My peppered cory is not looking very happy . Yesterday he was spending a lot of time mid tank which is unusual for him. After watching he for a while i noticed he seems to kind of float/rest mid level, them last night the height he is resting at was getting closer to the top of the tank, if that makes sense.

I have put him in a small tank with a low level of water to make it less stressful for him.
He is listless, very slow breathing when he rests, but he does swim around sometimes. I dont think he is eating.

Do you think this is early stages of a swim bladder problem or something else?

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 20ppm (same as tap water)

I have added some broad spectrum meds active ing: mafenide HCL, aminacrine HCL, malachite green.

Or i have Tropical Conditions salts, Tetracycline tablets and Triple Sulfa (broad spectrum) tablets if you think any of these might be better.

Can anyone help?
Thanks.

He dosn't sound good to me.
Can he handle the meds.

I have been away, so i wrapped the sick tank in a towel so it would stay warm and dark. He is still alive.
Same thing he swims around ok, he has more energy now, but when he stops swiming he floats.
He seems to float with his nose to the surface now. What is wrong?

He has got a couple of white spots now too. I think that is from the stress of putting him is the little tank with no filter, so i have to keep changing the water, which he doesnt like.

The meds dont say anything about half doses for any special fish or anything.
Its a tiny tank so there is only 5 drops of meds in there.

I think i might do a 100% waterchange and use the tropical conditioning salts instead. That has methylene blue in it.
Would that be better? Can corys handle a little salt? Was hoping it might help the white spot at least.

How big are the whitespost do they have a circling of red on the outside, or a red spot in the centre.
Don't do a large water change it will stress him even more.

It looked like sand thats why i thought it was whitespot. Maybe i was just paranoid coz. I checked him a couple of hours later and coulnt see the spots anymore. Maybe it was just sand. Sorry.

He has no external symptoms. Just the floating and not eating.
When he rests/sleeps he sits under a leaf to stop himself from floating to the top.

What do you think is wrong with him?
Iv heard you can cure a swim bladder problem if you treat early enough, do you think it is that?
How do you treat that.

Oh, he also has very shallow breathing. Very hard to see his gills move at all.
What can i do?

Increase aeration int bhe tank and go in with a bacterial med, good luck.

Thanks Wilder. I think he is doing a little better, he can rest on the bottom now.
I think he may have eaten something yesterday.
THough it is really bothering me that it looks like he isnt breathing.

Bless him, what med are you using.

Milafix is very commen. Sorry to hear that.