Possible Illness?

[16vGTI]

I hate posting up stuff like this because I can usually find what information I need by searching or google. However, my search has turned up somewhat sparse. Here's the situation. I had bought some new c. habrosus last week, and had proceeded to acclimate them in a quarantine tank for two days, always checking to see if there were any signs of illness or odd behavior. Everything was looking great, good appetite, none were hiding in the back, so I decided to move them into the main tank. A day later, they started showing signs of ick by "flashing" against objects in the tank. I removed the affected fishes from the tank in the hopes that it may save the main tank from getting infected, but one of my peppered cories started doing it as well. I have treated both tanks with quick cure (at 1/2 dosages) over the weekend and there have been no visible white dots on the fish, but they continue to scratch. Are there any ideas of what it could be? I live in hawaii where the relative humidity is high and the temperature touches on low 90's daily, my tank is regularly at about 82-84F only dropping to about 80F at night, so I would think the ick lifecycle would be accellerated and I would've seen the telltale white dots. I also do regular 25% water changes every 3 days, my pH is about 7.2 and I have yet to be able to find a nitrate or ammonia test kit that hasn't been sitting on the shelf collecting dust (literally!). What could be bothering them?

 

[jollysue]

bump

[although I think the large fluxes in temp are an immunity stressor]

 

[16vGTI]

bump

[although I think the large fluxes in temp are an immunity stressor]

Yeah, I would think so too, hopefully the chillers and temp regulator come in soon. Still no white spots though the fish are still scratching.

 

[jollysue]

The scratching is worrisome. There are other parasites that cause itching. Perhaps it is time to call on Wilder for diagnosis in the emergency forum. I don't know why Inchworm has not seen your thread yet.

 

[Philtre]

Change some water and see if it helps. Sometimes cories "flash" due to the poor water quality. See if that will stop the flashing.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi 16vGTI

Corydoras do not get ich, so if they have been flicking it's probably due to poor water quality. If you do not have test kits, take some water to your lfs and pay to have it tested if necessary. If you plan to keep fish, it's imperative that you know what your water parameters are and you can then control them. Order the kits online if necessary. Trying to solve an aquarium problem without knowing what the ammonia, nitrAtes and nitrites are, would be outright guessing.

You have been treating your corys with medication for an illness they don't have, so this has probably contributed to their distress. You're lucky it hasn't killed them outright. Add to that the fact that the temperature of your tanks far exceeds that of the natural environment of the corys you have, (C. paleatus 60-77 degrees F., C. habrosus - 71-78 degrees), and it should be no surprise that your fish are showing you that something is wrong.

Until you get the test results that will enable us to proceed with diagnosing your problem, please do several big water changes to rid your tank of the medicine. This might also solve the cory's original problem of flicking.

Please be sure that your fish are getting enough oxygen by keeping a good amount of movement in the surface of the water. Since your water is so warm, this is even more necessary than if it was in the normal temperature range.

 

[16vGTI]

Hi 16vGTI

Corydoras do not get ich, so if they have been flicking it's probably due to poor water quality. If you do not have test kits, take some water to your lfs and pay to have it tested if necessary. If you plan to keep fish, it's imperative that you know what your water parameters are and you can then control them. Order the kits online if necessary. Trying to solve an aquarium problem without knowing what the ammonia, nitrAtes and nitrites are, would be outright guessing.

You have been treating your corys with medication for an illness they don't have, so this has probably contributed to their distress. You're lucky it hasn't killed them outright. Add to that the fact that the temperature of your tanks far exceeds that of the natural environment of the corys you have, (C. paleatus 60-77 degrees F., C. habrosus - 71-78 degrees), and it should be no surprise that your fish are showing you that something is wrong.

Until you get the test results that will enable us to proceed with diagnosing your problem, please do several big water changes to rid your tank of the medicine. This might also solve the cory's original problem of flicking.

Please be sure that your fish are getting enough oxygen by keeping a good amount of movement in the surface of the water. Since your water is so warm, this is even more necessary than if it was in the normal temperature range.

Thanks Inchworm! Since my last post I had already done several water changes to remove the medicine. I guess I was freaking out about the ich since my tank got hit with it bad a few months ago and lost a couple of pandas. I have no nitrate or ammonia kits right now, but I know my water is a pH of 7.2 and is relatively hard( not through testing, but the local water supply has a lot of mineral deposits). As far as the temp goes, my tank has dropped to 80F with the addition of a single iceprobe chiller, and I plan to drop it a few more with the addition of another. As far as oxygenation goes, I have my penguin 300 ( the hatchetfish seem to love playing it its current), a bubble wand that the cories seem to love playing in, and a stingray 15 for extra filtration and water circulation, plus lots of plants. I'll try to get a nitrate and ammonia test asap, but being that it's black friday, I'm not going out anywhere near the mall.