sick fish - need help!

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aquatix02

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hi.. i have a problem with my corydoras julii

my corys have been in my 7G zeolite box-filtered quarantine tank for about 10 days. one of them has just recently developed a swollen gill (or something like that) on one side and the red gilles on the other... also it also floats in mid-tank or nearer to the surface (presumably to get more oxygen) at times, at other times it lies motionless at the bottom. my other two corydoras are fine and actively searching for food all over.

does anyone know what the problem may be? could it be a disease? would really appreciate it if someone could help me out!

also... i add amquel approximately once every 3 days and do after I do a 25% water change with a siphon.

thanks!
 
Why are you adding the amquel outside of a water change?

Sounds like something is irritating the gills of the fish. A build up of chemicals seems likely. You're better off adding fewer chemicals, and allowing the bacteria that process ammonia and such to establish. Chemical methods aren't reliable--they absorb as much as they can, and then quit working. This means you have fluctuating toxins. Some fish are more sensitive than others.
 
Hmmm, OrionGirl is right on adding fewer chemicals, chemical methods, and something irritating the gills. To say its chemical buildup I wonder about. Chemical buildup in the tank would affect all the fish (at least to some degree - the other are fine right?). I would suggest (suggest mind you!) that its a bacterial infection, though its hard to determine from here. Amquel and zeolite????? That seems like overkill but if it's worked for you who am I to say otherwise. Also,(lets hope this isn't true) if the gills are damaged too much, the fish won't recover.:(
As for corrective measures. I would only use the amquel with water changes, and do so every other day. You could treat with an antibiotic/fungicide. Good luck!
 
there was a typo earlier... i meant to say that i add amquel after the water change..

actually i should have taken some gravel from the main tank to seed the box filter... however, i thought i'd do ok with zeolite and amquel for 1 week or 2 before i added the fish to the main tank.

i have only just dabbed some malachite green on the cory's swollen area.. it seemed a little cotton-like so i reckoned it was fungus. anyhow.. its condition seems to be getting worse with the gill inflamed now. and its been trying to rest on the plants near the surface for oxygen

i raised the temp a little since it promotes the immune system at the same time maintaining vigorous aeration... just hoping for the best... at the moment the gill movement is very faint... sad to say it will prob not make it...
 
Cottony huh? Sounds like columnaris, a very common bacteria that looks cottony when a serious infection occurs. You're correct about the temp increase and immune system, however, bacteria's rate of multiplying also increase and does so quicker. Increasing temp works with parasites but not with bateria. It doesn't sound good for the fish :( . As long as the other two are healthy, they can avoid infection :) .
On the beneficial bacteria side of the coin, they need ammonia, so to seed your tank with gravel from the other tank and then add zeolite and amquel would deprive those bacteria of what they need. I don't worry about cycling my q-tank b/c I do regular (daily or every other day) water changes which keeps ammonia down. Of course that's only when I have fish in it. If you're trying to cycle the tank, it will take longer using zeolite, but the zeolite will eventually lose its effectiveness and support bacteria.
 
If it looks like cotton wool, it's fungus. Columnaris forms white patches.
 
Cotton comes from a plant.
Wool comes from a sheep.
Are you suggesting sheep do something else with plants other than eat them?:rolleyes:
Columnaris grows and forms "haystacks" (looking at them under the microscope) but to the naked eye, many patches together look like cottony-wool. Unless you have both together to differentiate between them (or aquatix looks at it under a scope), the arguement is moot.
 
Nice link Faramir! Hope it helps aquatix02!
 
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