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My Corydoras Sterbai is sick - big white pimples on his body

13K views 22 replies 4 participants last post by  bettababy 
#1 ·
Hallo,

something is wrong with my Corydoras Sterbai and I can't find what it is.

He has about 5 grey-white big pimples on his body, some scale about his eyes and on the head are lost, his fins are crumbled and his colour is not as pure as it should be. He's behavior is normal. He is playing with other Corydoras, eating very well. At first I thought it could the white-spot disease and we were treating the tank with special medications, but no results at all.

Water parameters are good, except NO2 and NO3 are higher then it should be (but this is because the tank is quite new), other fish is healthy (I hope they are, I don't see any abnormal behavior or physical disorders). My tank is 190 liters.

I attach a photo of my poor Cory. I really hope somebody could tell what's wrong with him.

Sincerely,

jolita
 

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#4 ·
Can you please list some more details about your tank? How many and what kind of fish are in this tank with this cory? What kind of filter are you using? What media is in it? What is the water temp? Can you also please post the exact numbers for test results of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH? Without exact numbers for these tests there isn't much anyone is going to be able to do to help you.
It would also be helpful to know how long this tank has been set up, how long it has had fish in it, how many were added at what intervals, what your water change/maintenance schedule is, what foods you are offering and how much/how often, and if you are adding any chemicals regularly to this tank such as water conditioner(s), fertilizers, etc.?
Are there live plants in this tank? And lastly, what specific medication(s) have you used so far and when was the last dose given, and how long since it has been removed?

The more details you can offer the faster I will be able to help you.
 
#5 ·
Fish in my tank:

Paracheirodon axelrodi (The cardinal tetra) - 9
Tanichthys albonubes (White Cloud Mountain Minnow) - 1
Kryptopterus bicirrhis (ghost catfish) -1 (he lost his friend two days ago)
Botia macracanthus (Clown Loach) - 2
Crossocheilus siamensis (Siamese algae eater) - 3 (added to the tank on the 18th of Januray).
Corydoras Sterbai - 2
Corydoras paleatus - 2
Baryancistrus sp. – 2

Filter

Bluewave 05. Internal system equipped with: double water intake, Bluclima heater, bluepower pump, mechanical filtration, biological filtration and absorbed filtration.

Water temperature: 25 C after the night, 26 - 27 C in the evening

Water parameters: CL2 - 0, PH about 7, KH 6, GH 14, NO2 - 5 mg/l, NO3 - 50 mg/l.

Tank was set up on 10th of January, all fish were added on the 18th of January.

We changed about half of water once after the treatment - on the 24th of January.

Food: Hikari Tropical (micro pellets), TetraRubin, Daphia (snack) (once in the morning), Green Algae Wafers(3 tablets in the morning, 2 tablets in the evening), Hikari Sinking Wafers (1 tablet per day in the morning).

Fertilizer: Bloom & Grow for plants, 4 ml on 26th of January.

Plants: Vallisneria gigantea, Echinodorus amazonicus, Lobelia cardinalis, Crinum calamistratum, Hygrophila difformis.

Treatment: with Sera Costapur on 19th, 21st, 23rd of January, each time – 4 ml injection to the water.

This tank is a new one. Before this we had a smaller for about 2 years. Water parameters were good, except NO2 and NO3 the last time we checked it (I don't remember exactly, how much it was, but surely less then in a new tank). We had plants in old tank (not the same as in a new one). Food - the same. Fish - the same. Filter: Aqua EL Filter Bio FS 80, media: Mechanical, biological, chemical. I cleaned tank and changed some water once in three weeks.

O noticed one pimple on Cory a day before we moved fish to the new tank, but I didn't thought that something is wrong with him. Only when I saw Cory in the new tank were lightening is different I realize that Cory is sick. And he is getting worse (his physical appearance). But he eats well, plays with other Cory.
 
#6 ·
What size is this tank? How much water do you change at a time? Do you have a quarantine tank available if needed? Do any of the other corys show any signs of these symptoms?

I apologize for all of the questions but these are all things to know to properly diagnose the problem and offer you any help.
 
