Don't know if it'll hatch..

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## seudzar

Not sure if you know, the preferred pH for Pygmy cories is from pH 6.2-7. This information I got if from the Internet.

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## CoryDorus

pH 3.7 is too low for most Corydoras.

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## jazzyboi

> Do u have any experience with breeding them? Mine spawned yesterday, collected ~30eggs. Don't know if it'll hatch..


Nope, not for breeding. I had corries since I was in Primary school and had no problem with them. The ones I had lasted me for 5 years or more. Very lasting. I put them together with my Arowanas then. 




> Not sure if you know, the preferred pH for Pygmy cories is from pH 6.2-7. This information I got if from the Internet.





> pH 3.7 is too low for most Corydoras.


Now I know that the low PH of 3.7 could be the cause of the white stuff on the corries. All along I thought that the corries come from the same river as the Altums and Discuses which prefer low PH. Thanks guys! All my panda and pygmy corries are very happily active in the other planted tank with PH of 5.5 which I only used the Seachem's Discus Buffer. So I guess no PH lower than that, should be alright?

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## seudzar

I still find pH of 5.5 is a bit too low. Personally prefer around 6 and above. 

I have hastatus breeding in my tank. I just leave the eggs in the tank.

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## furyprix

Won't the egg/fry get eaten by other fishes or adult Cory?

my rams snack quite abit :/

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## CoryDorus

> Won't the egg/fry get eaten by other fishes or adult Cory?
> 
> my rams snack quite abit :/


Yup. Survival rate is darn low. The proper setup to breed them in numbers maybe quite extensive in effort.

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## stormhawk

First question, why do you need the Acid Buffer? 3.7 is lethal for most fish, even for blackwater fish. That is literally putting them in acid and it will hurt their gills and their slime coat. Corydoras for most part are happy at ranges between 6 to 7.5 for pH. They are not fussy fish to be honest.

If you intend to breed them, do not keep them with other fish. Make a species-only tank and you will be able to spot your fry. Corydoras hastatus in particular will not eat their eggs or fry so a natural breeding setup will work perfectly for them. Same for most Corydoras species. If you are afraid the adults will eat the eggs, you can gently remove the eggs with your fingers, if you are gentle enough. They are sticky and will get stuck on your finger tip. However, if you want an easier way of removing the eggs safely, place a spawning mop in the tank with only floating plants and direct your flow close to the mop's strands. The Corydoras will lay their eggs all over the mop or the inner wall of the aquarium. Then you can remove the mop and place it in a breeding trap or an external fry tank to raise the eggs separately. Good flow and aeration close and around the eggs is necessary for the development of the embryos within. Adding a drop or two of methylene blue to lightly tint the water blue will help to combat any fungus problems. Do not overdose on methylene blue or all your eggs will die from lack of oxygen.

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## seudzar

As Stormhawk advise, to breed cories, it is best to setup a species tank. So far my tank only consist of 3 types of dwarf cories. Only hastatus are breeding and growing well. They do not eat their own fry or other fish fry as I have a lampeye fry surviving well for the past 1 month in the same tank. But your other fishes like tetra will most definitely feeds on your Cory fry.

Stormhawk, TS was keeping altium which requires very low pH environment and he thought the cories he is keeping are from the same environment the altium are living in. But not many fishes can survive well in very pH environment. So TS, do read up more on the type of fishes when you intend to add into your tank.

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## greenie

They can't tolerate the sudden steep ph changes as other fish. My otos have high sudden ph changes compared to my panda cories. It took 5 days to acclimatize them to my tank ph 5.6 from fish shop water using seachem acid buffer.

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## jazzyboi

> I still find pH of 5.5 is a bit too low. Personally prefer around 6 and above.


I keep them in low PH to be as close as to their natural habitat in the Amazon basin. Secondly, it is to prevent any outbreak of parasites. There are articles mentioned that parasites will not survive in low PH. My discus and Altums has been in peak health with no outbreak of any parasites. Even my Cardinal Tetras are in brilliant bright colours in the tank with PH of 3.7, together with my Altums, discus, rams, apistos. Two pairs of my apistos is having babies now in the community tank too. My corries are very happy in the other tank with PH of 5.5, eating well and very active. It's just that I know that the corries may not survive in PH lower than 5.5. Below is the link to a forum, talking about Low PH in relation to parasites:

http://www.angelfish.net/VBulletin/s...t=29066&page=3

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## seudzar

> I keep them in low PH to be as close as to their natural habitat in the Amazon basin. Secondly, it is to prevent any outbreak of parasites. There are articles mentioned that parasites will not survive in low PH. My discus and Altums has been in peak health with no outbreak of any parasites. Even my Cardinal Tetras are in brilliant bright colours in the tank with PH of 3.7, together with my Altums, discus, rams, apistos. Two pairs of my apistos is having babies now in the community tank too. My corries are very happy in the other tank with PH of 5.5, eating well and very active. It's just that I know that the corries may not survive in PH lower than 5.5. Below is the link to a forum, talking about Low PH in relation to parasites:
> 
> http://www.angelfish.net/VBulletin/s...t=29066&page=3


Woah. Since low pH can kill off bacterias, how about those beneficial bacteria inside the filter?

