Bubble blisters on Cory?!

flamechica

flamechica

New Member
Seriously, I am starting to think that if it weren't for sick fish, I wouldn't have any....every time I think I am finally starting to get out of the woods with these corys, something new pops up. It's really getting beyond frustrating now. Yesterday morning, I was feeling optimistic, my 3 remaining corys were happily swimming around the tank, I didn't see any white spots on them or in their barbells, etc. I was thinking that I was finally starting to get out of the woods. Maybe 1 or 2 more days of meds and I would finally be done with this mess. So, last night, feeling optimistic, I thought, well, maybe I would take some last minute POTM pics in light of my new optimism after everything these fish and I have been through the last couple weeks. Well, I put some food in to bring the fish to the front of the tank and start to snap some pics and I literally let out a loud "WTF?!" My husband says "What now?" I say "Come here and look at this?" My largest cory who I call Big Boy is almost covered in these weird clear bubble blisters. They are hard to see until he is close to the glass you you look real close at him. I wasn't able to get clear pics of him, but I was able to find pics online of other corys that have this issue.

Looks alot like this: http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... hp?t=39953

Except my cory looks much healthier. I've read some conflicting information on what this could be caused by...there seem to be 2 theories...either too much aeration in the tank. Which yes, I have been medicating the tank for almost 2 weeks and added extra aeration about 1.5 wks ago. I read that too much aeration can cause this. The other thing that seems to be a popular suggestion is that too much protein can cause this. I feed mainly shrimp pellets, carnivore pellets and blood worms. This has always been what I have fed my corys and have never seen such a thing... So, I am really at a loss of what to do to fix this. I pulled the extra aeration last night, in hopes that is all this is. The other two corys do not have any bubbles blisters on them at all.
 
ShortyKiloGyrl

ShortyKiloGyrl

Well-Known Member
Staff member
flamechica

flamechica

New Member
Thanks, ShortyKiloGyrl. I had read both of those last night.

I just went back there as the lights were about to come on, so I figured I would check and see how he was doing and see if I could get clear and I was able to. His bubble blisters have decreased IMMENSELY since last night. So, I am thinking it must've been too much aeration. His bubble blisters looked much worse than anything I could find pics of online last night, however, all the pics I could find online, the fish looked REALLY sick and he didn't. He looks and acts pretty healthy, but his skin was all bubbled up like a freak of nature.

I used to throw algae wafers in when they were in the same tank as my pleco, but then I found out the pleco preferred meaty food. I guess I could start the algae wafers back into the rotation again. The corys will eat anything. They aren't picky. lol.

So, here are the best pics I could get. He wouldn't show me the worst side, which is the other side of him, but you can see the bubble blisters up at the top behind his dorsal fin.


 
ShortyKiloGyrl

ShortyKiloGyrl

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Hey doing both won't hurt anything. I'm glad he is looking better already. Maybe the high protein and high oxygen are related in to causing the blisters?
 
flamechica

flamechica

New Member
Yeah, maybe...it's hard to say. Just seems so weird he is the only one that had any signs of this, but then again, he was the one that was hit hardest with all the sickness going on in this tank, so maybe he was just more susceptible. I just want this whole mess to be over and everyone to be healthy again...enough is enough already!
 
ShortyKiloGyrl

ShortyKiloGyrl

Well-Known Member
Staff member
I know how you feel. I thought my tanks were on the rebound then I lost those 4 fish in a week from different tanks...
 
MattArmstrong

MattArmstrong

Member
flamechica, any update on your sick cory?

From Jan->Mar my cory-count went from 12 to 6. Not sure what it was. The most clear improvement came from treating the tank with PraziPro, which stopped the scratching and fast breathing I had noticed. I think they may have had flukes, but I also saw other issues (bacterial infections, intestinal infections, pop eye, dropsey, etc.). Any one thing can weaken a fish and make it susceptible to other things, so the first thing you notice may not be the primary issue. Each fish seemed to die in a different way, and I can't be sure the ones I treated didn't die from the stress of the medications I was trying.

I seem to have beat it. In early march I noticed two fish acting a little off and removed them to a hospital tank. They ultimately died, but the remaining fish are now acting normal.
 
flamechica

flamechica

New Member
The bubble blister things went away within 24-48hrs after removing the extra aeration from the tank. They have all been doing great since then and I have stopped all meds. Just been doing water changes every couple days. However.... This morning, my little Panda Cory is no where to be found. I keep looking everytime I go by the tank, but I haven't seen it yet. The Panda was the last remaining survivor from the diseased fish purchase that started this whole mess. So, I guess, I am gonna have to go in there and start moving stuff to see if I can find the corpse if she/he doesn't show up pretty soon. This one is a hider, so I keep hoping it's just hiding somewhere and will pop out pretty soon, but it's not looking good at this point as I haven't ever not been able to find it for this long. There aren't that many hiding places in this tank.
 
flamechica

flamechica

New Member
Well, I got some other good news too. I took my hubby back to watch while I picked up decor and whatnot looking for what I figured would be a corpse. I like to have an extra set of eyes, especially with corydoras, when I pick up large decor and set it back down, because I am afraid I will squish one since they are always moving about so fast. While I was moving things around my husband says "how many corys are supposed to be in this tank?" I reply "If the one I am looking for is alive, than 3" He says "ok, then we can stop looking. I don't know where he came from, but he's here now." I have been looking for that fish all day and have no idea where he was hiding, but glad he is still alive anyways.
Grimblegrumble said:
Hooray for the blisters going away!
Click to expand...
Yeah, I'm glad they went away. They were really freaky looking though. Wish I would've gotten pics of him the first night I noticed them. He was covered in them.
 
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