ONLY sterbai corydoras infected

[GaryE]

Salt is not natural to a Cory. It is a medication.
What's overwhelming is that you have excellent advice from @CassCats and @Colin_T , and a semi compromise from me. I can't lie and say I know what to do, exactly. Go by a process of elimination.
a) do you want to follow Colin's advice. There are good grounds for that with his experience.
If no
b) do you ant to follow Cass? Again, a super experienced helpful poster, like Colin. You have @fishorama helping in the same direction.
c) do you think the fish is doomed as I do, and salt won't help but will kill plants. Then, euthanize.

This is a situation that my spectrum students would have found hard, because you have no yes or no answer to something that matters and that you need help on. I can't honestly agree with everyone else. I can agree with @fishorama and @CassCats . So you have 3 voices leaning one way, and Colin leaning the other, and no certainty who's right.
Don't let the idea of doing something wrong get to you. Do what you can, and know that was your best.

You like fishing. Which side of the boat is best to cast at? It's one of those impossible to answer situations, where everyone has a grounded opinion, but you have the fishing rod.

In the old days, pre-antibiotic for fish, the oldtime aquarists would put betadine or iodine on a q-tip, and paint the wound avoiding the eyes and gills. Would that work? It has rarely worked here. It would be a desperation try like all the other suggestions. I don't think anything will work.

 

[Colin_T]

Add the salt now or the fish is going to die.

Add the salt water over a 15 minute period.

Monitor the fish over the next 24 hours and add another lot of salt water then if there is no improvement.

If there's no improvement after a few days of salt, post more pictures and look at another medication. But whatever you do, it needs to happen now because that catfish looks terrible.

 

[Rocky998]

Salt is not natural to a Cory. It is a medication.
What's overwhelming is that you have excellent advice from @CassCats and @Colin_T , and a semi compromise from me. I can't lie and say I know what to do, exactly. Go by a process of elimination.
a) do you want to follow Colin's advice. There are good grounds for that with his experience.
If no
b) do you ant to follow Cass? Again, a super experienced helpful poster, like Colin. You have @fishorama helping in the same direction.
c) do you think the fish is doomed as I do, and salt won't help but will kill plants. Then, euthanize.

This is a situation that my spectrum students would have found hard, because you have no yes or no answer to something that matters and that you need help on. I can't honestly agree with everyone else. I can agree with @fishorama and @CassCats . So you have 3 voices leaning one way, and Colin leaning the other, and no certainty who's right.
Don't let the idea of doing something wrong get to you. Do what you can, and know that was your best.

You like fishing. Which side of the boat is best to cast at? It's one of those impossible to answer situations, where everyone has a grounded opinion, but you have the fishing rod.

In the old days, pre-antibiotic for fish, the oldtime aquarists would put betadine or iodine on a q-tip, and paint the wound avoiding the eyes and gills. Would that work? It has rarely worked here. It would be a desperation try like all the other suggestions. I don't think anything will work.

Add the salt now or the fish is going to die.

Add the salt water over a 15 minute period.

Monitor the fish over the next 24 hours and add another lot of salt water then if there is no improvement.

If there's no improvement after a few days of salt, post more pictures and look at another medication. But whatever you do, it needs to happen now because that catfish looks terrible.

Ok... I'm gonna just bite the bullet then and use salt...
My reasoning is that I don't have any other types of medications and even if I did, a medication would be very harsh. They both have their cons, but waiting longer for for treatment with harsh medication doesn't seem like the best route...

I'll carefully monitor them. If the situation deteriorates while I have the salt (not doing 2tbsp per 5 gallons), I will do water changes daily to remove the salt and then figure out an alternative.

I will hopefully be getting those catappa leaves which have antibacterial properties to use along with the salt.

@GaryE, Thank you so much for that response you made, because it helped me so much.

 

[Rocky998]

Add the salt now or the fish is going to die.

Add the salt water over a 15 minute period.

Monitor the fish over the next 24 hours and add another lot of salt water then if there is no improvement.

If there's no improvement after a few days of salt, post more pictures and look at another medication. But whatever you do, it needs to happen now because that catfish looks terrible.

Should I add the double dose now, or do just the normal dosage and wait to see how it goes?
Cause how would I add the second dose to the water the next day if I have to dissolve it first and then add more water to a full tank?
Should I leave the water level a bit lower to see how it goes?

 

[Rocky998]

Alright. I've got the salt in the tank (1tbsp per 5 gallons) and an airstone running to prevent oxygen loss

 

[Colin_T]

Should I add the double dose now, or do just the normal dosage and wait to see how it goes?
Cause how would I add the second dose to the water the next day if I have to dissolve it first and then add more water to a full tank?
Should I leave the water level a bit lower to see how it goes?

You take a bucket of water from the aquarium and add the salt to that. Stir it up and let the salt dissolve, then add that bucket of water to the aquarium over a 15 minute period.

 

[Rocky998]

You take a bucket of water from the aquarium and add the salt to that. Stir it up and let the salt dissolve, then add that bucket of water to the aquarium over a 15 minute period.

That's so smart and I'm feeling so dumb LOLLL.
Thank you so much!

 

[Rocky998]

This is my worst guy as of now. Looks a little better as far as excess slime and stuff but I think I will be adding in more salt today seeing that the corydoras and peacock gudgeons aren't having any adverse reactions

And a happy photo lol

 

[Rocky998]

@Colin_T @GaryE
Is this salt ok to use as a substitute with the same measurements?

 

[Rocky998]

@Colin_T @GaryE
Is this salt ok to use as a substitute with the same measurements?
View attachment 358418View attachment 358420

Ok, actually nvm, found out that second ingredient isn't good.
But this might work.

 

[GaryE]

Again, I wouldn't use salt for Corys. You're working with Colin on this one.

But any sea or kosher salt is good for treatment.

 

[Rocky998]

Again, I wouldn't use salt for Corys. You're working with Colin on this one.

But any sea or kosher salt is good for treatment.

I'm just worried about that "yellow prussiate of soda" stuff... I read up on it and it's supposedly toxic for aquatic life and shouldn't be used in aquariums...
Then I read up on the ice cream salt and it's said it might have other minerals that are bad to put in.

I already have salt in the tank but I'm low and need back up stuff lol

 

[GaryE]

Kosher salt. That's usually a safe bet.

 

[Rocky998]

Kosher salt. That's usually a safe bet.

Yeah, but it still has that one ingredient in it

 

[Colin_T]

the anti-caking agent (yellow prussiate of soda) is bad for fish.

get salt that doesn't have anti-caking agents in.