Sick Cory With Possible Swim Bladder Problem

[star4]

 

Dont use salt and medication that will do more harm than good.

 
Do you mean don't use both together?
 

 
Yes do not use both together
 
So we can rule out ammonia poisoning, does the cory have red or inflamed gills at all? are there any marks on the body, redish brown patches, or any red streaking in the fins.
 
Watch his eyes, do they flicker, or constantly roll, look down or up all the time - these are signs of neurological disorder.
 
Is there any improvement after 24 hours in lower water level? is he managing to get to the surface to gulp air? if not lower the water by 1"

 

[sonicboom81]

I'm still waiting on my new API master test kit, but my old out of date one which I'm using has showed levels on ammonia when initially setting up the tank, but has shown none since. There could have been spikes in ammonia in between testing - the tank isnt mine and I wasn't looking after it until this month.
 
I've been watching for red gills, and I thought that maybe they could have been a bit red, but I'm not sure. Looking at him from underneath he is definitely more pink in colous under his head/gills, but that seems to have settled, possibly. Although I've not seen him do it for a while, he has done this behaviour (difficult to explain, though seen many fish do it) kind of a choking/quickly breathing once or twice/mouth open and close wide and quick, as if he is irritated by something.
 
There are no marks on his body, or streaking of fins.
 
He manages to get up to the surface for air, and doesn't seem to be breathing quickly. I'd not say there is any improvement in the last 24 hours. His eyes look normal to me, and dont show neurological signs, but i might be wrong.
 
When he swims quick he doesn't seem to have much control of direction and veers upwards. When he's lying the right way up, he looks like a normal cory (but smaller and slimmer than his brother or the same breed that have grown at the pet shop). However, while he's the right way up, without moving, he starts to roll a bit - even though his fins are sticking out to support himself - , and can easily end up on his side. In the main tank he would wedge himself in something to keep him the right way around, which he can't do in the hospital tank.

 

[sonicboom81]

Okay, trying to look at this again, as he’s still alive and the same.
 
Tank:
(From new API kits)
Ammonia 0 ppm
Nitrites 0 ppm
Nitrates 10 ppm
pH 7.0
GH 3
KH 4
26C
 
Symptoms:
Laying on his side, and difficulty righting himself, but can do so, but spending more time lying on his side than upright. When upright seems to easily float over.
Probably not eating.
Faster breathing.
Definitely, pinkish underneath his head mouth on his underside - I imagine this isn’t normal, but have not seen under a healthy cory recently to compare.
Redish looking in his gills. I thought maybe he didn’t before, but on a closer look I’d say he does.
Episodes of coughing and quick rapid breathing, as if he is irritated by something.
May be a bit twitchy, but this might be his attempts to get upright when lying on his side. 
 
Other things to say are that the pH went lower than 6.0 recently, and there may have been ammonia spikes in the past. It’s a small tank and not the best water flow though a large filter (AquaNano 30 - 22 litre capacity), although an air stone helps with the flow. He’s still got all his colour, though slim for a cory, and all fins sticking out and not clamped. No obvious neurological signs other than balance.
 
 
Previous treatment:
Salt at about half the recommended max dose - dosed less due to reading about corys possibly being sensitive to salt.
Interpret anti-bacterial medications containing, bronopol, formaldehyde, benzalkonium chloride (started with Interpret Anti-Internal Bacteria, then went to Interpret Swim Bladder Treatment as a second dose - same ingredients, but the swim bladder treatment has double the dose).
 
Considering parasitic treatments, but no obvious signs of external or internal parasites - abdomen looks normal, and have not seen him poo.
 
Surely a factor must be his reddish gills, rapid breathing and coughing. Any other suggestions on treatment based on these symptoms? There’s the swim bladder symptoms of course. I’m wondering if he is hypoxic due to whatever is affecting him and this in turn could be affecting his balance. Probably not, but really wracking my brains on this one. It’s frustrating as I don’t know what the disease is, and I don’t want to euthanise him (he’s not even my fish, I’m just looking after him) without covering all avenues first.
 
If I go for a anti-parasitic med, I live in the UK, so some products are limited.
 
If he’s in osmotic shock, or has had damage caused by this, or by ammonia or nitrite spikes in the past, is there anything that can help him other than ensuring my tank water quality is as good as it can be?

