# Sickly Cory



## Scyry (Dec 1, 2010)

I have one cory that has been sickly for a couple weeks now. I had to go out of town so I wasn't able to try and help him, I'm actually suprised he is still kicking. He is very lethargic, I haven't seen him eat, he keeps his fins down and has lost almost all of his color. I don't see any Ich or fungus on him. The rest of the fish are doing great. Any clue what it could be? 

I am hoping to not spread it to my other fish. I don't have a quarantine tank, not allowed to because "we don't want to be known as crazy fish tank people." I don't want to treat him randomly, and stress my other fish.


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

A QT can be a smaller tank or container.

If you have a fish tank a QT tank is an absolute must. 10g tanks cost 10 bucks, go give her 10 bucks or buy her 10 $1 roses then bring the tank home.


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## Scyry (Dec 1, 2010)

I fully understand I need a QT. The girlfriend on the other hand doesn't, hasn't ever had fish before. 

I have a very big mason jar, about a gallon, I think I may set up with a sponge filter and some sand to treat the little guy. I just have no clue what to do to treat him. Throw some bacteria medicine at him? He has nothing that I can point at and say 'that looks like X disease."


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

The mason jar will work perfectly. He may be suffering from fin rot, in which case start treating quickly. If his fins are clamped you really won't be able to see the rot, and if he's swimming funny and not eating that's a surefire sign of him having trouble swimming due to the rot. Get some API Melafix and dose the QT tank lightly with it. It's not a medication so much as an herbal remedy (tea leaf extract), and will not mess up the water as bad as a straight-up medication.


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## Scyry (Dec 1, 2010)

I got the little guy in a 2.5g QT I setup. I transfered water and some substrate from his original tank directly into the new tank to jump start it. I also threw in some plants and hiding spots. 

I am sure it is not fin rot. I caught him with his fins opened up and they looked perfect. He just has next to no color, he is almost translucent. He has lost weight, doesn't move around much, I haven't seen him eat and he uses his entire body to move (looks like a ton of effort to swim wear as they normally barely flick their tails.)

I am dosing the tank with a bacteria/fungus treatment. It has the broadest range of treatments, and since I don't know whta it is I figured it give me the best shot? He is still kicking after looking sickly for 2+ weeks, so I am hoping he can pull through.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Doesn't sound bacterial/fungal to me. In my epexerience with clamped fins, it has always cleared up using parasite meds. Either the Tetra brand called Parsite Guard, or Jungla Labs brand called Parasite Clear. Petsmart/Petco will carry on or the other usually. They come in the form of a fizz tablet. In the case of the way he has been acting, also sounds like parsites potentially. Has white poop been coming out of it?


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## Scyry (Dec 1, 2010)

I haven't seen him poop, or any white poop in the tank.

I'll switch to a parasite treatment after the current treatment has cycled if he is not showing any improvement.


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Keep the water pristine even if you have to do a water change everyday. Keep the temp at least 78 to 80 degrees. If you have a clove of garlic, mash it up and put it in with a little bloodworms and and let it soak for a couple of hours then feed that to him. That can work wonders getting a fish to eat.


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## Scyry (Dec 1, 2010)

Lost him yesterday. Girlfriend found him and was really upset over it. 

None of my other fish have had any issues and he was with them for at least 2 weeks, after looking sick, before I got the QT. I had him for almost a month and he was perfectly healthy and eating very well. Mainly worried about other fish getting whatever he had right now. I'll break down the QT, clean it up and get it ready just incase.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Sorry to hear. Cories are cool fish.


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