Bloated Pygmy Cory

Hi
I have a bloated Pygmy Cory . He also has a bit of his tail missing . He has had five days of treatment using waterlife for fin rott . The bloating continued I have put frozen daphnia in , in the hopes this would help .
Nothing has worked . Could i try an Epsom salt dip ? If so what are the quantities ?
Ally

Hi
I've had these corys for about 15 months , I don't know how long they normally live for ? This is the first one who's shown signs of illness .
A

Arnt cories extra sensitive to salt?

I've been told by another site to leave him in it for days that's not right is it ??
A

There are two ways to use epsom salts. One is to use a lower concentration in the tank itself, the other is to use at a higher concentration as a bath for a short duration.

I prefer the short duration baths, and certainly with soft water fish like cories. Hard water fish like livebearers or Rift Lake cichlids could tolerate having it added to the tank much better.


The idea behind epsom salts is that they draw fluid out of the fish's body. The higher concentration will do this more effectively, but then the fluid could well build up again between baths.
And if the fluid build up is caused by an infection of some kind (bacterial or viral) then epsom salts won't help unless the underlying infection is identified and cured.

That heater sounds like the new one I got for my betta's tank 

I wonder if some sort of infection got in through the damaged tail. It is difficult to diagnose an infection and know which medication to use.
All you can do really is keep the tank water extra clean (more water changes than usual) and hope for the best.

For a 5.5 litre water change, you need 0.1375 ml Prime
For a 10 litre water change, you need 0.25 ml.

You will need a 1 ml syringe graduated into hundredths to measure those volumes. A babies' medicine dosing syringe is ideal, you can get them from a chemist. Be sure to ask for a babies medicine syringe or they'll want to know why you want a syringe - or at least I was asked that when I asked for just a syringe 

Yes, you can use Prime at the next water change, it is medicines that should not be mixed. You will just gradually replace all the old dechlorinator with Prime.
I know that Seachem refuse to say what is in Prime, but the chances are it contains the same chemical as your old dechlorinator to remove ammonia and the same chemical to bind metals. it mat contain a different 'slime coat promoter' and will also contain extra things that detoxify nitrite.
And don't forget that the detoxification of both ammonia and nitrite lasts only about 36 hours, and they will still register in the test and you will still need to do water changes to replenish the Prime.

That looks like the same syringe I have  Yes, for a 10 litre water change, half way between the 0.2 and 0.3 marks.

With a 22 litre tank you should be changing about 11 litre a week (50%) in normal circumstances but 10 litres is close enough. With a sick fish, you need to do that size water change more often - and if there is nitrite, every day. Prime will protect the fish till the next water change.


Do you know what happened for that nitrite to appear?

 Hi Sue
I normally do a 5.5 litre change midweek and a 10 litre change at the weekend . I do ten litre because that the size of the bucket lol

Mature filters should be OK washed under the tap. It's immature filters that can be harmed as the biofilm hasn't grown properly yet. Once it is fully established it does a good job of protecting the bacteria. We usually say to wash it in tank water just in case - and because we don't know just how mature any members' filter are.


If it is just a mini cycle, it should be over very soon, they typically last only a few days. Just do daily water changes till there is no trace of any nitrite.