Albino Cory Cat

[becky0323]

if you have another tank that it can go in then yes remove it to give it good space and peace to recover, you'd need to set the filter for teh spare tank up with mature media from the main tank to cycle it instantly.


if not you can medicate the whole tank, you'll basically get a bottle and it'll say something like add 1ml for every 5 litres of aquarium water every other day for a week. So work out the quantities for your tank and just follow the instructions

make sure when you're treating that you keep water as clean as possible and provide the best nutrition that you can. just like with humans the better the conditions you are in the higher your chances of recovery

THanks for the explanation. I am assuming the bacteria meds won't harm the other fish?
Also, do you have a 2nd suggestion for what meds to get in case they don't have your 1st choice? I know that asking someone at the store isn't always the best thing to do.

 

[NonstickRon]

if you have another tank that it can go in then yes remove it to give it good space and peace to recover, you'd need to set the filter for teh spare tank up with mature media from the main tank to cycle it instantly.


if not you can medicate the whole tank, you'll basically get a bottle and it'll say something like add 1ml for every 5 litres of aquarium water every other day for a week. So work out the quantities for your tank and just follow the instructions

make sure when you're treating that you keep water as clean as possible and provide the best nutrition that you can. just like with humans the better the conditions you are in the higher your chances of recovery

THanks for the explanation. I am assuming the bacteria meds won't harm the other fish?
Also, do you have a 2nd suggestion for what meds to get in case they don't have your 1st choice? I know that asking someone at the store isn't always the best thing to do.

I've been feeding my Cory's "New Life Spectrum Thera A" pellets. Supposedly its a nutritionally balanced holistic fish food...my cory's absolutely love it. The Thera formula is high in garlic to boost the immune system. It was $10 at one of my LFS. A bit hard to find but easy to locate on the internet. I highly recommend it.

Edit: My ghost shrimp love it too! Whenever I drop some in they all come out of hiding right away to get some before the corys eat it all!

 

[Miss Wiggle]

no, it's not that much fun for them but won't do them any harm!

just look for anything that clearly states its an anti bacterial medication designed for bacterial infections.

interpet no 9 is another fairly decent one.

 

[becky0323]

no, it's not that much fun for them but won't do them any harm!

just look for anything that clearly states its an anti bacterial medication designed for bacterial infections.

interpet no 9 is another fairly decent one.

Well we have treated the water with bacterial meds for the 1st time. The cory is still is hanging in there, although not moving around much. We also got some shrimp pellets for the corries to eat. We also noticed that the sick cory looks like it has tail rot too.

Will keep you posted.
Thanks for the help!

 

[OldMan47]

You do want to keep a close eye on your water chemistry now as the medication can destroy your cycled filter by being "antibacterial". Once you get the cory on the road to recovery you may need to re-cycle the filter using a fish-in cycle. It can be done but will take some dedication to water chemistry on your part. It is one of the reasons that some of us keep an extra tank as a hospital tank. The hospital tank is usually small and water changes for a couple of weeks on a small tank are not the big deal that a month or more on a large tank would present.

 

[becky0323]

You do want to keep a close eye on your water chemistry now as the medication can destroy your cycled filter by being "antibacterial". Once you get the cory on the road to recovery you may need to re-cycle the filter using a fish-in cycle. It can be done but will take some dedication to water chemistry on your part. It is one of the reasons that some of us keep an extra tank as a hospital tank. The hospital tank is usually small and water changes for a couple of weeks on a small tank are not the big deal that a month or more on a large tank would present.

So, do you recomend that we test the water daily? The meds we have need to be put in 3 more times
(API TC Tetracycline). I believe the box said to do water changes while giving the meds, I assume that is supposed to help the levels? Can you explain what you mean that we may need to filter using a fish in cycle? Is that something that needs added to the water?

Thanks for you help.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

well the medication is anti bacterial, which means that as well as killing the bacteria in the fish there's a chance it'll also kill off the bacteria that live in your filter and keep the water clean. if they die off then the filter would stop processing the fish's waste and you'd end up with ammonia in the tank, you'd need to do a series of water changes until the bacteria grow again. the link in my sig 'whats cycling' talks you through a fish in cycle.

however a lot of people do use anti bac meds without killing off the bacteria so don't panic, just monitor the situation.

 

[OldMan47]

Sorry MW and Beccie, I didn't want to start a panic, just a warning that there is a threat to be aware of.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

no, you're right to point it out. it's just something to monitor though, i know it can potentially happen, but i've yet to see anyone who'se actually had more than a day or two of mini cycle

 

[becky0323]

no, you're right to point it out. it's just something to monitor though, i know it can potentially happen, but i've yet to see anyone who'se actually had more than a day or two of mini cycle

Last night was the 3rd of 4 treatments for the tank. We also did a 25% water change as the directions said and tested the water. The cory is still holding on and moving around a little bit. How long should it take to know if it will get better and/or to know if the tank needs more treatments for it?

UPDATE: The cory is still breathing but now laying on its side. Should I assume that means it is not getting better???

Also, there are bubbles at the top of the tank. Is that from the carbon being taking out per the meds directions or due to the meds???

 

[Miss Wiggle]

bubbles are from the meds, make sure you've plenty of oxygenation in the water.

got to give it a bit of time to work, it can take a few days.

what do the instructions for dosing say on the treatment?

 

[becky0323]

bubbles are from the meds, make sure you've plenty of oxygenation in the water.

got to give it a bit of time to work, it can take a few days.

what do the instructions for dosing say on the treatment?

ok, how do you make sure there is plenty of oxygen??

The meds said to dose the tank 2 times, change 25% of the water and do 2 more applications (each one was daily)

is it a bad thing that it is laying on its side??

 

[Miss Wiggle]

make sure the filter output breaks the waters surface and makes waves, the splashier the better when you've got meds in the tank.

being honest, yes laying on it's side is not good, there may be hope for him but it's a relatively slim chance.

just finish the course of meds, if when you finish he's still alive but there's no improvement do a massive water change and then start again with another course of meds, if at the end of that there's no difference then it's time to consider euthanasia

 

[becky0323]

make sure the filter output breaks the waters surface and makes waves, the splashier the better when you've got meds in the tank.

being honest, yes laying on it's side is not good, there may be hope for him but it's a relatively slim chance.

just finish the course of meds, if when you finish he's still alive but there's no improvement do a massive water change and then start again with another course of meds, if at the end of that there's no difference then it's time to consider euthanasia

I am sorry to say after all your help, the cory did not make it. Is it normal to have a fish die every so often?
Should I assume that we don't need to treat the water again this evening for the last treatment?

Now, how do I make sure the water is OK for the rest of the fish??

I am at a loss how we could have done anything better since the water has been testing at the correct levels and we change the water as suggested.......

Thanks again everyone for your help and explaining everything to us!

 

[Miss Wiggle]

everyone has the odd un explained death from time to time so don't be too hard on yourself. It certainly sounds like you've been doing things right, sometimes the fish is just the runt of the litter so to speak and is susceptible to diseases.

Finish the course of meds just to make sure you eradicate it from the tank.