Cory cat seems sick/wounded

[willdeed]

Update

Hey folks,

As an update, I've been treating the Cory and pleco with kanaplex (3 doses) and Paracleanse (2 doses), but still seeing the redness and Popeye in the Cory (pics attached).


Any thoughts on next steps? Continue treating with those meds or others? Let them rest for a few more days in the q tank?

 

[Andy Sager]

Hey folks,

As an update, I've been treating the Cory and pleco with kanaplex (3 doses) and Paracleanse (2 doses), but still seeing the redness and Popeye in the Cory (pics attached).


Any thoughts on next steps? Continue treating with those meds or others? Let them rest for a few more days in the q tank?

I'd repeat the Kanaplex full treatment but suspend the Paracleanse. If 2 doses of that didn't kill what was in there, it's not going to. Bacterial diseases can be stubborn and require longer treatment times. The fact that the fish is still alive with an obvious internal condition and not getting worse is a good sign that the Kanaplex may be working. It's going to take some time for the eyes to get better and retract. Patience pays. It could take months. ( Keep up with water changes as directed with the Kanaplex. )
Is the fish eating yet?

 

[willdeed]

I'd repeat the Kanaplex full treatment but suspend the Paracleanse. If 2 doses of that didn't kill what was in there, it's not going to. Bacterial diseases can be stubborn and require longer treatment times. The fact that the fish is still alive with an obvious internal condition and not getting worse is a good sign that the Kanaplex may be working. It's going to take some time for the eyes to get better and retract. Patience pays. It could take months. ( Keep up with water changes as directed with the Kanaplex. )
Is the fish eating yet?

it's hard to tell if he's eating. He is slightly more active than he was a week ago, but I don't see him foraging for food like he used to. There does seem to be waste on the bottom though, so I'm guessing they're both eating. Probably jumping the gun, like you say.

 

[Andy Sager]

it's hard to tell if he's eating. He is slightly more active than he was a week ago, but I don't see him foraging for food like he used to. There does seem to be waste on the bottom though, so I'm guessing they're both eating. Probably jumping the gun, like you say.

Unfortunately, when the eyes are effected, it's hard to tell if the can actually see the food or it's only going by smell. You just need to keep offering foods because eating is a good sign of health. You might want to try target feeding with a turkey baster so that the food goes right in front of his nose to see the reaction. If he eats, keep target feeding until you see the fish becoming more active with swimming around. Try feeding small amounts of frozen foods ( vs dried foods as they will be easier to eat) a few times per day. Swimming around will be a sign that he's able to forage for the food so you can discontinue target feeding at that point. If he doesn't eat, cut back feeding attempts to once a day and if the pleco does not clean up the excess food within the first 30 minutes, siphon it out of the tank to avoid polluting the water.

 

[willdeed]

Great tips. Thank you!

 

[Andy Sager]

Great tips. Thank you!

The key is to do everything possible to keep them alive so that they have the time to heal. I've had fish in hospital/quarantine tanks for as long as 2-3 months while recuperating from viral or severe infections. Remember, fish are like people in that they need strength to recuperate and they get that from foods.