# Cory Fish Fungus Story



## FishFlow (Sep 13, 2011)

Decided, since this forum helped me so much with this issue, to write somethign down incase it may help someone else. Big thanks to the people in chat that helped me through this process. 


One of my four cories came down with fish fungus. A white cottony growth on the side of its body. I did not bother to identify it when I first noticed it as I used to give my fish some time to *heal* themselves before I do anything. Since this philosophy failed in this case this is what I did.

Started out as a small patch just behind the gill. Over the course of ~ 4 weeks it has spread to ½ his right side, a small spot on the left, and noticed it beginning on a 2nd cory. The cory continued to act normal and active. I was ready to add more fish to the tank, but since this cory wasn’t getting better and it seemed to be spreading, I identified the fish as having fish fungus, which is contagious. Down to the fish store, purchased some Fungus Clear by Jungle at my lfs. Dosed the entire tank. (Heavily planted, 37gal, 5 fish, dirt/eco sub) This did nothing. I re-dosed again on day four (per directions on box), no visible improvement on day 3 of 2nd dose.

Ok, dosing Jungle to entire tank didn’t work. Next step was daily large water changes and adding salt. Since cories don’t like salt, it was recommended to ½ dose salt. Full dose salt is 1 tsp per gallon. Another concern I had was plants don’t tolerate salt either. While most plant apparently don’t mind the 1tsp/gallon, I certainly didn’t want to kill my plants. So day 1 I ¼ dosed the tank with salt with 50% water change. This was end of day 8 of treatment and no signs of fungus getting better.

While I’ve been doing all the above, I was also setting up a quarantine/hospital tank, and trying to cycle the sponge filter in another established tank. Then it was recommend that even though tank is not cycled, treatment of fish fungus is large daily water changes, cories should not see much stress due to water quality. Also, I was not looking forward to trying to catch 4 cories in a heavily planted tank! The last nail on the coffin was wife volunteered to catch the cories! Ok, Game on.

Took ~ 30 mins, and ~ 10 plants uprooted, but 4 cories are now in the hospital tank. With a ½ dose salt solution. (7tsp for 15 gallon tank) QT tank is 15gal, black sand sub, sponge air driven filter. This was done last night. This am, there was already a noticeable reduction of the fungus on the most infected cory. 3 were just calmly moving about on the bottom, and 1 was *spaz’en* out. (swimming erratically darting about.) 

I'll keep updating until Cories go back into a big tank.


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

Thanks for that Wes!

Sounds like you've done everything you can for the Corys and I hope they one with the fungus and the second one who started to show symptoms, make a complete recovery! You are a good fish daddy! 

I know how you feel, trying to catch them! I had 6 in my 36g very very planted, drift wood and rock tank....... it took a long time, many up rooted plants and lots of expletives and threats on the Cory's lives, lol. XD

Keep us updated for sure! You should get pics of his "fuzz" state now, and then pics of it as it reduces.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

You could try a salt dip. Much higher concentration of salt, but the fish is only left in it for a small period and then returned to the tank.


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## Summer (Oct 3, 2011)

Thanks for sharing! I'm sure it will help someone in the future!


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## FishFlow (Sep 13, 2011)

Update: Only been 8 days, but boy feels like it's been alot longer than that.

While fish appeared to be getting healthy on the 11th, 8 days later fish still has it's issues.

What I've been doing. 

50% water changes daily.
3 days adding 1/2 dose salt (1/2 tsp per gallon)
3 days just water change.
2 days of using anti bacterial T.C Tetracycline. (No water change today, per directions, 25% wc tomorrow with 3rd dose. Treatment is considered 4 doses.)

I finally got a picture worth a damn and believed I misdiagnosed this fish. It may be extra slime coat. Pic taken 2 days ago.


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## FishFlow (Sep 13, 2011)

Update: Finished up one treatment of the anti-bacterial (4 days of dosing) and have gone back to 50% wc daily. Cory didn't seem to be any better after the treatment. It's been couple days of 50% daily wc's, and yesterday Cory appears to be doing better. Slime still present, but doesn't appear to be as thick as the pic above shows. (Seems to be thinner slime, not near as many "chunks".) 

It was suggested this may be "Grey Slime" which may be difficult to treat. 

Other than this slime, fish appears to be healthy (to me). It eats, swims with it's 3 tank mates, jumps infront of powerhead for "vigiourous swimming"


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## Bekah (Jan 25, 2016)

Hi,

I am new to this site, posted on another site with 15 views and no response accept to buy a medication, which I already have.

My cory has a white cottony that is now on the top of her head and on her fins. I was treating her with antibiotics for the body slim which is no longer visible, bu the cotteny growth continues to grow as it was not on the top of her head.

I have her in a 1 gallon hospital tank, no gravel, no plants. I bathed her in a salt solution for a few hours which was said not to leave them in more than 30 minutes. I introduced the salt slowly all desolved, she had no problems but I removed her and put her in a clean water. Her 1 gallon tank is now medicated with no salt. I used kosher salt since that was the only thing I have.

She has been treated with medication for one week for the body slim, this is not almost 2 weeks and the cotten growth is persistent. What can I do now? Should I add the salt into her aquarium hospital along with the medication?


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