URGENT-TO THOSE WHO LOST CORIES

[vanvran]

I had 3 adorable albino cories, Huey, Dewey and Louie, who were very very busy and hung out, slept together, etc. Over the last week, all they've been doing is sleeping. I checked my tank temp and it had risen from 78 to 82 (don't know when, but we've had a heat wave over the last 2 weeks). I keep my place shaded, tank is not near windows, and I keep the air conditioning on low while I'm out. I lowered it to 80 and they seemed to revive for a day or two. To my sorrow, Dewey died, and little Louie died a few days later--only symptom was periods of heavy breathing and sleeping alot. I do weekly 25 - 50% water changes/gravel vacs, and water testing was perfect.

Now the third one is swimming in the middle of the tank and sleeping alot. Well, I noticed after bringing home 2 new cories to keep him company (he perked right up and has been following them constantly like a little lost puppy!) that he has NO whiskers and what looks like a very short barbel on each side. I realize now that the other two looked the same! Does this happen and why? I have a lot of plants, a rock and use gravel that the pet shops use in their cory tanks. This is very upsetting, the third one probably isn't eating without his whiskers/barbels?

 

[dwarfgourami]

I lost a cory recently and was advised (by Inchworm, so you couldn't have better authority than that) that the hot weather makes them more prone to bacterial infections.
Since then have been vaccuming my gravel twice-weekly.
Never saw the state of his barbels, though, as the body decayed/was eaten before I found it.
Gravel with sharp edges can wear away their barbels, as can not-completely-clean gravel. Keeping the substrate pristine is probably the best you can do for him. Have heard stories of corys with worn barbels who have recovered but don't know how common it is.

 

[vanvran]

dwarfgourami: thanks.

Hoping Inchworm checks this post. Will they die without their barbels?

 

[eudielynn]

You can PM her. She is very knowledgeable and has really helped me out several times.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi vanvran

I got your PM and will answer it here so that perhaps it might help some of the other members who have sick corys too.

I'm so sorry to read that Louie is gone too and that your other corys are in such bad shape. They are really, really sick.

Did you ever use the Tetracycline?

A cory uses its barbels to find food. It is an amazing organ that compensates for their poor eyesight, and it's going to be hard for the fish to live without them. If they are not too far gone, they might still grow back over time though.

What I would do now depends on the medicine you have already used and how you used it, because it appears that you still have an active bacterial infection going on in your tank. If you have not used the Tetracycline, use it now. If you are still in the process of using it and have not finished the full course of treatment, continue it a while longer. If you have used it and stopped before the directions said to, or if you have completed the treatment, then switch to Kanamycin or some other medicine your lfs recommends.

The reason for this is that bacteria comes in different strains and if it doesn't respond to one kind of medicine, the best thing to do (after giving the first a good chance) is to switch to another one. Be sure that you continue to do good water changes and clear the first medicine out (using carbon in your filter if necessary) before starting another.

Another thing we can do, along with the antibiotics, that might help if there is still an active infection at the site of the barbels, is to give him salt dips using a concentrated salt solution. It can help clear up the part it can reach and while I don't like to recommend it too often, in this case it might do a lot of good.

To do this, dissolve a teaspoon of salt in about 2 cups of tank water, making sure it is completely dissolved. Put the cory in it for as long as he can tolerate it, (which might not be too long at first), or 20 minutes. Then put him back in the tank. Make a new solution for each treatment.

If the cory passes out and rolls over during the treatment, put him back into the tank immediately and he will revive. If he is still strong enough that he can pull through, this will be more stressful for you than for him. You can repeat this process for up to 6 times a day, and the more often you can do it, the more effective it will be. You might well see the difference in the wound before and after treatment.

What you will be doing here with the salt dips is cleaning up the wound while the antibiotics are working internally. I've had great success in fighting persistent bacterial infections this way, but like I said, it can be stressful.

I hope your little fellows pull through.

