Tank: 40 gallon breeder, cycled with pre-established media from my husbands tank, planted with flourite sand
Tank Mates: 4 upside down catfish, 2 Sterbai, 5 peppered, 2 bronze, 4 julii corydoras ( I know the schools aren't ideal, I rescued what I was told were bronze and julii, they ended up being peppered and Sterbai, working on improving this)
pH: 6.5
Nitrates: 0ppm
Hardness: unsure, need to get kit
Nitrite: 0ppm
Ammonia: 0ppm
KH/Buffer: unsure need to get kit
Water Temperature : 74-75 degrees F
Food: 2x/day, bottom feeder pellet and tablet mix, weekly: frozen bloodworm/shrimp blend
HOB filter and air stone
Water change: 30% weekly
I recently adopted four pepper corydoras from a local community group. The person was tearing down their tanks and I felt bad for the corydoras not living in ideal conditions (alone and on gravel) so I offered to take them. I do not have a quarantine tank (I know I should, it isn't an option currently), so I drip acclimated them over a 30 minute period, verified temperature was matched and added them to my tank. The first day I kept lights very dim to allow them to adjust. Next day I was looking closer at them and noticed two of them had what appeared to be fungus on the tip of their pectoral fin. I wanted to give clean water and high quality food a chance to heal them, so took no action. It's been 7 days since, and they both are active and actually have spawned multiple times.
Still no change in the fungus though, so I asked for advice at my LFS. They suggested *PolyGuard* at half dose because they are corydoras and might be more sensitive.
Day 1: 50% water change then did half dose of meds after the light was off.
Day 2: Pepper corys spawned so I assumed felt okay
Day 3: All the corys seem more calm and subdued than usual. Normally they either hide in back or swim all over the tank. Today everyone was out and about and resting on the sand. Is this a sign of negative reaction to the medication or them just comfortable in the tank? I tested parameters with Fritz liquid kit using water syringed from bottom of tank: 0ppm Ammonia, 0ppm Nitrite, 10ppm Nitrate, 6.5 pH.
The directions say to dose every three days for up to two weeks. Before dosing again I wanted another opinion in case my corydoras are having an adverse reaction or their is a better treatment choice. Pictures are of my tank and the fungus. I think the water is cloudy because I did a poor job rinsing the sand, if someone else has another idea I would love to hear it!