"warts" On My Corycat!

[xdrugxlikex]

Hey there, I've had my spotted/peppered corycat for quite a while now (since November 2009) and suddenly like..5 days ago he started getting these wart-like bubbles all over his face and it's now spreading. Literally, they're rather large compared to the size of my 2.5" fish. Some are almost like a bubble on his face and others have red stuff that I'm going to assume is blood in them. Ever since he got these growths he's become very lethargic and swimming in odd ways. He lays down in an upright position against my plants and practically upside down at the top of the tank but breathing and gill movement seem to be normal. I tried Melafix and it would help for a day and then the growths would be back again. I've done a 20% water change since then and all water stuff was 100% normal, I even turned the heat up just a little bit to be safe.

Tank info: 10 gal with 1 Black Phantom Tetra, 1 Panda Corycat, 1 Peppered Corycat, 1 White Tetra, 1 Golden Mickey Mouse Platy, and 1 Algae Eater.

Below are photos I managed to take of the fish with my phone, crap quality..but it does show the abnormalities.

Please help guys.

 

[xdrugxlikex]

Well thanks to the lack of aid on this forum site I lost my fish this afternoon. I thought SOMEONE would be able to help. So much for a "community".

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

What you have to bare in mind is that giving stocking advice is far safer than anyone diagnosing a disease over the internet, especially from what I would hardly call ideal photos and then suggesting a course of treatment that might be wrong!

If you did not have the experience to safely diagnose, you ought to have caught your sick cory using two nets and then taken it to a trusted fish store or other local fish keeper you knew.

Sorry for your loss...

 

[emmettbaby]

sorry for your loss. From the pics, it looks like you fish may have tried to dig in the substrate and that could have caused abrasions. Bacteria probably got in these sores and caused infections. An antibiotic may have worked, but there also may not have been anything you could have done.

From what I've learned on here and through experience is that some things are easier to avoid than to treat. One thing I would suggest to help protect your other cat is that you change your gravel. Cories need a very smooth substrate because of their delicate barbels (whiskers). And they like to dig or shuffle the sand around. Your cat may have tried moving the stones and got caught or something. Fine sand is the best to have in a tank that has any number of cories. It looks very pretty and natural and doesn't hurt any fish (that I know of). If you decide to put sand in, I would suggest regular child's play sand. It's dirt cheap.

If your in the US, I got mine from Lowe's, not sure about international hardware/outdoors stores. Make sure it doesn't have chemicals in it!! It may even say "aquarium safe" on it, but because one doesn't say that, doesn't mean you can't put it in your tank. Just do your homework, and wash whatever sand you get A LOT! The sand I got for about 5 bucks for 50 pounds was orange, I washed it until it was white then sifted the large particles out with a window screen.


Then again, this is just what I think happened. Like N0body Of The Goat said, it's hard to diagnose simply by pics. It could have nothing to do with the gravel or may not even have been a bacterial infection. But if I lost a cat like that, gravel would be the first thing I would consider to be the cause. Good luck, I hope your other fish will be okay!

 

[Harlequins]

Well thanks to the lack of aid on this forum site I lost my fish this afternoon. I thought SOMEONE would be able to help. So much for a "community".

Sorry for your loss,but its no good taking it out on the 'community'. Peeps won't reply if they dont know what it is,has this may lead to bad info.

By the looks of your poor cory,whatever he had it may have been too late to treat anyway as it looks quite far advanced.
I hope your other fish are ok

 

[MrPandaram]

sorry for ur lose.

i have seen ur post.. but i could not figure out what has happen to ur fish.. so did not reply.


seems like something eat the fish alive..

 

[emmettbaby]

Well now I think I may be having the same problems that u did...

Does this look like what your fish had? It's on my cory now too, like it was contagious via internet!

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/336255-lost-6-this-week/

 

[newfishmommy]

Hi

I was reading through the post and when I saw this one I went to a site that I used to try to find out what was wrong with my fish, and may have some information that could be helpful for you.

According to the pics that are posted the fish could have the following signs, please correct me if I am wrong.

Physical Signs:

White, clear, red/pink areas of necrosis.
Occasionally slightly ragged/fuzzy appearance.
Inflamed patches and sometimes deeper ulcers develope.
Various patterns of appearance and presentation.
Columnaris usually present near the head and sides of the body and is often mistaken for a fungus; it is characteristically white and patchy.

Behavioral Signs:

Lethargy
Hiding Behavior "Hanging"
Clamped Fins
Loss Of Appetite
General Constitutional Signs

If your fish is showing these signs it is possible your fish may have fish TB. If this is the case your fish needs antibiotics (Examples include but are not limited to: Maracyn I & II, Jungle Binox, Aquatronics Kanacyn, etc.)

Frequent water changes are a must to improve quality. Tuberculosis is difficult to treat because it attacks intracellularly.

You can check out these links for more information:

http/www.flippersandfins.net/flexibacter.htm

http/www.flippersandfins.net/FishTankGranuloma.htm

Hope that helps and good luck with healing your fish!

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

Because people didn't reply within the 9 hours it took from posting initally to the fish dying post; I really dont think that killed the fish. The 5 days with the marks on him that you mentioned in the first line and the lack of doing anything sooner may have been more to blame than the "fish community". People work they can't be around to reply instantly; and as has been said if people dont know what the problem is then people won't reply.

Just keep an eye on your other fish just in case.