 

[star4]

Were the gills red before you added salt? I know some corys do not tollerate salt very well.

 

[sonicboom81]

I think they probably were red before trying the salt. All the other symptoms I mentioned were there before - pink underneath head/mouth, increased breathing/coughing.
 
I'm starting to think it might be gill flukes. He is certainly irritated by something. I'm going to try Waterlife Sterazin, which is about the only thing I can get hold of straight away for gill flukes.
 
Thinking back, I've seen the other cory flick in the past, which may or may not be down to ammonia/nitrate spikes.
 
I'm not sure if I should medicate the hospital tank alone, or the main tank. If it's flukes then the main tank would likely be infected - might be why the other cory flicked.
 
A few other issues. My hospital tank's cycle, depsite using a sponge from a established tank has crashed/going through a mini cycle. The main 22l tank, I've now realised has a large carbon activated sponge. If I medicate the 22l tank I'm going to have to remove the carbon sponge and put in an uncycled sponge and a cycled sponge from my 250l tank - as i did for the hospital tank. I'm sure this will mess up the water quality in the main 22l tank.
 
Maybe I should do a huge water change in the hospital tank, medicate with sterazin and see how the fish would do. Maybe a quick start bacteria might help things before i medicate? Or putting in another cycled sponge from my 250l... I think it crashed because I 'cleaned' the cycled sponge too much.

 

[star4]

Flukes wouldnt cause the balance problem, internal worms could (which could be a reason why it has not grown as much, but as its in a small tank I put the lack of growth down to that).
 
Because of the problems this cory has, and not knowing the reason fully behind it, yes do a large water change to sort out the water quality problem. Instead of using sterazin, which is a long course, use esha 2000, this general purpose med does everything, including flukes and is a short course medication, 3 days, but you can half dose for longer if needed. Using the esha would be better as it is a short course if you are having water quality issues.

 

[sonicboom81]

Thanks. I've just got Sterazin from LFS. I could order esha 2000 off the internet. I think it's best to try Sterazin now, as this cory really needs something. I know that treating with the wrong meds will not help, but I've tried anti-bacterial meds/salt, so that rules out bacterial infection to a point.
 
In the hospital tank I've done a large water change and sorted the filter (I hope). It had two sponges - 1 new sponge and 1 cycled sponge (which I probably uncycled through rinsing it). I've taken out the new sponge and put in a properly cycled sponge, which I'm confident will be enough to deal with water quality issues.

 

[sonicboom81]

the more I read about sterazin, the more i read people saying it's not very good for either internal parasites or gill flukes
 
I'll order esha 2000 and carbon sponge, and if sterazin hasn't done anything then will try esha prob wed or thu

 

[sonicboom81]

Update on the cory.
 
In hospital tank (Amm. 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates 5+, pH 7.2), and the water quality issue seems to have improved. On day two of Sterazin treatment.
 
Cory still off balance, but possibly gills less red, less rapid breathing and little coughing. Still too early to say that it's flukes and the treatment is working.
 
Although he's on his side most the time (not all), he is interested in food, and can sift through the sand while on his side. He seems more content. Hopefully his balance will improve.

 

[star4]

Good news he has started eating, I again recommend the esha 2000 hopefully you can save him now he is eating again.

 

[sonicboom81]

Thanks. I'm going to keep going with the 10 day course of Sterazin. So far the redness has gone down, and he is not breathing as quick or coughing. Still hoping his swim bladder recovers during the 10 days. I'll try esha 2000 if after the 10 days he's still not right and there's not indication on what it is.
 
I know some fish can have permanent swim bladder problem and still live and eat. But hopefully he'll get better enough he can go back in with other corys.

 

[DoubleDutch]

The pink coloration means a bacterial infection to me.

 .

 

[sonicboom81]

He had a full 10 day course of sterazin in his hospital tank, and on day 7 I'd say he was starting to be more upright. By day 10 he was practically recovered completely with his balance. He now lives along with 5 other corys of his own type and two other fish in a 60l community tank. And he seems to be doing well so far with no balance issues.
 
I'd previously mentioned that he wasn't as big as the other false bandit corys, and sure he is the smallest in the group, but I imagine he is male, and I was comparing him to the larger females without knowing the difference between them, and thinking he was ill due to his size, which I don't think is the case anymore.
 
Anyway, happy he is doing well and I gave him a chance

 

[star4]

Great News