Sick Cory

[vero]

Hi,

One of my Bronze cory is sick. He looks "swelled" (for example, his ventral fins look thick). Some of his scales are sticking out. He has some translucid and round bumps close to his dorsal fins. His barbels have started to get shorts. He looks also bloated (his "stomach" is sticking out). His eyes are swelled up (they make nice big balls).

What does he have and what can I do to help him?

I isolated him in a 2gal tank and I started a treatment with Melafix yesterday. He still eats.

He was never a very active cory, always hiding under the piece of wood. I hardly ever saw him swimming, except when I tried to look at him.. he'd get scared and swim like crazy to a different hiding place. Not a happy cory behavior. I bought him from the same place I got the cory that lost his mouth (he is now recovering, though he has been less active since yesterday... should I QT him too?).


Thanks for your help.

vero


2~What are your tank parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, pH)? Please give exact values.

Ammonia and Nitrite are 0. Nitrate are around 5ppm (maybe less)

3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up?

It's a 20gal that was set up in March.

4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number (i.e. Fluval 304) and amount of gph if known.

See signature.

5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes?

See signature.

6~When is the last time you did a water change and vacuum the gravel? How often do you do this? How much water do you remove at a time?

I do water changes and gravel vac every week. I did it last Wednesday.

7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them?

I've had that cory (and another one) for a about two months now. The other one that I bought at the same time got sick just after I bought him (there is a post about him). At the time, I had treated the whole tank with Melafix. That one is now recovering and his mouth is growing back. The other fish I got a week ago. The currently sick fish looks a bit weird (swelled, barbles shorter, bloated) before, but I couldn't have a good look at him so didn't notice the scales and the bumps as he was hiding too well. I think he was sick before I brought the other fish.

8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.?

No. But I use AquaPlus dechlor when I do the pwc.

9A~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently?

Haven't changed. I use Nutrafin sicking pellets and flake food.

 

[Toirtis]

1. Melafix isn't really a treatment...it is a tonic that helps prevent infection on open wounds.

2. My first impression is that this is one nasty bacterial infection....quarantine him ASAP, slowly raise QT tank temp to 80ºF, and start a course of a broad-spectrum antibiotic immediately.

 

[vero]

He is already QTed.

... Sorry I wrote Melafix, but it is Pimafix I'm using. The bottle says it treats fungal infections and internal and external bacterial infections... Is Pimafix good enough? Otherwise, what would be a good product to use?

He does seem to be getting better. Some of the translucid bumps are gone (what are they?).

Should I treat the other fish in the main tank? If this cory had bacterial infection, wouldn't the bacteria be all over the tank he was in?

Thanks.

 

[Guest]

Sounds like it's a more serious problem. I should remember what the disease is called but I can't recall it. Anyone else know what I'm talking about? The fish get bloated and the scales all turn out? Jeesh, that's what I get for trying to think at 12 AM.

 

[vero]

I decided to euthanize my sick cory, as well as the other one (with the missing mouth - he wasn't feeling well since the other cory got sick). They really looked like they were suffering too much.

I won't be buying fish were I bought them again...

The other fish in the tank still look good, but I'm keeping an eye on them... hope all is well.

 

[SilverDragon]

Aww thats sad that you had to euthanize them... it sounds like he had Dropsy.

 

[Zagz]

Sorry to hear that, by euthanizing them you probably made them suffer a lot less. Good luck with the rest of the tank.

 

[vero]

Yes, it was sad. But I think it's for the better as he was really suffering. Right after, I read on a forum that dropsy is also nearly impossible to cure.. that confirmed that I had done the right thing to send him off to the big fish tank in the sky.

I'm still keeping a good eye on the other fish that lived with him. They all seem to be doing really great. I guess they didn't catch the disease. Thanks goodness.

 

[FMJnaX]

Aww thats sad that you had to euthanize them... it sounds like he had Dropsy.

I'll double on the dropsy and add pop-eye. Dropsy, and usually pop-eye, isn't really an illness as much as it's a symptom. The problem is that dropsy can be caused by a variety of illnesses. Everything from internal parasites to bacterial infections. The most common results, I believe, is internal organ failure (namely kidney). This is what causes the internal bleeding/bloating, which causes the scales to stick out and the eyes to bulge out. Once this stage is reached, survival is nearly impossible (though I've read that it can be done).

I think you made the right choice as the future looked grim for your poor little guy. I would watch any other fish that may have been in contact since dropsy is a near-end stage of the problem/illness, which means that the others could very well be infected with the same illness.

Just my 0.02