 

[vanvran]

INCHWORM: THANKS, but I am confused--I thought cories couldn't be exposed to salt--it burned their skin? He's doing really well since I brought home two new, bigger cories. They are swimming nonstop together all day long--he's so cute (the one with no whiskers or barbels)--he looks so happy now! I was ready to net him-- --was sure he was dead the way he was lying on the bottom fo the tank, but the instant I let the new ones in the tank, they've been swimnming together like they've never been apart!

 

[vanvran]

Hi vanvran

I got your PM and will answer it here so that perhaps it might help some of the other members who have sick corys too.

I'm so sorry to read that Louie is gone too and that your other corys are in such bad shape. They are really, really sick.

Did you ever use the Tetracycline?

A cory uses its barbels to find food. It is an amazing organ that compensates for their poor eyesight, and it's going to be hard for the fish to live without them. If they are not too far gone, they might still grow back over time though.

What I would do now depends on the medicine you have already used and how you used it, because it appears that you still have an active bacterial infection going on in your tank. If you have not used the Tetracycline, use it now. If you are still in the process of using it and have not finished the full course of treatment, continue it a while longer. If you have used it and stopped before the directions said to, or if you have completed the treatment, then switch to Kanamycin or some other medicine your lfs recommends.

The reason for this is that bacteria comes in different strains and if it doesn't respond to one kind of medicine, the best thing to do (after giving the first a good chance) is to switch to another one. Be sure that you continue to do good water changes and clear the first medicine out (using carbon in your filter if necessary) before starting another.

Another thing we can do, along with the antibiotics, that might help if there is still an active infection at the site of the barbels, is to give him salt dips using a concentrated salt solution. It can help clear up the part it can reach and while I don't like to recommend it too often, in this case it might do a lot of good.

To do this, dissolve a teaspoon of salt in about 2 cups of tank water, making sure it is completely dissolved. Put the cory in it for as long as he can tolerate it, (which might not be too long at first), or 20 minutes. Then put him back in the tank. Make a new solution for each treatment.

If the cory passes out and rolls over during the treatment, put him back into the tank immediately and he will revive. If he is still strong enough that he can pull through, this will be more stressful for you than for him. You can repeat this process for up to 6 times a day, and the more often you can do it, the more effective it will be. You might well see the difference in the wound before and after treatment.

What you will be doing here with the salt dips is cleaning up the wound while the antibiotics are working internally. I've had great success in fighting persistent bacterial infections this way, but like I said, it can be stressful.

I hope your little fellows pull through.

Inchworm: I used Melafix in the tank. Am I supposed to treat the whole tank with the tetracycline? I don't have a hospital tank.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi vanvran

OK, here's the situation; you will have to decide what is happening in your tank and make a decision based on that.

But first let me explain about the salt. It doesn't burn their skin, and is a good thing to use, under certain circumstances, as a medication. The problem is that if it remains in the tank water for a long period of time it is absorbed through their skin. In their natural habitat there is no salt content in the water and as a result their bodies have not evolved to have a way to eliminate it. The result of the strain this puts on their organs can result in kidney or liver damage and shortened life spans.

Now, MelaFix is a mild antibacterial that can cure certain bacterial infections, but not others. The problem is in determining if your cory is cured or just improved with the infection suppressed. If this is the case, it will likely return.

Unfortunately, we cannot tell what kind of bacteria a cory is infected with by the symptoms it shows. We know that your corys had a serious infection because it killed two of them and maimed the remaining one. Now you have added two more that could come down with it too, if their immune systems are not strong.

You not only have to decide if the infection your original corys had is still active, but you have to watch to be sure it hasn't infected your new corys. If there are other fish in the tank, they could show signs of problems too.

If all the other fish look good, I think I would continue to treat the tank with MelaFix and examine the sick cory for signs of an active infection. Look at the barbels and try to see if the skin surrounding them looks normal or if it looks like it could be inflamed or otherwise unhealthy. If so, do the salt dips and see if that helps. The salt water will act like peroxide does when you pour it on a wound. It will clean off decaying skin and flesh and leave the site clean. This will help the MelaFix cure the infection.

