Green on gills of Panda Cory

[KaylNeko]

Hey guys. Anyone know what this is? It's kind of an iridescent green on his gills.

 

[KaylNeko]

I'm starting to wonder if the Pandas don't have something other than ich--I haven't seen any spots yesterday or today, and two have red streaks on their tails and fading to clear bits on their dorsal fins. I tried to snap a few pics, but they move to darned fast. Any thoughts? Nothing I found really matches what I'm seeing--red streaks are labeled as ammonia poisoning, and I'm pretty sure it's not that. Doing a water change today still just because fresh water's good, but numbers were 0, 0, and 5 yesterday.

 

[KaylNeko]

He stood still for a minute finally. The tail shows the red streaks--they're a bit darker in person--and the dorsal shows some of the fraying at the tip.

Anyone? Temperature's up....do I need to put in antibiotics as well?

 

[LyndaB]

I believe the iridescent green is a natural coloring. My peppered corys have the same thing. In one pic, he has the red, in the other, he doesn't. Are you treating the tank for ich? I'm a little confused there.

Check this out: http://www.plantedtank.net/articles/Common-Freshwater-Fish-Diseases/13/

 

[KaylNeko]

Sorry--I occasionally forget not everyone is in my head and more backstory is necessary.

The temperature is raised because it looked like I had the beginning of ich. Other than that, I haven't added any meds or anything since the heat should take care of it with everything I've read, especially catching it early. If, in fact, they have ich--I saw a few spots on two or three fish that stayed in place for maybe a day then they vanished, and there is sand in the tank. It's the change in the pandas that have me most worried--one got very lethargic and started hiding a lot more a few days ago. Now all three are acting more lethargic and hiding more, and two are showing ragged dorsal fins and the red in the tails.

The pics are two different fish--sorry. ^^; One from a few days ago, the other today as soon as he would stand still long enough for me to get a decent picture. The red is new--showed up late last night. Everything I've read, including the link you sent, indicates that red streaks are indicative of either ammonia (which it shouldn't be with my parameters) or an internal bacterial infection, but the pictures I've seen of them look a little different than what I see on my guys, so figured I'd throw it up and ask.

 

[LyndaB]

What is your current temp in the tank? Lots of fish get lethargic when the temp is raised. They prefer 69-75 degrees F.

 

[KaylNeko]

That is true, and it's at about 86. Looking at google images for panda corys, the coloring on the tail could be normal darkening as they age--I saw one that looked almost exactly like the one of my guys with the dorsal fin a little ragged and the tail streaked on the outside edges. Supposedly, he was healthy. >.> If it's normal, their timing was horrible to get grown up coloring *lol*

Two of them aren't moving hardly at all for the last couple hours. The other panda is right with them, except he goes up to the surface for air every 15 or 20 minutes. I know 2 and a half weeks isn't enough to really ascertain normal behavior, but this isn't normal for what I've seen, another reason I'm worried.

I have a feeling I'm just being overly-anxious fish momma, though, at this point.

 

[LyndaB]

Corys are pretty sensitive, especially corys in a new environment. I'd start turning that heat down, a few degrees per day. You should see a difference.

 

[KaylNeko]

All right...so what's the likelihood that I had/have ich if a few spots that could have been ich or sand appeared and then vanished over a couple days? Because if it's there, I'd like to kill it and the heat is supposed to work. With them as lethargic as they are, I'm thinking of pulling them out and putting them in isolation in cooler water while doing the ich for the tank. If they get ich spots, I can treat a small tank with meds more easily than the big tank without stressing them as badly with increased heat. The Black Neons, Sterba's, and shrimp are loving the higher temps, so not worried about them.

 

[gd007]

All right...so what's the likelihood that I had/have ich if a few spots that could have been ich or sand appeared and then vanished over a couple days? Because if it's there, I'd like to kill it and the heat is supposed to work. With them as lethargic as they are, I'm thinking of pulling them out and putting them in isolation in cooler water while doing the ich for the tank. If they get ich spots, I can treat a small tank with meds more easily than the big tank without stressing them as badly with increased heat. The Black Neons, Sterba's, and shrimp are loving the higher temps, so not worried about them.

what ended up happening? I am seeing something very similar on the new panda cory fish i just got.

 

[shark21]

The green looks natural..and I agree with LyndaB I would slowly start getting the water cooler. If your not positive its ich Your probably doing more harm than good with the temps up that high. I would start with a fresh 50% water change ...(once your temps are normal of coarse so you don't shock them) and hold off on feeding them for a day...the Corys should start getting crazy active looking for food.. Hope this helps

 

[gd007]

how about this? is this normal? please see large image

 

[shark21]

Ya that's normal...put some nice LED lights on him and the green will light up like the blue does in a neon tetra!!

 

[Thumper828]

I had Ich maybe a couple months ago...I also have 5 panda cories. The pandas never got infected but I did raise the temperature to 88. I saw no change in there behavior. They stayed active and healthy through the 2 week 3 day process. Best of luck......