Cory looking ill?

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

The nitrates have dropped a little but Are still high. It still says do a water change but my mum was like put the water it in and then see becuase it has to dilute is that Right ? Thanks agajn

Did you test it after refilling the tank? Yes, you need to refill the tank again to dilute what's remaining, then re-test

 

[31LJ95]

I’m just doing that now will updat after I done

 

[31LJ95]

Nitrates are still on the high side but are better everything else good. correct salt is in. im going to repeat tommrow good idea?

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Nitrates are still on the high side but are better everything else good. correct salt is in. im going to repeat tommrow good idea?

If ammonia and nitrites are at zero, then sure You can do a larger water change tomorrow (I'd aim for 75-80% to get on top of this), to reduce the nitrAtes further.

Hope you'll keep us updated as they recover. Goodnight!

 

[31LJ95]

Yes nitrites zero just nitrates will repeat tommrow. Sorry if I’ve kept you awake or owt. will update. Good night

 

[AilyNC]

Hope you sleep well and your fish feel better tomorrow

 

[31LJ95]

tested the water. Everything good apart from nitrates. Will do another 50 % change today and replace same amount of salt. Good idea? cheers

 

[31LJ95]

The cory is looking very very ill still can swim but not good at all struggling to stay up right. Fins are all fungused and nearly gone it looks like. Should I put it out it’s misery ( i really don’t want To ) i dint know if it will recover?? Im about to do my water change now

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

tested the water. Everything good apart from nitrates. Will do another 50 % change today and replace same amount of salt. Good idea? cheers

The cory is looking very very ill still can swim but not good at all struggling to stay up right. Fins are all fungused and nearly gone it looks like. Should I put it out it’s misery ( i really don’t want To ) i dint know if it will recover?? Im about to do my water change now

Hi, I'm sorry he's not looking good. I wouldn't euthanise yet, you only added salt for the first time last night, give that a few days to begin working. If he's alive and especially if he's still eating, then there's hope. Clean fresh water with the water changes, and dosing the salt, and give him some time Crossing fingers that he pulls through

 

[31LJ95]

Ok he can still swim and just has. but is really struggling will do a water change now

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Ok he can still swim and just has. but is really struggling will do a water change now

Just before the water change, give the tank walls a wipe down with a clean, unused sponge, or whatever you normally use to clean the glass. Try to gently brush any dirt off of the plants. Don't worry if this makes the water a mess, we do this stuff right before a water change precisely so you can remove a lot of the muck when you syphon the tank. Let the muck settle for 10-15 minutes so most of it is on the substrate or has been sucked up by the filter, then clean the substrate as best you can. The aim is to remove as much of the bacterial and fungal spores as we reasonably can - fish will recover better in a clean tank

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

After the water change, give the filter a clean. Nothing drastic, and don't run anything under the tap, just take a bucket of the dirty tank water you removed, and give the filter media - sponges and any biological media etc, a quick rinse in the mucky water to remove the worst of the gunk. Don't try to get them spotless or anything, we want to keep your nitrifying bacteria alive, just squeeze the sponges in the water enough to remove most of the yuckiness, and gently swish the bio media around. Same if your filter uses cartridges, just swish them around and try to remove as much of the larger muck as you can.

If the cory is still eating, then he's still fighting! I know it's horrible to see them like that, believe me I know. There is a chance he won't make it I'm afraid, and I'm sorry about that. There are also times where euthanasia is the kinder option. But I don't think he's at that point. He hasn't had time yet to respond to treatment, and if the salt kills enough of that fungus, and he's in clean fresh water with zero ammonia/nitrites, and low nitrates, his immune system will have a chance to rally and help him fight off the infections, with the help of the salt reducing the amount of bacteria and fungus in the water and on his body. Fins can and do re-grow, and there are no nerves in his fins, so as horrible as it looks, the fin part at least isn't causing him pain... he's a poorly fish, but with the care you're giving him, he has a fighting chance.

The guppy I showed you yesterday looked terrible for the first 48 hours or so, I really thought I'd lose her. She was caught up in the sponge filter somehow when I lifted it out to clean, and she fell out and landed on the stand. Since I was right there and saw it happen I got her back in the tank right away, but somehow nearly all of her tail had been torn off right down to the body as you can see in the pics, and she also had damage all along one side, must have been the side that landed on the tank stand.

She had a hard time swimming normally at first, and by the next morning, the tail stump and that whole side were fungused, and she looked awful, really struggling to swim and looked stressed and exhausted, fin clamped etc. I used salt treatment and water changes, but I admit I didn't think she was going to recover. But she was still eating and still trying, and within 48 hours of salt treatment, the fungus had gone, and she wasn't fin-clamped anymore. Within a week, I could see her tail was beginning to grow back, and she made a full recovery. She was a sub-adult when it happened, and she ended up being one of my largest, healthiest females, with nothing but a couple of scars on her tail to show for it. So keep up the treatment, hope for the best while being prepared for the worst.

How's the guppy doing?

 

[31LJ95]

Guppy doing good as normal. the catfish was stuck againt the sponge filter and glass when I got back from being out. just looked like it got their that’s where it started. It would’ve been less than a day. looks to be doing better but still very bad condition. I will carry on doing water changes daily. 10% good and replace the salt ( the same amount as I took out). I cleaned the tank as much as I could . Thanks so much for all your help

 

[31LJ95]

Just wanna Ask as well is a large sponge filter enough filtration? It always has been. I’ve got 8 guppies (fry being born as well ) , 4 Corys and a bn. i do my water changes weekly and there is a lot of live plants (Java moss, guppy grass, Salvinia and dwarf water lettuce and others) is it enough. I’m happy to buy a canister if you think it needs it?

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Guppy doing good as normal. the catfish was stuck againt the sponge filter and glass when I got back from being out. just looked like it got their that’s where it started. It would’ve been less than a day. looks to be doing better but still very bad condition. I will carry on doing water changes daily. 10% good and replace the salt ( the same amount as I took out). I cleaned the tank as much as I could . Thanks so much for all your help

What size is the tank? That can impact how much filtration you need. If you have a photo of the whole tank, that'll help me see if I can suggest any improvements. Plus it's always nice to see other people's tanks! Live plants are great too.
You're very welcome for the help. Please will you keep us updated on his progress? I'm invested in the little guy now, and would love to hear how he's doing over the next few days. Or even if he passes, I'd like to know.

Do change more than 10% of the water daily though. 50% per day with the salt treatment for the next week or so, then we can see how he's doing and maybe reduce frequency. Larger water changes are always better than smaller ones, even once he's recovered. Mine all get 50-60% changed per week when things are good, more frequently when needed, like in my new tank now which is going through a mini cycle, so it needs 50% per day at the moment.

The sponge filter should be enough filtration, if it's always been enough to keep ammonia and nitrites at zero, then it's fine The nitrifying bacteria live all over the tank, not just in the filter, they coat the substrate, decor, tank walls - any solid surface, and sponges are good mechanical and biological filtration. You likely don't need a canister.

I have a small canister filter on one 59 litre tank, and a double sponge filter on the other 59 litre tank, and I honestly prefer the sponge filter. It does just as good a job as the canister, is much easier to clean and maintain, also provides aeration that the canister doesn't, and the fish and shrimp love eating bits of food from the sponges too. Large canister filters are more suited to huge tanks that require a great deal of flow because of large fish, but for a small tank that doesn't need a lot of flow, a sponge filter is pretty perfect usually.