Help - Corydora laying on the side and moving erraticaly =((

[S3RG388]

Hi All,

New here. My Corydora has been sick for about 9 days already - he is laying on the side every hour or so and swimming erratically once every few hours. Eating fine.

I ran a course of anti-bacterial Seachem Melafix for a week which didn't help. I also changed water for 25% two or three times, which didn't help. Water parameters all fine and all other fish are feeling fine. 200 tank liter tank so not a space issue.

I just bought a quarantine float mini tank and planning to quarantine him, feeding him peas to decongest. Unsure if that will work, but I read it could help if it's related to congestion issues and swim bladder disease.

Any ideas on how to treat the little guy would be greatly appreciated!!! Hate to see him like this every day =((

Btw, he is 3-4 years old, so could be old age?

Thanks guys!!

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Oh man, it doesn't look good I'm afraid.

Not old age. Cories can live a pretty long time, 3-4 isn't elderly, and elderly fish don't get like this simply from old age either. They just get a bit ragged looking, a bit slower perhaps, then ail a few days before dying, depending on cause of death. Something else is going on here, and it's going to be really hard to tell what, but I suspect he's not going to make it if he's been like this for nine days... I'm sorry.

Is he still eating? Any new fish added recently? Any other recent losses or changes?
Any chance you can get video of him moving? That could be really helpful for getting an idea of whether it's something in his brain causing the balance issues, or a more physical problem. I'm afraid the video upload function here doesn't work, but if you upload it to youtube and link it here, it'll be viewable then.

 

[Alice B]

if you could get ahold of an ancient product called Rid-ich, which contained quinine and a purple dye, it cured one of mine. Unfortunately the manufacturer is gone, and while I have used some quinine products against ich, I've not tried on the corydoras balance disorder, and I don't know if they will work.

 

[DoubleDutch]

I'd euthanise. Sometimes it is gone over the edge.

 

[S3RG388]

Thanks all to your responses. Your feedback sounds pretty gloom... Couldn't it be swim bladder disorder from over eating or from internal parasites? Or would that be resolved on its own much earlier?

I don't want to euthanise him because he isn't always struggling, he's sitting upright 80% of the time... and still eating.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Thanks all to your responses. Your feedback sounds pretty gloom... Couldn't it be swim bladder disorder from over eating or from internal parasites? Or would that be resolved on its own much earlier?

I don't want to euthanise him because he isn't always struggling, he's sitting upright 80% of the time... and still eating.

Are you able to get video of him, please? It's really hard to surmise what might be wrong with him without seeing it.

 

[DoubleDutch]

Thanks all to your responses. Your feedback sounds pretty gloom... Couldn't it be swim bladder disorder from over eating or from internal parasites? Or would that be resolved on its own much earlier?

I don't want to euthanise him because he isn't always struggling, he's sitting upright 80% of the time... and still eating.

Not want to be rude or offensive but the pics show a struggling fish to me.
This is more a balance / neurological issue to me than swimbladder, which isn't caused by overeating or parasites (the latter maybe as secundairy issue).

 

[S3RG388]

Are you able to get video of him, please? It's really hard to surmise what might be wrong with him without seeing it.

Here's the vid. Look towards the end...

 

[S3RG388]

Not want to be rude or offensive but the pics show a struggling fish to me.
This is more a balance / neurological issue to me than swimbladder, which isn't caused by overeating or parasites (the latter maybe as secundairy issue).

No problem, didn't take it that way at all - thanks for trying to help!!

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Here's the vid. Look towards the end...

I'm so sorry. I also think it's a neurological issue, in which case there is no treatment that can help. He's already thin, deforming, fin-clamped that shows he's stressed, and not being able to orient himself properly and that spinning movement when he tries says it's a brain thing-nothing to do with his swim bladder.

Euthanisia is the kindest option here. The clove oil method is humane and peaceful when done correctly (introducing the oil gradually, so the fish is sedated before the overdose of oil is given which stops the heart). Otherwise, it'll be a long, slow and painful drawn out death, as he struggles and suffers, and potentially starves.

I'm really sorry. I wish I had better news, and euthanising them ourselves isn't easy, I know, I've had to do it before. But I did it to prevent further suffering, when there was no hope left, and I don't like to leave a fish to suffer when they can just go to sleep, and pass peacefully.

 

[S3RG388]

Thank you everyone. I will monitor for another day or two and then probably gather my strength to euthanise him...

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Thank you everyone. I will monitor for another day or two and then probably gather my strength to euthanise him...

I'm really sorry! I wish I had better news! But once the brain is affected, there really isn't anything we can do.
To help explain the difference, with a swim bladder problem, it usually means the fish is either stuck to the surface and can't get down to the bottom, or you'll see it midwater and trying to swim, but with either the head or tail higher in the water, and the fish cannot level itself out. Because the swim bladder is basically just a skin bladder holding gas that allows the fish to adjust its buoyancy. But that kind of spiralling swimming signals something is affecting the brain, and at that point, there's little to be done. Poor little guy.

 

[HoldenOn]

Really weird how so many people, including myself, have had these issues with Peppered Corydoras. Makes you wonder... Regardless, I lost 2 or 3 of my Cories to almost the same exact set of symptoms. Treated the tank with General Cure before anymore started showing sickness. Not sure if the General Cure did anything or if the ailing Cories just all died out but I didn't loose any others after treatment. Food for thought.

 

[DoubleDutch]

Really weird how so many people, including myself, have had these issues with Peppered Corydoras. Makes you wonder... Regardless, I lost 2 or 3 of my Cories to almost the same exact set of symptoms. Treated the tank with General Cure before anymore started showing sickness. Not sure if the General Cure did anything or if the ailing Cories just all died out but I didn't loose any others after treatment. Food for thought.

Agree with this. Can think of two things :
They are oje of the oldest / longlast tankbred species in our hobby. So maybe inbreeding is an issue.
Secondly they are coldwater Corys, which are often kept too wam longterm (good temp for other fish). Noticed my issues often occured after heatwaves.

Stop using "general" meds. Those simply don't exist. It is a marketing name.

 

[HoldenOn]

Agree with this. Can think of two things :
They are oje of the oldest / longlast tankbred species in our hobby. So maybe inbreeding is an issue.
Secondly they are coldwater Corys, which are often kept too wam longterm (good temp for other fish). Noticed my issues often occured after heatwaves.

Stop using "general" meds. Those simply don't exist. It is a marketing name.

Indeed, inbreeding seems like a very viable explanation. General Cure is a treatment for parasites specifically. Not too sure why they named it General Cure but whatever sells right. Probably hooks the eyes of customers far better than "Internal Parasite Treatment Packets." I decided to treat them for parasites based on several members advice. As far as I can recall the fact that they were eating but still incredibly skinny, as well as the fact that they swam so erratically all pointed to potential parasites.