If the infection is still active throughout its system, this will help the wound, but not do as much for his overall condition. If he does not appear normal overall, I would say that you should do water changes to remove the MelaFix and treat him with the Tetracycline. I hate to use antibiotics if it isn't necessary because you could risk developing a resistant strain of bacteria which will not respond to that good medicine when it is really needed, so this is an important decision.

If his barbels look damaged but clean, and he seems healthy overall, you can expect the barbels to regrow slowly but they will never be quite as long as they once were. He is lucky to still have some and if he can find food with them he will be OK.

Please let me know what you decide to do and how he responds to it.

 

[vanvran]

Thanks Inchworm--I'll do that. Do I add the Tetracycline to the whole tank then, since I don't have a hospital tank?

He seems fine. He doesn't look like there are any signs of inflammation. He's been very active.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi vanvran

If you think your cory no longer has an active infection, then just continue with the MelaFix a little while longer. Do lots of water changes and just replace the amount of MelaFix that would be removed with the water. I'd do that just to be on the safe side, and it won't hurt them.

If you think any of the fish are still actually sick, however, do water changes to remove the MelaFix and dose the entire tank with the Tetracycline. Be sure that if you start this treatment, you complete the entire course as the package directs. This is very important. Don't stop it even if they look well.

Is Louie eating OK with his poor barbels?

 

[vanvran]

Inchworm: you mean Aquarium salt right?

He seems fine--he's constantly moving now, whereas before he was sleeping about 60% of the time. I drop pellets in, have zucchini for the ottos (one of the new cories is also enjoying it) and then there's the live plants, and normal fish food. I can't say if he's eating, but he doesn't seem sick. It appears as though he barely has any fins on him though.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi vanvran

Poor little Huey! He certainly has had a rough time of it, hasn't he?

Have his fins been getting worse? Or are they holding their own or even showing signs of healing?

If you are in doubt at all about whether the infection still exists, or if the other corys or fish begin to show any signs of it, please do use the tetracycline. Remember that Huey is weak, and even if his original infection is gone, he could catch another easily, at least for awhile.

If you are able to get any live black worms or tubifex worms, it would be good for them, especially now, because the meat will help him regrow lost tissue and get strong. If you can get them, it's important to clean them well, but it's well worth the effort. I prefer to use live because any that are not eaten will go into the gravel where the corys will find them and eat them as snacks, rather than spoiling and polluting the water.

And yes, aquarium salt is best if you have it.

 

[vanvran]

Inchworm: Used the Aq salt last night, he didn't like it too much, but it took longer to catch him than bathe him in the salt water mix! I am worried that will stress him out more. He's doing very well today. I added Melafix to the tank, but didn't remove the carbon, which we had just put in because the old carbon was useless and the tank was getting an odor, even though the readings are perfect. All the other fish are fine.

 

[daddyfish]

I've never heard of Salt Hurting Catfish, as long as it's in Low Concentrations.
This may be of the "OLD SCHOOL" of fish keeping, But I still use 1 teaspoon of Salt, Non Iodized Table Salt per 5 gallons of Aquarium Water, even in my tanks with Catfish in them and they all seem to do "JUST FINE". And it doesn't Seem to Bother them a bit.
Why do I do this because the Use of Salt in Low Concentrations "HELPS" to reduce the chances of infection, in almost all instances.
And for me at least it Seems to really "CUT" down on my problems with Fishy Illnesses.
But I've always heard that In this Hobby, "WHAT" Works for one May Not work so good for Others..
Go Figure???

You just have to "ALWAYS" Remember that "WHENEVER" you drain out the Water when you do your Regular Changes "ONLY" to ad the Salt back that you have taken Out.
Because the Salt stays in the water even though your water will Evaporate.
I usually ad a little less one time then the Full teaspoon, then the Next time I'll put in a Full teaspoon this way I've a less chance of putting in to much Salt...

 

[andywg]

By putting salt in then all you are doing is ensuring that any infections you do get are immune to salt baths.

But why put salt in a tank with fish that live in water that has no trace of salt? That's like taking a human and putting a small amount of salt in their water to drink because you've heard it helps infection and you haven't seen one yet whilst using the salt.

I can't see why someone who wants to give the best care to a fish would give salt to a fish that should not have any salt in their water