Panda Cories are Sick

[Sondra Bradshaw]

 

Please help me... even if you do not know. What would you do? I have no clue on what to do when it comes to treatment. I would like to use this paracleanse I have but I have no clue if that is the right call. I have a 36 gallon bow front tank with only 5 panda corydoras at the moment. My water parameters are PH 7.5// ammonia 0//nitrite 0//nitrate 5ppm//KH 4dkh//GH 12dgh. It's been set up for approximately 5 months with a lot of changes. Please note I am a beginner and I am learning and have learned literally a TON within a few months. But the knowledge keeps flooding in 😂 

All of my fish started dying left and right one day and it started with my younger angel. She had shown very little interest in food before death, lethargic and had a couple white spots on her and fin rot. The spots and rot would go away over night, be gone for a few nights, and then come back but was eating fine. I thought it was stress the entire time. The loss of interest in food happened, tried quarantining with Melafix (per other hobbyists suggestion) but no improvement. A week later, I started losing Cories every single day, all similar symptoms, whirling around before death and very hard time swimming in general (going upside down, etc) and lethargic. Usually the next day, I would lose them after they exhibit the whirling behavior and their bellies were sunken in 😭 then I lost 3 more cories in a matter of a few days and they all had red blotch disease symptoms besides one, who was already partially eaten when I found him that morning, with white fungus on him. At this point, I was thinking parasites but I went for advice as I have no clue what medications are for what, etc. I had people telling me to dose Melafix in the tank. Again and see what happens... but then my other angel I had randomly got ill. Very lethargic, would not eat a THING. A few weeks prior to this, he did slow down on eating. But this was right after the other angel died. So I figured he didn't have a reason to eat crazy fast. I thought he was eating like that DUE TO AGGRESSION towards the other fish and since she wasn't in the tank anymore, he could chill out. Nope, two days after using Melafix, he died. Red gills, bulging eyes, and very weak. Had a hard time keeping himself up and would get himself stuck in the current. He was pale, almost blue after death. The red gills, bulging eyes, weakness, all happened a few hours before death.  I honestly really hate myself with this one. I see his dead body vividly when I talk about him and get heartbroken. I wanted so bad to put him out of his misery but we didn't have any clove oil. I just hate it. 

After he died, I ordered paracleanse from here, thinking that I've been right, and there are parasites present. I thought maybe wasting away disease since they all were very skinny after death. Even the Cories who were always scrummaging for food right before they started whirling around. I posted online to ask if anyone had experience with this, and if paracleanse has crashed their cycle. I was nervous to use it due to reading that on the pack. I had people telling me that Cories don't get wasting away disease and blah blah blah and that it's something else. So I put the paracleanse in my cabinet and someone suggested EM Erythromacyn and I just finished the treatment 4 days ago and followed the directions. However, now it seems to me I have a Cory who is sick, again, and a couple of them are showing the symptoms they had prior to medication. What should I do from here? I have a picture of my Cory who is acting lethargic to see if anyone can tell what's going on. To me, he looks fine, but I'm new to fish keeping and even newer with Corys. After treatment, I did notice two white things. They were dead, if worms, one was really tiny but a little thicker than a detritus worm, and the other one was long and thick but it was stuck in my wave maker but I'll provide that picture too, as well as a full tank shot with my Cories a day after treatment.

Thank you for the help and for reading this all of the way through. I really appreciate any help. I'm just nervous. I really want a thriving tank 😭

Edited March 22 by Sondra Bradshaw

[Colu]

Did they have sunken bellys before they died or after as fish decompose really quickly in warm water so what you could be seeing is post mortem changes have you notice any rapid breathing hanging out near the surface spitting food out also when you do a water change do you use a dechlorinator like prime @Sondra Bradshaw

Edited March 23 by Colu

[Sondra Bradshaw]

@Colu they did have sunken bellies after they died but didn't notice any other behavior with the Cories, however, now that you mention it, both of my angels before they passed had spit out food a few times that they normally loved. I have noticed some rapid breathing but it's not all of the time. But every now and then. And yes, I use api stress coat and stability I have prime but I only do smaller water changes so I'm nervous to use too much. Read that it could bind the oxygen or something? Not sure if I'm 100% right on that. I've always used the stress coat since I started the tank. 

Edited March 23 by Sondra Bradshaw

[Colu]

On 3/23/2024 at 1:22 AM, Sondra Bradshaw said:

@Colu they did have sunken bellies after they died but didn't notice any other behavior with the Cories, however, now that you mention it, both of my angels before they passed had spit out food a few times that they normally loved. I have noticed some rapid breathing but it's not all of the time. But every now and then. And yes, I use api stress coat and stability I have prime but I only do smaller water changes so I'm nervous to use too much. Read that it could bind the oxygen or something? Not sure if I'm 100% right on that. I've always used the stress coat since I started the tank. 

Prime can Lower dissolve oxygen for short amount of time if over dosed I  use a dropper and use 1 drop per liter when doing water changes and base dose my tanks and haven't had issues sunken belly and  spitting food out can be a sign of wasting disease for that you would want to treat with expel p active ingredient levamisole once a week for 4 weeks and black out the tank during treatment as levamisole a light sensitive medication and do a good gravel vac 24 HR after treatment to remove as many expelled parasite and eggs from the substrate as possible add an  extra air stone during treatment