Cory Pygmaes questions, expert advice needed

[tasothegreek]

OK here goes and great board, been always reading here and there but firt post.

Cory pygmaus, love the fish, now want to keep it. Always a tough fish but they eat the dry food and if necessary they could be fed banana/white worms and small live if necessary.

I am in hobby since 18-20 now 40. Have experience. Not good with high maintenance fish cuz lazy. Now do tank maintenance. work retail fish store all my life.

Bought cory p from wholesaler and they were (I assume) there since last shipment week ago. Pretty sure. Look ok i guess hard to tell with small fish. Buy 12, take home, feed right away flake crushed. Keep bottom free w/sponge filter and heater. Used one almond leave 1 to soften water . use tap water very aged and bio filter going.

siphoned tank day 2 , 10 gallon, half full, used di water half and half with tap water, fish dying day 8-10, looks like minor tail rot,m just sying in all types of horrible ways.

is it lack of meds that I am taking them off of because of shipper? dont know shippers methods and prob their tanks IMO will laways have meds.

need help bringing in such fish. I like them./ I am sure its the meds. should I not use carbon in their tanks and ,medicate and for this fish, what meds?

any help or an outstandingly goods linl would be greatly apprr. by this humble servant of thw catfish.

[apistomaster]

I would have placed the dozen Corydoras pymeus in a quarantine tank of 5 to 10 gallons and supply it with a thin layer of pool or play sand only >1/4' thick. I would include some small pieces of wood and small flower pots and a half dozen 2" sections of 1/2" inside diameter PVC pipe. I wouldn't use any plants except possibly some Java moss in the quarantine tank. They are a naturally shy species and need to be made to feel secure to to reduce their stress. I would only feed them live foods for the first few weeks. Grindal worms and chilled live bbs are my preferred live foods for dwarf Corydoras of any species. White worms may be a little large for them to eat. That depends on how large/old they are.
I would feed hem any prepared food since they are not likely to eat all of it before it spoils. Use the same caution with any live foods that die before being eaten. Be sure to siphon away any dead uneaten foods. I don't usually medicate my new newly acquired dwarf Corydoras as I do with the normal sized species or plecos but it might be helpful to treat them with Hikari PraziPoro and some malachite green based Ich meds. use the PraziPro for 2-3 weeks but the malachite green just for the first 5-7 days.
I would keep them in water at 80 to 82*F for the first 2 or 3 weeks.
I raise C. habrosus and C. hastatus on a permanent basis. I concentrate mainly on the Corydoras hastatus because they are more difficult to find at any given time.