#7 ·
Tank is 190 liters (50 gallons), and water there is about 150 liters (40 gallons). We change about 1/3 water at a time. The other Sterbay Cory became a little whitish and other two - Paleatus and Albino - are fine. NO2 and NO3 decreased a little. And no, we do not have a quarantine tank now...
 
#9 ·
I apologize for not being able to get here sooner. I tried to log in last night but was unable to get a connection to the forum.

The first thing I can see going on here is the very high nitrite and nitrate levels. Those alone have the potential to cause the problems visible in the photos. Also evident in the photos is lateral line erosion, what you had mentioned looked like "missing scales". So the first step to getting your fish well is going to be getting the water parameters where they need to be... ammonia 0, nitrite 0, and nitrate well below 40.

Another thing that would greatly help would be a vitamin supplement (such as Zoe, made by Kent Marine) added to their food. I'm not sure where you are located? If you're in the United States then it should be pretty easy for me to suggest specific products for you. If you're outside of the states then we may have to discuss back and forth what you have available that would be effective.

It's difficult to say diagnosing this via internet, but there is also the possibility of a protozoan problem, which would help account for the "pimple" type bumps. For that I would suggest treating the tank water with a medication called quinine. Follow the directions on the medication and be careful not to overdose.

Between now and the time you are able to get the medication I would urge you to use either polyfilter or purpad in the filter to help reduce the nitrite and nitrate levels quickly yet safely. Do not do any massive water changes as that would only make the situation worse. Also, do not substitute the medication I have suggested without consulting me, as not all medications are safe to use with corys and most especially with clown loaches in the tank. If quinine is unavailable I will help you find another safe medication to use in place of it, just let me know.

If there's anything more I can do to help you, such as links to the products I have suggested, also let me know and I will post those for you.

Best of luck to you and your fish.
 
#10 ·
I live in Lithuania (it's in Europe) and I couldn't find any quinine medications or vitamin supplement as Zoe here. What I can get is mostly JBL's, SERA's, WEITZ - WASSERWELT, MICROBE - LIFT, EASY LIFE, TETRA's production.

For example, Sera Fishtamin ( sera GmbH - Products - sera fishtamin ) or JBL ARADOL ( JBL Aradol - Aquatis Fresh water - JBL ). Of course, there is much more, but I just don't know, which one is good and save.

Nitrite and nitrate levels are decreasing.
 
#11 ·
The Sera vitamins are good and an acceptable replacement for the Zoe. Let me take a look through the manufacturer names that you listed and see if I can find you a safe and appropriate substitute for the quinine. In the mean time go ahead and get the vitamins started and continue to work on fixing the nitrite and nitrate problem. Most medications are toxic with poor water quality... quinine is one of the few exceptions. I will post again later tonight or tomorrow once I've had a chance to seek out a safe medication option for you.
 
#12 ·
Just an opinion, no medication should be administered until you know what exactly is causing the problem. It can lead to bigger problems by treating for a "might be" illness.
 
#13 ·
Tazman, sometimes it is warranted, especially for some problems where the symptoms are all there but they can only be positively diagnosed via lab work or necropsy. In this situation there is a strong indication of a protozoan problem and the medication I suggested could be used safely with no risk to the fish if there turns out to be no protozoan issue in the end.
I have been working in this field for many yrs (20+) and I don't suggest such things just on a whim or from picking up advice around the internet. I also don't take stupid chances with other people's fish. Fish medicine is my specialty and I have the education and experience behind me to offer help.
 
#14 ·
Apology for writing what I did, I failed to see that was your area of Specialty and as such should not be doubting you.


Thank you for your understanding.
 
#15 ·
Jolita, the best medication alternative I can find available to you would be the MICROBE-LIFT Metronidazole. The best approach is going to be in treating the food instead of the tank water, as we want the medication to get into the blood stream as quickly as possible.
If you can tell me what foods you are currently offering to your cory catfish I can then talk you through the best/most effective way to treat their food and also give you a full treatment schedule.
 