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## jazzyboi

> Woah. Since low pH can kill off bacterias, how about those beneficial bacteria inside the filter?


Nope, the beneficial bacteria inside the filter is left unharmed.

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## stormhawk

You might want to re-read your own link Jazzyboi.

In it, a forumer also states from factual evidence, that increased acidity of the water will affect both beneficial and harmful bacteria. The only reason why your filter bacteria remain alive is because of water flow across the media upon which they live, as well as on surfaces in the tank where there is a supply of oxygen. 

3.7 is still too low for comfort. Can you imagine putting something as fragile as gill rakers under the stress of highly acidic conditions? Only with good oxygenation can this be possible and even then, your fish may not like it in the long run. I am not trying to tell you what to do with your fish, which are your property, but what I am trying to tell you is for the benefit of their health in the long run. 

http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species...phyllum-altum/

This site is run by a group of dedicated aquarists, both amateur and professional. In it, they recommend the range of pH for altums to be within 4.8 to 6.2. If you ask me, pH 5.5-6 is safe as long as you keep the tank well-maintained and well aerated. Please understand that acidity is no sure-fire method of killing off bad bacteria, because insufficient biological filtration can also lead to unwanted ammonia/nitrate spikes, which can be just as lethal to your fish.

Acid buffers and such should only be used for situations that require their use, otherwise they are not required because our tanks tend to acidify over time with the build up of organic waste, rotting plants and even our driftwood. There are people who are unable to get their pH back up to above 6 or 7 due to these effects within their tanks. Many different situations require different approaches and one-size-fits-all methodology will not work with certain fish. You have seen it for yourself how Corydoras will not adapt to extreme changes of pH.

P.S. Altums are from the Rio Orinoco basin, not the Amazon, and the water conditions may differ.

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## jazzyboi

> You might want to re-read your own link Jazzyboi.
> 
> In it, a forumer also states from factual evidence, that increased acidity of the water will affect both beneficial and harmful bacteria. The only reason why your filter bacteria remain alive is because of water flow across the media upon which they live, as well as on surfaces in the tank where there is a supply of oxygen. 
> 
> 3.7 is still too low for comfort. Can you imagine putting something as fragile as gill rakers under the stress of highly acidic conditions? Only with good oxygenation can this be possible and even then, your fish may not like it in the long run. I am not trying to tell you what to do with your fish, which are your property, but what I am trying to tell you is for the benefit of their health in the long run. 
> 
> http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species...phyllum-altum/
> 
> This site is run by a group of dedicated aquarists, both amateur and professional. In it, they recommend the range of pH for altums to be within 4.8 to 6.2. If you ask me, pH 5.5-6 is safe as long as you keep the tank well-maintained and well aerated. Please understand that acidity is no sure-fire method of killing off bad bacteria, because insufficient biological filtration can also lead to unwanted ammonia/nitrate spikes, which can be just as lethal to your fish.
> ...


Thanks Guru Stormhawk. I will take note. However, I am using peat moss in my canister filter and substrates to lower the PH as well. So far for the last 2 years, there is no bacteria bloom in my tank yet. I bought my Altum two months ago and have not done any QT treatment with antibiotics, just low PH, straight into the community tank with good results. Now my atlums are around 3 inches from top to bottom and coloured up very well. Will monitor the situation and slowly adjust the PH.

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## vic_tan0911

hi bro
may i know you still using Acid Buffer for your cory fish?
my tap water was ph 8.0 and over, i want to make my water lower PH, can u recommend any product for low my ph water? thanks

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## jazzyboi

> hi bro
> may i know you still using Acid Buffer for your cory fish?
> my tap water was ph 8.0 and over, i want to make my water lower PH, can u recommend any product for low my ph water? thanks


i have been using Discus Buffer now. It is safer for corys.

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## vic_tan0911

> bro jazzyboi natural regelator mix with discus buffer?


bro jazzyboi You using seachem neutral regulator mix with discus buffer?
and the PH maintain what PH 7?? u added the buffer directly in the main tank ?

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