My Cory has dropsy. Please help!

[Beeker]

I'm using a heating pad under the bowl right now. I just have to keep an eye on it because it turns off by itself after a certain amount of time. I can't figure out how to keep it warm after I go to bed or while I'm at work.

 

[Roan Art]

It is my understanding that corys DO NOT have scales. They are armored or have bony plates, but these are different from scales.

Wow, I think this one flies up there with the substrate and barbels thing. Half the "expert" sites I visited said they had overlapping scales and the other half said lateral plates. I'm going to go with you and PlanetCatFish say: lateral plates. But aren't those just really really big overlapping scales? Not being sarcastic! That's a real question there.

I thought scaleless is used to refer to fish like loaches only. I sure don't wanna confuse cories with loaches, that's for sure, and I don't think you want to dose medications as per a true scaleless fish. Dunno, anyone?

If someone has a site with a FULL anatomy of a corydoras, I would appreciate it. Something that explains the plates/scales and WITH diagrams/pictures, please.

Thank you,
Roan

 

[Beeker]

Just an update: He is still sitting on the bottom but now he is holding himself upright. We are moving in the right direction!

About a half hour ago I got back from the store, filled a 1 gal. hex tank, half with tap and dechlorinator, half with tank water, added 1 tsp. of Epsom Salt, and a little less than 1/4th of Maracyn 2. I have been keeping the temp at about 80 degrees, and I have an airstone in there to keep the oxygen up. After about 5 minutes of being in this setup he started holding himself upright. I hope he keeps improving!

 

[Onikun]

So do cories have scales or not? If someone has their cory die can you dissect it for us to see if it has scales?

 

[ghinksmon]

Yes they have scales. And yes the scales are large enough that some call them plates.

To quote from Encyclopedia of Tropical Fish regarding Corydoras aeneus ... "the chunky body is covered on the sides with a double row of scales which are so large that they might be called plates."

 

[Roan Art]

So do cories have scales or not? If someone has their cory die can you dissect it for us to see if it has scales?

Yes, they have scales. They have large scales that are called "plates". They are definitely not scaleless. Scaleless refers to loaches, which have no scales at all.

Roan