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I would continue with the food in such a way as to not have it in the tank too long. That will drive ammonia up.

You are using maracyn and not maracyn-2, right? Maracyn is erythromycin, which is effective for columnaris (that fuzzy looking bacteria). Sounds like it is working for him. .

Keep us updated.

That's funny Cory Di! What I usually do is vacuum all the open areas then take up about 1/4 of the stuff in the tank and vacuum under it so I get it all over the course of 4 weeks. I do have a large rock formation that's semi-hollow. The first time I put it backin the tank and hour later it was floating, still some air in there - what a mess. The fish thought is was find, still swimming thru the hole and the algae eater was still stuck firmly to the back! Since Spot (as he was affectionately called) died I'm going to wait another couple weeks and go get the lone pepper cory a couple more buddies.

No doubt he bumped his nose. I don't know if your cories are like mine, but they startle easily and dart around like they are on triple caffiene.

It's good to rearrange. Be careful with any decco that has been in place a long time, especially if it is hollow. I had a cave that filled up with water in the "solid section". 3 months later I went to gravel vac under it so I moved it. Holy cow!! This sulfur-smelly goop started oozing out and I pulled it out rapidly. I mean, I could smell it before it came out of the water - that's how much gas was trapped. This could have been very dangerous for my fish as it was apparently hydrogen sulfide gas which accumulates where water stagnates and there is no air. It can do this in compacted gravel too. I dropped in several airstones and did a larger water change siphoning out what goop was laying on the bottom. I then whipped the cave out the door and into the snow . I don't use hollow or semi-hollow decco anymore.

Also, by rearranging a few times a year, you allow that section of the tank to breath. Don't stir any gravel that has been compressed under decco for a long time without using a gravel vac to suck out gases that may have built up underneath. Such conditions can also release anaerobic bacteria, often responsible for deadly septicemia infection and the like.

Thank Cory Di...
The big tank has been up for 8 months. Ammonia has been consistently 0 for some time. I have an ammonia sensor inside the tank and test the water weekly right before I change it. The nitrates are about 30ppm. Both test kits I have show 30ppm within the safe range. No live plants in the tank yet, but I'm going to do some rearranging in there and get something simple like java moss and hornwort which should bring the nitrates down some. There are still 6 cories in there among other fish and they are all still fine. The hospital tank also had an ammonia sensor and I tested it daily while it was set up and chanaged out the water when there was even the slightest rise to .25ppm. Nitrates stayed about 30ppm in there as well. Could be, but I still think he bumped his nose on the decorations in the bottom of the tank and that's what caused the initial problem. So I'm rearranging that too this weekend and get the "roman colliseum" up on stilts which are some little clay flower pots I bought and boiled and am covering in aquarium sealant and gravel like the bottom of the tank. The rest of the cory's like to lay inside the pit of the colliseum. This way they'll be able to swim under it as well.

Aww - sorry about that Smurf. Sometimes that is the way it goes. It looks like they are getting better, then Wham!. I think it is because the infection gets inside of them, in the bloodstream where it is less visible.

It wasn't ammonia or nitrite was it?

R.I.P. Cory!!!

Everyone, thanks for the assist, but unfortunately, he died while I was at work today.

Sounds like he's doing really well. You can continue with a second round or partial second round if it does not look completely healed (see package instructions). If it comes back, it will come back with a vengance.

Just a word about columnaris. It grows on decaying food and plant matter. It is best to periodically move what you can in the tank to gravel vac in places you wouldn't normally be able to reach. I do this every 2 months. I remove stuff from one half the tank. I actually do it monthly so that each halve is done bi-monthly. It may seem like overkill, but it's amazing what gets caught up.

Aim to keep your nitrates below 20 in your main tank and keep the bottom free of "stuff" and you should be all set. He must have injured himself (you know how cories can panic), then somehow got stressed enough to allow bacteria to invade. Fish that are not stressed, often fight off infection. However, if he is older, that's a different story.

Looks like things are coming along. I had to do a complete water change yesterday as the ammonia had risen to .50ppm so I took the water from the main tank (no signs of disease there) and redosed the maracyn. He got he fifth dose of maracyn tonight along with a dose of Melafix. The fuzz is gone but his nose still looks like someone rubbed the color off. I'll test for ammonia again in the morning and if it's ok, will do a complete water change again tomorrow night with water from the big tank. I'm thinking about a couple more days of maracyn/melafix, then straight melafix for a couple more days before returning him to the main tank. I can see him swimming around a little as I approach the tank and when I get up on him with the magnifying glass he stops and sits there. It seems like he's eating the little bit of food I put in the tank although I've not actually witnessed him eating. First, does this sound like a good plan? and Second, at what point should I see the color returning to his nose?

yes, straight maracyn. Thanks for the help

I have a large pepper cory with a fuzzy patch on his nose. He's been in the tank for 9 days, brought home with three others which are both fine. All other fish in the tank appear to be fine. I've read thru my fish books and suspect that this is a fungal infection caused by some injury. Hopefully I've attached a picture. Would like to get some other opinions from those more experienced than I am as I've never had a sick fish. The tank is peaceful.

