Bronze cory with popeye - limited or no QT options...

Hi,

I've just spotted that one of my 8 corys has pop eye in both eyes, so I gather more likely to be bacterial. It's possible it was like this for a few days already without my having noticed. Otherwise seems happy - normal behavior, and still feeding. Possibly a little bloated/larger than usual - but if so only slight - and I might be imagining that (my guess is it is one of the larger (female?) ones, so hard to tell).

We've had unseasonably warm weather here in England for the past 3 or so days (up to c. 32'C), with the tank up from it's usual 25'C to a max of 27'C.

I've just done a 50-60% water change, but the water parameters were good beforehand (0 amonia / 0 nitrite / slight nitrate - maybe 0.5). pH c. 7.6, DH c. 13. KH >8.

125 litre (c. 33g) community tank with 3 pearl gourami, 8 corys, 12 glowlight tetras, 1 bristlenose and 4 amano shrimp Rest seem fine.

I typically do a 40% water change every week, sometimes 10 days. No chemical treatments, no new fish in c. 2 months. No carbon media (Juwel 125 tank with biogravel pimped filter).

Unfortunately I don't have a spare tank (best is a 15 litre bucket; and possibly a slightly larger plastic bucket - volume tbc). I do have a 19 litre (5g) Fluval Spec, but it has 5 bamboo shrimp and a bunch of breeding bloody marys (RCS).

I was, however, planning to upgrade the shrimp tank for a 45L shortly and keep the Spec for QT / medication. However, it's likely to be at least a week before I can get all the equipment for a new 45L and get that up and running. I suppose I could get a filter and heater asap, and put it in the largest bucket I have (min 15L) ...

I've heard a lot of conflicting advice on treatment. Any suggestions on what I should do / what meds to order / whether to treat whole tank / await second tank / improvise a second would be greatly appreciated. It's my first sick fish, so a bit panicked and unprepared!

Many thanks in advance,

Dan

You could add some salt to the tank but if you do you might just want to add half of what is recommended or something because corys get irritated by salt. The best thing to do is to seperate him and treat him but for now you could add some salt.

Wipe the inside of the glass with a clean fish sponge.

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a week.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

Clean the filter if it hasn't been done in the last 2 weeks. Wash filter media/ materials in a bucket of tank water and re-use them.

Increase aeration/ surface turbulence to maximise oxygen levels in the water.

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You can add rock salt (often sold as aquarium salt), sea salt or swimming pool salt to the aquarium at the dose rate of 1 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres of water. If there is no improvement after 48 hours you can double that dose rate so there is 2 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres.

If you only have livebearers (guppies, platies, swordtails, mollies), goldfish or rainbowfish in the tank you can double that dose rate, so you would add 2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres and if there is no improvement after 48 hours, then increase it so there is a total of 4 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres.

Keep the salt level like this for at least 2 weeks but no longer than 4 weeks otherwise kidney damage can occur. Kidney damage is more likely to occur in fish from soft water (tetras, Corydoras, angelfish, gouramis, loaches) that are exposed to high levels of salt for an extended period of time, and is not an issue with livebearers, rainbowfish or other salt tolerant species.

The salt will not affect the beneficial filter bacteria but the higher dose rate (4 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres) will affect some plants and some snails. The lower dose rate will not affect plants, shrimp or snails.

After you use salt and the fish have recovered, you do a 10% water change each day for a week using only fresh water that has been dechlorinated. Then do a 20% water change each day for a week. Then you can do bigger water changes after that. This dilutes the salt out of the tank slowly so it doesn't harm the fish.

If you do water changes while using salt, you need to treat the new water with salt before adding it to the tank. This will keep the salt level stable in the tank and minimise stress on the fish.

Thanks all for the advice.

Ok, so I isolated her in the 15L bucket with a heater and almond leaf for about 36 hours (and a double dose of Prime), with a c. 0.5% salt solution (about 5g per 10L), with a 50% water change after 24 hours (maintaining the salt level).

