lost, injured barbels

[barvinok]

I have 4 juvenile albino corydoras for over two month now. Yesterday notice that one of them lost his barbels and today found that another one has injured barbel.

-Substrate-small gravel same as in another tank with corys
-About 3 weeks ago water temperature was slowly raised to 80-82F to house blue balloon rams
-2 weeks ago small peace of driftwood tied with the plastic to a rock was added

Why those injures happened and what should I do to stop it?
Could the high temperature make corys prone to injures?
Will barbels regrow?

[ckmullin]

what type of substrate?

[GaryofMontreal]

A common cause of barbel problems on Corys is poor water quality. Are you doing a weekly 20% change?
Sometimes rough gravel can do it, but pollution is a common cause. Corys and their barbels can be the 'canary in the coal mine' for crowded community tanks.

[barvinok]

I'm doing 10-15% water change every third day. Will do 30% today.
Will barbel regrow?

[CACAdmin]

Sorry to hear your little cory lost his barbels. Not being a cory keeper, I'm not much help in offering advice but as far as I know his barbels will re-grow (someone please correct me if I am wrong on this).

[h2osanity]

The higher temps might have caused it but water quality is the biggest factor. If you have higher nitrates with a higher temperature, it could prove the biggest cause. Very alkaline water could do it as well, minerals or salinity leaching out of something, a body fungus....many possible causes.

Corys do not regrow their barbels to their original size. It might heal up but you will have to maintain an almost spotless tank. Corys rely on their barbels to sense unspoiled foodstuffs on the substrate as well as under it, like we rely on our noses to tell if food is rotten. ;)

The best substrate for corys is sand. White Pool filter or black blasting sand or any of the finer freshwater sands sold in petstores as long as it is inert and doesn't leach alkalinity. Don't use sand recommended for marine tanks or african cichlids.

[barvinok]

[quote=h2osanity;108211]The higher temps might have caused it but water quality is the biggest factor. If you have higher nitrates with a higher temperature, it could prove the biggest cause. [/quote

More likely it was the reason. The high temperature tank is new to me. Najas grass start deteriorate at this temperature and I did not remove it ASAP which probably cause the problem
Use to maintain 21-22C community tank with same type of gravel and never had problem with corys. Hope to learn how to deal with 27C water