Bump / growth on head of corydoras?

[ninky]

Have a 10g tank with 6 cories and a betta. Everyone seems to get along, tank is clean, no ammonia or other issues that I'm aware, small amount of planting.

I noticed that one of my cories seems to have developed something on his head. Originally it had a whitish cottonish look but seems to have gone away into a sort of blister bump. I've pulled him out of the tank and he's stressed, obviously, but don't want to put him back in until I'm 100% sure it's OK. Originally I took him out, put him in a small half gallon container where he wasn't happy but put in some mardel anti-ich, which deals with fungus and protozoans, a very small amount. I don't see the whitish fuzz in the earlier picture but I still do see the bump. He seemed fine for 2 days but now I found him hiding and seemed to have some labored breathing, so I segregated him. Seems to still have energy but unsure of next steps. Thoughts are most welcome.

 

[connorlindeman]

Looks like a bacterial infection.
Others will have more information.

 

[Byron]

I'll tag @DoubleDutch for his opinion, he has a lot of cory experience. I don't guess at disease issues.

 

[DoubleDutch]

To be honest I don't exactly know. Sorry.
Over the years this is more seen in C.sterbai and there hasn't been any consensus what is causing it. Just yesterday I removed 2 pics of Sterbai having something alike (covered in it). Sorry I can't help.

 

[ninky]

Thanks. It's odd. I separated the little guy, put in a little pimafix, kept him out overnight with a tiny amoun of salt, and he seems to be anxious to get out of purgatory.... and back in he is still a bit quiet but seems very much alive and happy to be back in the group.

 

[Byron]

I will mention one thing here, sand that is the substrate. There are a couple of reasons why Corydoras should never be maintained over gravel. First, they cannot sift it through their mouths/gills to feed as they are designed and intended to do. Second issue may be more relevant here, and that is that gravel is more prone to bacterial issues for cories than sand. There is also the roughness, and from what I see in the photos this is also an issue.

The food for Corydoras has to be designed for these fish. Upper fish flakes are not advisable because they usually have too much protein for cories. These fish all primarily feed on insects, insect larvae and crustaceans in the habitats. Fluval Bug Bites is the ideal food for them, along with a quality shrimp pellet. Frozen daphnia is ideal too. Shrimp, live or frozen if small enough. Diethas a lot to do with cory health. I at first wondered if the white lump here was a protein deposit. Here is Ian Fuller's response to a question asked on his FB site:
"Too high protein foods will certainly cause gel like growths at the base of fins and even between the body scutes. The example you give about the person changing the diet to an algae based diet and it curing the problem is in itself strange, because Corydoradinae catfishes are not biologically equipped to eat and digest vegetable matter, they do not have teeth with which to graze algae or cut through plant matter. Too many aquarium food manufacturers put too much emphasis on their foods containing high protein. These are fine for carnivores but not our Corys, who naturally will be sifting the substrate or through the natural bio film that forms on all underwater objects, like fallen branches, exposed roots and rocks, searching for insect larvae, crustaceans, and other microorganisms. Some of the bio film including algae's will be consumed, as will small amounts of the sand substrate itself."

 

[ninky]

Thanks - the gravel, albeit small, is temporary. It started as a betta tank and then the Sterba were just too adorable not to take at a later date. They will have some matte black sand to enjoy tomorrow morning.

Thanks also for the food note. The betta gets bloodworks and Atison's betta pellets, which he doesn't seem to care for and usually goes after the bloodworms floating on the surface and then ventures down like the pain he can be. The cories get a mix of veggie wafers, catfish shrimp and krill mix or bug bites crushed up on different days. They eat better than me, lol. Once a week everyone gets some frozen brine shrimp. They usually have enough.

I think the lump might have been some type of fungus that one had for some odd reason. At first it was like a tiny but of white cotton and then that left and became a raised transparentish jell looking bubble that is very suble but noticeable. Hopefully the pimafix and some salt reduced it enough to get rid of it, along with the clean water that is ammonia free and has other healthy paramters. Thanks much for your comments and additional research.