I must have filled up the bucket too high during that change, and left it uncovered, because maybe 3 hours later I found the poor thing on the floor. No idea how long she'd been there (max 3 hours(!)). I'd assumed that was that, but I popped her back in the water just in case ... and she woke up!

Thankfully, 6 hours later, she's now installed in a 25L hospital tank, with cycled media in the filter. With a heater, some frog bit and a little spare sand on the bottom, plus the almond leaf.

Seems to be doing ok, though seemed (unsurprisingly) a bit lonely and stressed to me, plus not eating. Left eye in particular seems to be a bit less swollen; maybe fractionally the right eye too.

Water dosed with API Stress Coat and API Stress Zyme+ (as is the main tank).

Melafix and more salt arrives tomorrow (plus some Bug Bites and other nice cory food). I assume worth treating with Melafix too, since it may be a bacterial thing (?).

And maintaining current salt dosage, given some signs of improvement.

Sadly doesn't seem to be doing too well. Very inactive (apart from some whisker movement), sheltering under the Indian almond leaf, and not tempted by food, even the Bug Bites Bottom Feeders. I'm not hopeful, but will continue to try my best.

She seemed pretty happy whilst in the main tank, but the risk to the other fish was too great. I don't supposed jumping out of the bucket helped either! Still, fingers crossed...!

Any point in tea tree oil (I gather that's the main or active ingredient in Melafix)? 1 drop per gallon (US or imperial, though?! I hate gallons!). Perhaps 1 drop per 5 litres...?

I've also ordered some Esha 2000, which I gather might be a better treatment than the Melafix.

I assume worth doing regular water changes (maintaining salinity and relative concentrations of other things like Slime Coat). 25% daily, perhaps?

nobo said:

1 drop per gallon (US or imperial, though?! I hate gallons!). Perhaps 1 drop per 5 litres...?

Click to expand...

That's why I always work the dose rate out in litres. It is usually US gallons, but some (eg King British) use Imperial gallons. However, using litres there can be no mistake.

Update: Still in the 25L hospital tank with pop eye in both eyes (slightly worse on one side), and rather worse than than when he began isolation (though now seemingly stable level of inflammation). Still rather inactive but flightly when spooked.

No improvement despite salt treatment and a 4 day course (on double dose, as per instructions for a very sick fish) of Esha 2000.

Any thoughts on next steps? Higher salt dosage? (Currently around 1g / litre). Any other medications worth trying?

Patience. Keep up regular water changes in the hospital tank. I have only had to deal with this once - in my case there was no change for almost 2 weeks and then suddenly one day everything was back to normal. I never actually used salt or medication, daily water changes were enough, but as you have started that way you may as well finish the course.

Do bigger water changes (75%+) every day for at least 1 week and treat the new water with salt. The bigger water change each day will help dilute any bacteria in the water.

Don't have a light on the quarantine tank.

I don't know what is in esha2000.

Thanks both. Will do and report back. Fingers crossed...

Colin_T said:

I don't know what is in esha2000.

Click to expand...

Ethacridine lactate
Copper sulphate
Proflavine hemisulphate

So, nearly 2.5 months on...

Still alive in QT, but I'm wondering whether it might be best to euthanase. Poor thing is battling on though, so seems harsh!

Still has popeye - still worse in one eye than the other.

Seems a little bloated and somewhat floaty - often has to swim downwards; has taken to wedging itself into places to keep itself in place.

Occasionally has colour changes - going quite pale.

I've finished the salt treatment, and phased that out; plus it's has 2 rounds of Esha.

It could have a growth in its brain that is pushing the eye out a bit.

Floating about can be from too much dry food. If you use dry food, stop for a week and use frozen or live food. See if it improves.

Epsom salt pulls fluid off and is good for Popeye. Not sure she can handle an epsom salt bath though.