#16 ·
Bad news - MICROBE-LIFT Metronidazole is available only in United States.
I list all medicaments that I can get in my country.

Easy Life Anti Spot
JBL Aradol
JBL Ektol Cristal
JBL Ektol Fluid
JBL Fungol
JBL Furanol 2
JBL Gyrodol 2
JBL Nedol
JBL Oodinol
JBL Punktol ultra
JBL Spirohexol
JBL Catappa

SERA ECTOPUR
Sera Mycopur
Sera Baktopur
Sera Baktopur direct
Sera Bakto tabs
Sera Omnipur

And finally some good news: NO2 is between 0 - 0,5 mg/l and NO3 between 0 - 10 mg/l.

Please, give some links to the products, which would be suitable for my tank.

Thank you very much for Your help!
 
#17 ·
I hate to have to tell you this but none of those medications is appropriate for what you need or comparable to the other medications I suggested. If you use any of the products that you listed you would only serve to waste your money and likely cause a faster death to your fish.

The best thing I can recommend for a situation such as yours is to get a quarantine tank asap and move the 2 sick corys out of the main tank. This won't guaranty that your other fish won't contract this problem, but the chances of it infecting your entire tank are much higher if these 2 obviously sick fish remain in there. All you can do without appropriate medication available is to watch the sick fish (in quarantine) until they appear to be suffering (unable to eat, can't swim properly, etc) and then to humanely euthanize them. If any of your other fish begin to show the same kinds of symptoms my advice would be the same for them.

When dealing with this kind of protozoan problem it will eventually get into their neurological system and affect muscles and the ability to move properly, breathe properly, etc. Sometimes it can be visible as a bent spine, uncontrollable twitching, rapid gill movement/distressed breathing, and an inability to hold their bodies upright (drooping back end) as they swim. When any of those things is present it is best for the fish to be put down so as to avoid any unnecessary suffering.

I'm sorry I can't be of more help to you but there are only very specific medications that treat for that type of problem. I hate having to tell anyone that their situation is hopeless, but unfortunately, the laws that control the availability of medications in some countries don't allow for anything else.

Its going to be very important for you to watch your other fish, especially the other cory catfish. This type of situation is highly contagious and since it is internal, it would be in an advanced stage such as your current sick fish before you would see evidence of it.

In the future you will want to be sure to quarantine any new fish for at least 2 - 3 wks to help ensure you are not introducing new disease into your main tank, especially with such a limited number of medications available to you. The other thing I'd like to suggest is to not get any new fish for at least a month or 2, until you know for sure all of your remaining fish are healthy and not carrying this protozoan. This will help you to avoid infecting any new, healthy fish.

Again, I'm sorry I can't help you. Good luck to you. If you need further help please just let me know and I will do what I can.
 
#20 ·
No, sorry, none of those are the right kind of medication either. :-(

The parasitic medications you have been finding are meant to treat things such as intestinal worms and external parasites... not appropriate for internal protozoan problem.
 
#22 ·
I got Metronidazole! Previously just didn't get to my mind that I have to ask personally, not just look around on Internet websites. I hope that this medicaments will help Corydoras to get well. And another good news is that both NO2 and NO3 are zero.
I feed my fish twice a day - I give them 3 Hikari sinking wafers and 1 Tropical green algae wafer on the midday and 2 Hikari and sometimes 1 Tropical late in the evening.

Thank you, Bettababy, for all your help. Me and my fiancé are very grateful!
 
#23 ·
Jolita, are there any pellet foods that your corys will eat? That would be the best and easiest form of food to medicate with the metronidazole.

Once you let me know what kind of foods they will take, how big the pellets/wafers are, etc, then I can quickly talk you through how to medicate the food safely. I'll check back here again tonight so you can get to this quickly and begin treatment asap.

Just so you are aware, treating the water with the metronidazole is not going to have the same effect as treating the food and you can't do both at the same time without overdosing the fish. Medicating the food will help the medication be effective much faster than treating the water, and it would be much safer for the other fish, too. Not all of your fish are likely to respond well to this kind of medication at full dose in the tank water.
 
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