 

[DoubleDutch]

I will mention one thing here, sand that is the substrate. There are a couple of reasons why Corydoras should never be maintained over gravel. First, they cannot sift it through their mouths/gills to feed as they are designed and intended to do. Second issue may be more relevant here, and that is that gravel is more prone to bacterial issues for cories than sand. There is also the roughness, and from what I see in the photos this is also an issue.

The food for Corydoras has to be designed for these fish. Upper fish flakes are not advisable because they usually have too much protein for cories. These fish all primarily feed on insects, insect larvae and crustaceans in the habitats. Fluval Bug Bites is the ideal food for them, along with a quality shrimp pellet. Frozen daphnia is ideal too. Shrimp, live or frozen if small enough. Diethas a lot to do with cory health. I at first wondered if the white lump here was a protein deposit. Here is Ian Fuller's response to a question asked on his FB site:
"Too high protein foods will certainly cause gel like growths at the base of fins and even between the body scutes. The example you give about the person changing the diet to an algae based diet and it curing the problem is in itself strange, because Corydoradinae catfishes are not biologically equipped to eat and digest vegetable matter, they do not have teeth with which to graze algae or cut through plant matter. Too many aquarium food manufacturers put too much emphasis on their foods containing high protein. These are fine for carnivores but not our Corys, who naturally will be sifting the substrate or through the natural bio film that forms on all underwater objects, like fallen branches, exposed roots and rocks, searching for insect larvae, crustaceans, and other microorganisms. Some of the bio film including algae's will be consumed, as will small amounts of the sand substrate itself."

This is a different thing than the case on FB. I have seen tens of threads about the issue as in this case. Strange thing is : It only shows in C.sterbai somehow.

 

[ninky]

The substrate was changed now to a heavy sand and I've permanently isolated him in another clean bucket. Hopefully none others will show this issue, water is super clean. I'm just so upset because they were happy in the group of 6 and he is occasionally lethargic, seems fine but started to look lethargic again. Unless he's clean I'm going to have to keep him out but it's clear he's totally miserable isolated in a 4 gallon bucket on his own. have an airstone in there too and the temperature is around 77 or so. While it was up a little higher, not sure if just a couple of degrees will make much of a difference or stress him out even more.

I've done a google search and found one other case that appears virtually identical and happens to be an a sterba cory/c. sterbai. Supposedly it may be something called lymphocystis. I recall having this happen once a long time ago and don't think it turned out well, as most of these things go.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

I had something similar on a bronze cory once...

These four were still in quarantine when this appeared, @Colin_T saw excess mucus, thought it could be a bump. or possibly a bacteria infection. I used eSHa-2000 and lots of large water changes and it went away, but also made the four cories still in quarantine give me my first surprise cory spawn! All those water changes no doubt, but it stil really caught me off guard!

I hope your little guy can battle whatever it is and return to his group. I have six sterbai with my bronzes too, and they are much more shy and keep to their own group for sure.

 

[DoubleDutch]

Are you guys by coinsidence using waterconditioner with Aloe Vera ?

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Are you guys by coinsidence using waterconditioner with Aloe Vera ?

I don't, not sure why it appeared on that cory, they had all looked flawless for the first week or two.

 

[DoubleDutch]

It looks like an excess of mucus cause of something in the water (or other parameters than they were in).

 

[ninky]

I had something similar on a bronze cory once...

Thanks for sharing, great story and happy ending.

I found another post with a bronze and pepper cory owner stating the same. I too have seen this mostly with sterba, although I don't know why.

Thanks also for the sympathy. We'll see what happens with #6. I kept him out because it was more than just jelly and saw some whiteness on top that made me question a fungus.

 

[ninky]

Are you guys by coinsidence using waterconditioner with Aloe Vera ?

Good question. No. Was using either Tetra's Aquasafe+ or Seachem Prime. Didn't get to use or need Stress Coat or anything else. These guys all arrived home from the store and was thrilled to see them. I wonder whether #6 was part of the last two I found that were still in the store. Didn't look super closely and was just happy to find the sterba, which aren't so easy to find.