Salt or eSha-2000 for cory treatment?

The cory I posted about before with a white mark on her forehead is getting worse, seems to be spreading down the sides now, and a second one has a small chunk missing from their tail now, which looks as though it might be developing either a bacterial or fungal secondary infection. Not fuzzy growth like the way fungal infections usually look though, so I'm suspecting perhaps bacterial?Looks more like a whitish sheen on a scrape.

They do seem to rest on top of and wedge themselves behind the sponge filter at times. Have added more fake silk plants and another chunk of driftwood for additional hiding spaces, and some more almond leaves for hiding/beneficial properties.

I want to move onto treatment now that a second one has a problem and it seems to be worstening, but not entirely sure whether to start with a lower dose aquarium salt treatment, knowing cories are sensitive to salt, or to use the eSHa-2000 I have in stock which is meant to work against fungus, finrot and bacteria infections. I have used the eSHa 2000 in a tank with bronze cories with no obvious ill effects before.

Tank size: 48 litres/12 gallon quarantine tank
pH: 7,6
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: < 5 after large water change today
kH: 10
gH: 253ppm
tank temp: 76

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior): White mark appeared on forehead of bronze cory suddenly 19 days into quarantine after having looked perfect. Looked the same the next day, but has begun to spread three days after first appearing. Now second cory has a small chunk missing from top her tail with a white spot. (not ich like though).

Volume and Frequency of water changes: Usually 50-60% twice weekly, daily at first while tank was mini cycling (newly set up Q.T, but established filter) and 60-70% daily since this white mark appeared. Have just done a 75% water change after wiping down tank walls, substrate vac and cleaning the sponge filter. Ready to add a treatment now.

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: Only declorinator.

Tank inhabitants: four young bronze corydoras bought 1st September.

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): some in vitro grown weeping moss, some frogbit from a tank without issues.

Exposure to chemicals: only the declorinator.

Digital photo (include if possible): Sorry for terrible pic, this is from when the mark first appeared;


The tank before I added the extra hiding spots/almond leaves/live plants.

@essjay can probably answer this better than most, because she is located in the UK as well.

Hope your little guys get better soon! I hate to see sick fish.

@essjay @Colin_T @NCaquatics @Ch4rlie @kwi ?
I'd really appreciate any thoughts or opinions! Even if you're not sure which you'd go with, any inclination what you'd try first if these were your fish? I think either could help. With most fish, I'd probably try salt for around three days and see if it got worse or improved, before trying the medication, but have only used salt with livebearers before (and it worked brilliantly) and I know cories are sensitive to salt and certain meds... so I'm torn.

I've also seen Colin suggest either one or two tablespoons of salt per 20 litres, up to four for salt tolerant species like livebearers. So one, or two tablespoons?

In this thread just above where this link directs you to, I pasted Colin's salt dose, and then Deanasue corrects the dosing

I avoid salt with cories, personally, so I cant advise with the salt. I tried it once with my cories and they completely freaked out at a very small amount, so I dont do it with mine.

Generally, most meds cories do best half dosed.

NCaquatics said:

I avoid salt with cories, personally, so I cant advise with the salt. I tried it once with my cories and they completely freaked out at a very small amount, so I dont do it with mine.

Generally, most meds cories do best half dosed.

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Thanks hon, that kind of feedback helps! The eSHa 2000 seems pretty gentle and the cories in the 57 gallon were okay with it. I used it as a preventative when worming so can't yet attest to how effective it might be, but their wormers are good, and both shrimp and cories were okay with it. did cause a mini cycle though, so will have to watch for that.

I've never had cories so cannot really say much when it comes to treating cories for anything.

However I am aware that most cory species tend to be very sensitive to salt treatments from past members comments as well as NCaquatics earlier post on this thread.

Personally, I would probably use esha 2000 at a lesser dosage than normal as this is fairly good medication rather than using full dosage, would avoid salt altogether but as I said before, I've never kept cories (yet!) so its not from personal experience that am suggesting this method.

If they were any other specie of fish other than cories then I would probably would have tried salt first then esha 2000 at full dosages.

Thank you so much for the all the help you guys! It really helps. I decided to go with the eSHa 2000, they definitely need some kind of treatment what with how fast it appeared and spread, it's definitely weird how they looked so good for 19 days in quarantine, yet suddenly this appeared

Have started the eSHa 2000 first day dose, I'm starting full dose but watching them closely, if they react at all, I'll do another 50% water change and dilute it out to a half dose.

