cinnanoodles Posted March 19, 2023 Share Posted March 19, 2023 Can't find my testing kit at the moment, sorry. I'm looking for it. Hopefully the image quality is good enough. I noticed that one of my corys was very listless and pretty much immobile. I poked at them a little with my aquarium tweezers and they barely moved. The other one was totally fine. When I looked closer, I saw this wound a little behind the head. It looks partially open, and decently big. It must be a recent wound, because he was okay most of the day as far as I could tell. I'm thinking they got caught on a decoration or something, like a piece of driftwood? Or maybe they were hurt while I was doing something in the tank? Alternatively, they could have gotten nipped at by an ember tetra, but that seemed unlikely to me. Don't know what to do now. I know I can't treat them with salt, at least not much of it. I'm pretty low on medication - I have some Maracyn II, maybe some erythromycin, and SulfaPlex. I can't get anything else tonight because all the fish stores near me are closed. What do I do here? I really don't want them to die... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KittenFishMom Posted March 19, 2023 Share Posted March 19, 2023 Indian Almond Leaves (IALs) if you have them can help. The fish like to hide under them and the tannins and very helpful with healing. Maybe you could put the injured one in a breeder box with several pieces of IALs to hide between until someone can give you better advice. you can't go wrong with IALs, but something else might help more. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinnanoodles Posted March 19, 2023 Author Share Posted March 19, 2023 It got worse. I don't know how or what happened or why, but it got worse. It went from being upright in a corner to being tipped on its side. I took it out. Now euthanizing with clove oil. This is the second cory dead out of three. Store only had three, or I would've bought a whole school. The last day and a half have been a complete nightmare with this tank. It feels like everything I do is horribly wrong. I've lost at least three fish today, two of which were corys, the third being an ember tetra. Really want to cry. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KittenFishMom Posted March 19, 2023 Share Posted March 19, 2023 (edited) @cinnanoodles The hobby can be pretty hard some days. I'm sorry the fish got worse, but head injuries can cause brain swelling. you did the right thing. What kind of corries were they? Edited April 18, 2023 by KittenFishMom 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KittenFishMom Posted March 19, 2023 Share Posted March 19, 2023 @cinnanoodles One of my cory did one of their "grab a breath of air and dive" and hit some hard scape. I don't know why, but it got a large bruise and died while I was asking for help. Nothing had moved in the tank in months. My guess was the cory that hit the hardscape was dodging another fish, and didn't see the hardscape in time to change paths. Everyone slips or bumps into things once in awhile. Even fish. I don't think this was your fault at all. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted March 19, 2023 Share Posted March 19, 2023 On 3/18/2023 at 6:59 PM, cinnanoodles said: When I looked closer, I saw this wound a little behind the head. It looks partially open, and decently big. It must be a recent wound, because he was okay most of the day as far as I could tell. a lot of times.... you'll run into issues with corydoras doing this if the waterline is a bit too close to the lid. It happens. Think of it as a concussion or something. They get stunned and get a bit "out of sorts" for a little while. I hope he perks up and the damage isn't permanent. I can't say this is the cause without confirmation on the water level, but it wouldn't concern me (I would add air and salt). On 3/18/2023 at 8:54 PM, cinnanoodles said: This is the second cory dead out of three. Store only had three, or I would've bought a whole school. The last day and a half have been a complete nightmare with this tank. It feels like everything I do is horribly wrong. I've lost at least three fish today, two of which were corys, the third being an ember tetra. Really want to cry. When you can share full parameters and all that. Show the tank as well as filtration so we can get a better grasp of what's going on. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KittenFishMom Posted March 20, 2023 Share Posted March 20, 2023 @cinnanoodles I sent you a personal message in the forums mail. If you click on the envelope at the top of a page, you can read it. If you have problems reading it post here and we will sort it out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinnanoodles Posted March 29, 2023 Author Share Posted March 29, 2023 Hello again. I'm so sorry, I forgot I posted here so long ago. The corys are C. habrosus, which I recently learned are almost always wild-caught... and during transit, they often develop diseases, parasites and other issues from stress (if they weren't present already). Also, after doing some research as to why it didn't seem like a normal wound and spread so quickly, I found something colloquially known as red blotch disease which seems to fit the bill. I guess it's an ailment that commonly affects Corydoras species, and doesn't have a definite cure or course of action. Not sure yet if it is infectious, but my eyes are peeled. As for the idea of them getting concussed: it's possible for sure, especially against rocks or glass. However, my tank does not have a lid, so that wasn't it. They are pretty active when they're healthy, so they may have swam into a decoration. Finally, as to parameters: ammonia, nitrite and nitrate all read 0 (tank is a very well planted Walstad, capped with a thick layer of sand). pH is around 7. Filtration is an Aqua Clear 30; filter intake covered with a pre-filter sponge, flow is reduced to the lowest setting, and outflow is partly covered by a Solo cup lid to lessen flow even further. Below is a photo of the tank. As of Sunday, I purchased more corys and a koi betta. The betta's great, and he has not attempted to attack or harass any of his tankmates. However, corys are still getting sick. I realized at 12 in the morning today that, on top of some having eroded barbels and some other concerns... they are infected with ich. Not epistylis; I checked. I'm scrambling to put together an ich treatment plan ASAP, hopefully one that can also help with their other problems and can be dosed in the entire tank without killing my shrimp, snails, corys or plants. Many thanks to the both of you for taking the time out to help. @KittenFishMom - haven't seen your message yet, but will absolutely read it. Thanks! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KittenFishMom Posted March 29, 2023 Share Posted March 29, 2023 Your tank is beautiful. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherry Posted March 29, 2023 Share Posted March 29, 2023 On 3/18/2023 at 10:54 PM, cinnanoodles said: The last day and a half have been a complete nightmare with this tank. I totally understand. I lost all of the pygmy corydoras I bought... in spite of my best efforts. Don't give up. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miska Posted March 29, 2023 Share Posted March 29, 2023 Gosh, I am *so* sorry. You have really been through the wringer lately! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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