Columnaris or fungus?? Cory cat

Tank size: 20ga
pH: 6.5
nitrite N02: 0
nitrate N03 20
General hardiness GH: 30
Carbonate hardness KH: 40
tank temp: 77-78
Filtration: topfin 20 + whisper 20 set for low
Current tank inhabitants: 3 neon tetras, 5 harlequin rasbora, 1 cobra guppy, 1 panda cory

My panda cory got fuzzy! Didn't notice night before last but hardly saw him that night. I have some api meds fungus cure, general cure, and fin and body. My gut was fungus. But dont know what columnaris is other than bacterial. I would like to treat asap!! See pics. Please help, my posts never get responses.

The Corydoras has fungus on its body. It is not Columnaris.
Columnaris is a bacterial infection that usually infects the mouth of fish. It starts off red and makes the lips look inflamed, then gets a whitish film over it and then fungus will often get involved too. The Columnaris bacteria will quickly eat away the tissue on the fish's mouth and spread to the jaw, throat, gills and sinuses. This occurs very quickly, within a few days and most fish are dead within 48 hours of showing signs of Columnaris.
Columnaris does not normally affect other parts of the body, and is relatively rare in clean established aquariums that have not had any new fish added.

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The fish has been damaged and a fungal infection has set up home in the wound. Salt is a good treatment for most fish but Cories don't like too much. If you can't get medication today then add 1 level tablespoon of rock salt or swimming pool salt for every 20litres of tank water. Then try to track down a medication with Methylene blue in, that should do the job but will stain the silicon blue.
Continue treatment for at least 1 week, preferably 2 weeks after the fungus is gone.

To work out the volume of water in the tank,
measure length x width x height in cm,
divide by 1000,
= volume in litres.

When you measure the height of the tank, measure from the top of the gravel/ substrate to the top of the water.

Remove any carbon from the filter when you use medication, and increase aeration/ surface turbulence to maximise oxygen levels in the water.

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Does the fish live under any sharp rocks or driftwood? If yes, then remove the sharp objects and dispose of them or smooth them off so they don't cause further damage.

How long has the tank been set up for? If it has finished cycling, you should look at getting more neons and Cories, but don't do it until this fish is healthy. Neons and Corydoras need to be kept in groups of 6 or more, neons do much better in groups of 10 or more. Same with the harlequins.

When you get any new fish, quarantine them in separate quarters for at least 2 weeks (preferably 4 weeks) before you add them to the main tank.

Increasing the general hardness to about 150ppm will help your guppy. A Rift Lake water conditioner (in powder form) can be used at 1/4 to 1/5 strength to increase general and carbonate hardness, and will cause the pH to go up a bit, but it shouldn't be a big issue for the fish you have.

Thanks for the thorough reply. Tank has been up and running with the current stock since sept/oct? (Guppy in for nearly 2 years and has survived my few stocking debacles). I do a 25-50% water change every 2 weeks. Since stock was added ive lost my dwarf gourami, 1 rasbora, 3 neons. Never figured out neons sickness. Been wanting to add more corycats and neons for a while but the health conditions have not allowed that to happen.

I do have QT that is only 3 gallons and filtered. I usually QT a few fish for 4-6 weeks with weekly water change. My med has victoria green - which I think is bad for neons?

There is a castle that isnt sharp with the exception of a small side hole that the cory feels the need to enter at full speed sometimes. Maybe he doesnt fit as well as I thought through it.

You can make a quarantine tank out of a plastic storage container. They are cheap and have lids and can be bleached after use and stacked away until needed.

Put your spare filter in the main tank and leave it there until you get new fish, then set up the quarantine tank/ tub with tank water and the spare filter and a heater.

If the castle is from a petshop it is probably plastic or resin. You can use a small file to smooth off the hole or make it bigger for the Cory.

No idea what Victoria green medication is. Did you mean malachite green?

Dwarf gouramis are not a fish I recommend keeping any more. They have too many issues ranging from fungal infections through to their iridovirus that kills 99% of fish it infects. Avoid dwarf gouramis at all cost unless you can quarantine them for several months.

Attached are pictures of a medication that I picked up back in December. The ingredients are 3mg Victoria Green 8, 30mg Acriflavine. I have treated with this before but in half dose compared to the instructions on the box. One time when I did full dose it killed all my neons. (Thought maybe too strong for small fish) Kinda like a big guy not getting drunk on a few beers but a small person getting very drunk.

I also have Melafix, I have Erythromycin, and I have Docycycline Hyclate

Google search says Victoria Green is another name for malachite green, which is a common ingredient in broad spectrum fish medications. It is also extremely toxic and causes cancer if you have frequent and regular contact with it. But it does have uses for fish keeping. Just be sure to wash your hands with warm soapy water after using any fish medication or working in the aquarium.

Acriflavine is another commonly used chemical found in broad spectrum fish medications.

Melafix and the medication with Victoria Green & Acriflavine should treat the fungus on the Corydoras. Melafix will usually cause foamy bubbles to occur on the surface.

I assume the medication is in powder form. If so carefully open the packet and add the required amount to a container of water. Stir the water and mix the solution up, then slowly add the solution to the aquarium near the filter outlet so it mixes into the tank water slowly.
Be very careful with the powder, do not inhale it or get it on your clothes. If you do then put clothes in wash and have a shower.
You should wear gloves too when handling it.

Erythromycin and Doxycyclene are both anti-biotics and do nothing to fungus and should only be used as a last resort to treat bacterial infections. They will wipe out all bacteria in a tank including beneficial filter bacteria.
*NB* Improper use of these anti-biotics can lead to drug resistant bacteria that kill birds, fish and animals.

All medications and test kits should be kept cool and dry to stop them breaking down. A plastic container with tight fitting lid can be used for the fish chemicals. Put the lid on the container and keep it in the fridge. Make sure children and animals cannot get them.

I will remove my charcoal filters and start a regiment tonight when I get home from work with the Victoria Green and Melafix. If he starts to look better in a few days I will probably be going to buy him some friends (and obviously put them in QT) - as that was my plan this month anyways. Thank you for your help on this.

Before you treat them, wipe the inside of the tank down with a clean sponge, do a complete gravel clean and big water change. Also clean the filter materials. This will provide a cleaner environment and allow the medication to work on the fish rather than all the organic matter in the tank and filter.

The substrate isn't good for Corys.
Food will get out of reach very fast.
It is underfed and therefor vurnerable for infections.


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