16gallontanker
Fish Fanatic
I have a cory that's starting to roll is this normal or not
Cory rolling
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16gallontanker
Fish Fanatic
It's just itching itself. The motion is called "flashing".
If it occurs constantly all the time, then it can indicate a problem (parasites, contaminate, infection, parameter problem, etc), but once in a blue moon it's normal. They don't have hands to itch themselves, so they use things in the aquarium to do so.
If it occurs constantly all the time, then it can indicate a problem (parasites, contaminate, infection, parameter problem, etc), but once in a blue moon it's normal. They don't have hands to itch themselves, so they use things in the aquarium to do so.
I had fish and corys doing that, and it was a parasite infection. I could never see the parasites, but it would spread to other fish. The only thing that cured it was SeaChem Cupramine. That flashing will get worse and be fatal if not treated. I was thinking the parasite infestation may be Protozoans.
OP
OP
16gallontanker
Fish Fanatic
is this safe for corys because it says don't use on scaleless fish because corys don't have scales do they
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I used Seachem Cupramine on my tank containing Corys, Discus and Denison Barbs and they tolerated it okay. The Rapid-Cure Ich medicine has different chemicals and says not to use on scaleless fish.
The Cupramine worked for me, and the interesting fact was my Cory laid eggs like crazy when treated. The Corys never laid eggs before. Cupramine is less toxic to fish/plants and works very well. I had to treat for Protozoan flashing several times before in the past years.
Follow the instructions closely; notice that 1/2 the dosage is for freshwater treatments as opposed to the full dosage for saltwater tanks.
Note: I did have to move my pleco out of the tank during treatment; it seemed to bother him a lot, and he was too active.
The Cupramine worked for me, and the interesting fact was my Cory laid eggs like crazy when treated. The Corys never laid eggs before. Cupramine is less toxic to fish/plants and works very well. I had to treat for Protozoan flashing several times before in the past years.
Follow the instructions closely; notice that 1/2 the dosage is for freshwater treatments as opposed to the full dosage for saltwater tanks.
Note: I did have to move my pleco out of the tank during treatment; it seemed to bother him a lot, and he was too active.
Last edited:
DoubleDutch
Fish Gatherer
Try some more frequent waterchanges first. Don't treat if there isn't any clear sign of parasites.
I agree with water changes, but in my case, the constant and the spread of flashing is a clear sign of parasites. I couldnt see my parasites of protozoan infection either.
I wouldn't jump straight to treatment just for a random scratch.
Fish will itch themselves just because they have a random itch.
Only jump to treatment if they're constantly doing it many times a day and if more than one fish is doing it.
A fish may flash from high ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. A fish may flash from a pH change.
A fish might flash because of bacterial or fungal infections.
A fish may even flash because there's a piece of sand stuck to their slime coat.
They may flash because something contaminated their tank water.
And fish may flash from protozoan/parasite infections.
But again it comes down to HOW OFTEN a fish is doing it.
Once or twice is normal.
A lot is not and needs to be addressed.
I'd be very wary over jumping to treating a tank with copper medicine right off the bat without monitoring to find the actual cause if there even is a cause for concern. Copper isn't easily removed from the tank after treatment and will kill off any and all shrimp or other invertebrates after, even after years unless you use other chemicals to remove it from the system, and it's not a total guarantee. Too much copper can affect scaleless fish and also can affect plants.
Copper medication is useful, yes, but it's also not a medication to use on a whim as it needs to be used with a lot of consideration. A formalin based medication would be safer to use before resorting to copper, but even then I wouldn't use anything without learning the actual cause.
Fish will itch themselves just because they have a random itch.
Only jump to treatment if they're constantly doing it many times a day and if more than one fish is doing it.
A fish may flash from high ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. A fish may flash from a pH change.
A fish might flash because of bacterial or fungal infections.
A fish may even flash because there's a piece of sand stuck to their slime coat.
They may flash because something contaminated their tank water.
And fish may flash from protozoan/parasite infections.
But again it comes down to HOW OFTEN a fish is doing it.
Once or twice is normal.
A lot is not and needs to be addressed.
I'd be very wary over jumping to treating a tank with copper medicine right off the bat without monitoring to find the actual cause if there even is a cause for concern. Copper isn't easily removed from the tank after treatment and will kill off any and all shrimp or other invertebrates after, even after years unless you use other chemicals to remove it from the system, and it's not a total guarantee. Too much copper can affect scaleless fish and also can affect plants.
Copper medication is useful, yes, but it's also not a medication to use on a whim as it needs to be used with a lot of consideration. A formalin based medication would be safer to use before resorting to copper, but even then I wouldn't use anything without learning the actual cause.
I was only offering my past experiences with fish flashing that left untreated spreads and killed my fish.
Dont read into my advice anything more than that. I am only offering some advice with chronic fish flashing in case it is not 'random'. It must be bad if a poster posted about it, though you first mentioned parasites. So I hope he figures it out.
WOW ! I did not know this- what makes it so persistent? Does it attach to the plastic in the filter or the glass in the tank or something?
I
Note: Copper basically kills parasites by poisoning them more than the fish, so never over dose!
Copper has long time been used for the treatment of aquarium algae, fish parasites, and snail eradication. This includes external treatment of freshwater and marine Ich, Oodinium, and fungus.
Copper is toxic to snails and invertebrates, so you must always read the precautions. If you ever need to use it.
Its copper, which is highly toxic, so anyone needs to read about dosage and proper usage. You can search, but activated charcoal will remove it, and there is a copper-specific resin to remove copper.
Note: Copper basically kills parasites by poisoning them more than the fish, so never over dose!
Copper has long time been used for the treatment of aquarium algae, fish parasites, and snail eradication. This includes external treatment of freshwater and marine Ich, Oodinium, and fungus.
Copper is toxic to snails and invertebrates, so you must always read the precautions. If you ever need to use it.
I get the toxicity, but the persistence in the tank is the shocking thing.
It stays within the silicon as far as I am aware.
There are products to remove the copper, Cuprizorb is one such product, but it's not a guarantee.
It's a medication to consider very very carefully before using because it does have some caveats.
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