Cories Are Sick

[tgo]

I hope somebody can help my pygmy cories, they are relatively new fish that were introduced into a cycled 5.5 gallon tank with some live plants.

Tank stats are 0 ammonia o nitrite 10-20 nitrate 7.6-7.8 ph Only Pro Plant and Prime added to tank.

Three of them were bought a month ago or so and three of them a week later, into an established tank with snails and a couple fish that were moved.
I added them after adding some tank water a couple times and waiting 30-45 minutes before adding them. I noticed a few were flashing and rubbing almost right away, but I thought it was just them getting used to the tank. I lost one a week after introducing it. Now I notice loss in color and fins that seem to have finrot.

Symptoms:

Flashing and rubbing on sand and driftwood

Gills aren't red

Fins are sort of wasting away a bit, especially tail fin

A couple fish look rather pale, and less active.

Swim sort of funny sometimes, like a tiny bit wobbly
A couple of the cories seem to have a bit of trouble resting on the bottom. Not totally sure though

 

[WILDER]

How many fish and which type are in the 5 gal.
What test kit are you using?

Need to look at your stocking as the symtoms are pointing towards a number of things.
Parasites, bacterial, bad water quality.

 

[tgo]

there are 5 left, originally 6 pygmy cories in a four-month old cycled tank with a zebra snail, mts, and a few plants and moss. Sand substrate, with 2 small rocks. Filter is an aquaclear 20 with two sponges and some biomax. Flow is good. I do 50% water changes every week or so, and there is nothing rotting that I can see. Could large

It is possible the test kit could be wrong, but I only bought them six months ago. The lot number on each test kit reads ends in the four digits 1108, 0908, and 0808 (whatever that means, hopefully not the expiry date. It is an API liquid test kit so I think it should be ok.

Whatever it is, the fish didn't really act that great from the beginning. I actually went back to the LFS and saw a few dead ones on the bottom and not the full stock they had before.

I added some Melafix since its all I have, and its relatively harmless and I don't want the fins to get worse. I have metronidazole and prazipro as well, for baterial and parasites.

 

[GuppyGoddess]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it sounds like yours are pretty sick. I brought home four pygmies and now only have one. . .the three who died I had for a number of weeks and then became sick literally overnight. One day happily swimming, the next, lethargic and wobbly. The most recent death was right after I moved the two remaining ones to a new tank (with the old substrate and plants). Now I have one left who seems totally content, yet I expect he will end up like the others.

Shame as they're adorable fish.

 

[WILDER]

Melafix is no good its only good on cuts and wounds.

Any excess mucas on the corys body.
Any tiny white red spots or red streaking.
Do the gills look pale with excess slime.
Do the corys swim in a jerky movement.
Do the corys dart around the tank.
Do the corys spit there food out.
Any signs of gasping or laboured breathing.

 

[tgo]

Melafix claims it helps fin rot, so I went with it.

No excess mucas that I can tell.
Yes, I did notice some strange swimming, some jerky some a bit wobbly.
No redness that I can see, just turn pale slowly until they die.
It looks like a a couple of them won't really move around to feed that much, but I don't see them spitting food out.
I noticed a bit of heavy breathing in one fish, and they go to the surface much slower tha the healthier ones.

 

[WILDER]

it sounding abit like flukes. Also flukes cause bacterial infections.

Signs of flukes are.
Pale body with excess slime.
Pale gills with excess slime, gills can also look red and inflamed and look like there bleeding.
Flicking and rubbing.
Darting or erratic swimming.
Laboured breathing or gasping at surface of tank.
Weighloss sometimes.
Swimming in a jerky movment.
Spitting food out.
Sores on body of fish.

If it wasn't for the flicking and rubbing it also sounds bacterial.

 

[tgo]

the really pale fish has died a couple days ago, he was sickly looking from the beginning and really pale, though no finrot on that guy. The rest seem more active and it looks as though their fins are healing a bit and they have stopped flicking and rubbing.

My fish have none of the symptoms of gill flukes that you listed except for rubbing nand flicking, which they seem to have stopped doing now.

I saw one cory poo and it looked normal. All are eating.

I might finish my week of Melafix treatment and feed a little garlic-soaked food, does that sound good Wilder?

 

[WILDER]

Sounds fine.
If any changes get back to the board.
Good Luck.

 

[tgo]

Things haven't gotten much better at all after a week of Melafix treatment, what is this disease. Symptoms are the same fish become pale, fins are a bit frayed, not that active, some flashing and rubbing as well. What DISEASE IS THIS? Should I try a bacterial med like Maracyn Plus after running carbon for a couple days. I just changed the water again. I am frustrated.

 

[tgo]

Things haven't gotten much better at all after a week of Melafix treatment, what is this disease. Symptoms are the same fish become pale, fins are a bit frayed, not that active, some flashing and rubbing as well. What DISEASE IS THIS? Should I try a bacterial med like Maracyn Plus after running carbon for a couple days. I just changed the water again. I am frustrated.

 

[WILDER]

You could be dealing with flukes.

 

[Tortea]

Isn't 7.6Ph high?

 

[WILDER]

My ph 7.5 and my panda cory fine.

 

[tgo]

I'm down to three, with the remaining ones still flashing and two are getting paler. I watched one fish completely flip-out for a minute, it looked like it was in pain. They

get paler,

are flashing and rubbing,

take awhile to get to the top for a gulp of air

seem active one day and lethargic the next, except for the paler ones.

I'm at my wits end, I have to go out today soon and was thinking of stopping by the LFS. I don't completely trust their opinion, but I'm running out of options.