I added that second piece of bogwood, removed the hunk of slate (no sharp edges on it, but just in case) and added some more of the fake silk plants, so I'm hoping they'll hide and sleep behind that rather than wedging themselves around the double sponge filter, which I'm suspicious of now. There really isn't much in there they could hurt themselves on, and no other fish that could nip them.

They're still eating and acting normally, so hopefully the eSHa will nip it in the bud.

I think the cories are getting better, was able to get some clearer photos today. It's bothering me that the white spot/patch on the ones tail hasn't gone, but on the other hand, it hasn't gotten any worse either. The one that had a big white patch on her head and spreading down her sides, the patch on the head has improved, but there is still a white-ish sheen on both sides and can still see a bit of the white on her head.

They're still eating and acting normally, so I've extended the eSHa 2000 treatment for an extra two days, then will revert to daily water changes for a while and see if they continue to improve, or if I need to repeat the eSHa med, or try something else. Still mystified about what happened, how this appeared 19 days into quarantine, what this is.

Photos taken today, five days into eSHa treatment.
Fish on the right, white sheen on right side and forehead.


Fish on the left, white sheen on her left side. Fish on the right is the one with tail damage/white patch on the damaged tail tip.


You can see the white patch on the damaged tail tip more here. It's not fuzzy like fungus though, and hasn't changed since it appeared.



Damaged tail tip girl again.

Tail girl on the left, white sheen girl on the right.

Her forehead has improved a lot, but still visible whiteness there and on her sides.

Doesn't look as bad at some angles, depends on the light catches it.

The two with problems.

Just because they happened to line up in size order and I thought it was cute...!


@Colin_T now I have some clearer photos, do you have any idea what might be going on here, please? Or what I should do next?

The patch on the tail is new tissue growing. There was a ripped fin there. It'll darken as it grows. Normal for new finnage to be a different colour. No fuzz or inflammation, no redness it looks good.

The other wounds are clearing up well. They do look like they're improving.

I'll get you some comparison photos in a moment about the fins.

This guy had a torn tail fin when I first got him. He arrived in the mail with it.

This was the day he arrived, clean cut tail



This was a few days later the tail tissue started to regrow, notice the whiter growth.


This was 2 weeks later, regrown but you can still see a little bit of a difference in the new tissue, including a "seam" where the tissue was originally ripped at. This has since faded to look totally normal.


But new finnage grows like that on cories, provided its not red or fuzzy, it is normal in healing fins.

You can see the "seam" on your fish's tail too, where it was originally ripped and started to heal from.

NCaquatics said:

You can see the "seam" on your fish's tail too, where it was originally ripped and started to heal from.
View attachment 117742

Click to expand...

Oh man, that's such a relief to hear, thank you so much! No wonder it didn't look worse or better! I didn't even consider regrowth, doh! Maybe because I only saw the white on the tail after seeing the white mark on the forehead of the other one, and I was thinking fungal, bacterial, something else that might have spread... really had me worried.

I'm still scratching my head about what happened to them. They've been in there since September 1st, didn't see the torn tail when I got them, wish I'd taken more photos then, but my camera settings were messed up. Could the tail have been damaged when I got them and since it's small and at the top, I just didn't notice until the regrowth appeared? But it can't be that, since it would have shown regrowth within two weeks, like yours did. So must have torn her tail in this tank, but I haven't netted them, and everything in there is smooth

Smooth bogwood, smooth lump of stone with no jagged pointy bits, soft silk fake plants, almond leaves, and a sponge filter. They do sit on top of and wedge themselves around the sponge filter. I moved that out of the corner and into the middle of the wall so it's one less corner they can wedge themselves into.

But what on earth happened?? To two of them? I'm so confused!
But relieved that it's regrowth, and healing well, thank you so so much!!

@NCaquatics More pics, just because I thought these derp faces were cute Do you think they look okay otherwise? You know, besides the one that has a torn tail, and the other that has white patches all over her

Any thoughts on sexes? I'm still not good at this yet unless a female is mature and really fat, lol. I feel like I have three females and one male here. Pretty sure the two largest ones (tail tip and white face) are girls, but I could be wrong!

I do see 1 male in one photo but can't see otherwise in the others.

Clipped tail girl is a girl, nice and chunky.

You know, the tank is still fairly new to them, they very well could have caught the tail on something, much like some clumsy people stub their toes or walk into things in places they're not familiar with yet.