The tank is a 35 gl hex at 79 degrees with a Penguin 170 filter with biowheel. Approx 20% water changes done weekly. Nitrites-0 Nitrates-30 Ammonia-0 Hardness-100 PH 7.1 Alkalinity 30. This tank has been up 7 months. Only silk plants. Three cory's have been in the tank since it was cycled and have received no apparant injuries from the substrate. An additional 4 cory's were added 9 days ago, the other three new guys are ok.

Any suggestions?

http://photos.yahoo.com/mine4email







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So far, so good - he's had 3 days of Marycin and the spot is smaller and doesn't look quite as fuzzy. Did a partial water change this morning and will check it again before I put the meds in this evening. He's swimming around a little and has eaten about 1/2 sinking wafer and a half dozen little pieces of freeze dried bloodworm. Is there anything different that I might feed him that will help boost his immune system? I'm hopeful. If the spot is still visible should I dose a couple more days before doing the melafix and returning him to the big tank?

Also everyone in the big tank still looks ok.

The 2.5 gal has a top made for the tank. I also put in an "ammonia alert" indicator just to be safe and I'll test the water in the evenings since I'm not running a filter. My LFS had either the same little tanks or 15 gal when I went to get the meds last night, but I agree a 5 or 6 gal would be better. I had originally thought about getting a Betta (hence the tank) but take 2-1/2 week trips at times for work and have no fish sitter. Will keep you updated

Sounds good. Watch the water quality on the 2.5. Test ammonia daily and do water changes accordingly. It may be an appropriate time to dose something like amquel(+), but I understand it can deplete oxygen for the first hour. It will also likely give you false positive ammonia readings.

It's good to keep a 5.5 gal on hand as it is a little more forgiving with a tiny fish. Hopefully, you have it covered with something as well. I just used a lid from a storage container on my 2.2 and 5.5's. Setting it on top is enough to keep them in should they get any ideas or get spooked.

Good luck and keep us updated

Cory Di, Thanks for the additional info. I removed the sick guy from the big tank last night and put him in a little 2.5 gal I have with water from the main tank and added a small plant, a flower pot to hide in, an airstone and the meds. I first noticed his fuzzy spot Tues evening and this morning he didn't look any worse and was moving around a little more. He also ate the sinking wafer I put in the little tank for him last night. I've also checked everyone in the big tank last night and this morning and see no evidence of anyone else being affected, including the mollies (which are suseptible to everything I'm told). I'll take the little heater out of the mini tank this evening as the house temps during the day are about 76/77 degrees and the mini tank is on the kitchen counter out of direct light and a/c vents. I'm hopeful for a good outcome. The little cory cats are my favorites of all my fish.

I'll add a couple of things to that Smurf. Let's lower the temp by just one or two degrees daily until you get to 75-76F. More than likely you are dealing with a bacterial infection that looks like fungus. The med Babel recommends can help if it is not too far gone. This can happen after transfer from netting and stress. This particular bacteria, columnaris, grows very rapidly at 77F and greater. However, you mustn't drop temp too quickly or you risk ich or velvet from temp stress. Good guideline is 1-2F daily.

Check ammonia and nitrite daily starting about 3 days into treatment and continuing for several days after treatment is complete. An ammonia or nitrite spike can come out of nowhere when medicating.

Ideally you would quarantine this fish so that it doesn't spread. Columnaris can be highly contagious. If fish are not stressed, they could come through fine so watch carefully.

Be advised, some forms of columnaris can kill in under 24 hours so please watch this tank carefully. If the fuzz is spreading to the point that his face becomes disfigured and damaged beyond recognition, please remove and euthanize. Peform a 25% water change with same temp water and continue with the med a few days to kill any lurking bacteria in the water.

The method of euthanasia I have used is Clove Oil and water. Clove oil can be purchased at a vitamin store. I picked up a baby medicine spoon that measured in millitres. Here's more on it:

http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/tom06.html - Note that it no longer recommends alcohol with the clove oil (once thought to be required for elmusification).

More on the subject:

http://www.pondrx.com/shop/details.php?productId=62

koivet article on euthanasia

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thanks! I got everything this afternoon and we'll see what happens...........

Fungal infections can move rather quickly. I'd suggest treatment ASAP....Jungle Labs Fungus Clear Tank Buddies is a med I've used in the past for fin rot. It's easy to dose and works for both bacterial and fungal problems. Watch that you don't induce a mini cycle, and be prepaired with some Melafix after treatment.

^_^