4 White Sores On The Side Of My Cory Cat

[b_evans06]

My tank is a 20g with 4 cory cats, 6 tiger barbs, and 5 gold barbs. I do 30% water changes every 3-4 weeks. I have a hagen aquaclear 50 filter. No fish have been added to this tank in at least 2 years. The tank with these fish have all been set up for nearly 4 years. Now the problem is one of my cory cats has developed 4 white sores on its side behind its gill. They are in a little group all in one spot. The fish is acting normal and still eating fine. The only meds I use in the tank is stresscoat. I haven't ever dealt with ick before but arent the signs of ick small white spots? These are fairly bigger and look similar to open sores. They are swollen and each one is a bump on the side of the fish. I am unsure what I need to do. I can't have my water tested very easily as the only local pet store is a Petco 45 miles away. The local petstore where I purchased all of these fish has closed down that used to test my water parameters.

 

[mark1979]

My tank is a 20g with 4 cory cats, 6 tiger barbs, and 5 gold barbs. I do 30% water changes every 3-4 weeks. I have a hagen aquaclear 50 filter. No fish have been added to this tank in at least 2 years. The tank with these fish have all been set up for nearly 4 years. Now the problem is one of my cory cats has developed 4 white sores on its side behind its gill. They are in a little group all in one spot. The fish is acting normal and still eating fine. The only meds I use in the tank is stresscoat. I haven't ever dealt with ick before but arent the signs of ick small white spots? These are fairly bigger and look similar to open sores. They are swollen and each one is a bump on the side of the fish. I am unsure what I need to do. I can't have my water tested very easily as the only local pet store is a Petco 45 miles away. The local petstore where I purchased all of these fish has closed down that used to test my water parameters.

30 - 40 % wc is not alot to be honest over 3-4 weeks!!

and stresscoat isnt a med is it,it just a water conditoner with aloe vera in it?

if you can test the water,and you do that little wc,i reckon your water will be bad!!

 

[b_evans06]

Yea stress coat is just a water conditioner. I was just listing it because it is the only type of products I put in the tank. About the water changes I have been doing them like this for the entire time the tank has been set up and seems to work fine. I was informed about the water change routine from a local fish store and I didnt know much different for the first couple of years and just continued this way since the fish have been overall healthy. The fish store went out of business last fall so that may be a sign. I will increase the amount changed and do it more often because I don't want anything to happen to my fish. I would like to get my water tested but like I said the only option is a Petco 45 miles away. I live in a rural area where all the towns have around 2000 people. If I could please get some information about these sores I would greatly appreciate it so I can buy the right medication while at Petco because this will be the fastest way for me to help the fish.

 

[Gilli]

You should be doing a 25% water change with a thorough gravel vac every week. This not only removes all the toxins from the water (poo uneaten food etc) but also improves the water quality for the fish to remain healthy by adding minerals etc that have been used up - the cleaner your water the better for the health of your fish!

All fishkeepers should have their own water testing kits - its a must! You should be testing at least once a week so you can monitor the water quality and nip any problems in the bud before they become lethal for the fish. No need to even leave your house to buy one - get yourself online and buy from any one of hundreds of online shops or Ebay and make sure it is the API liquid testing kit - dont go for the cheap dip strips they are rubbish!

You can also buy a broad range antibacterial medicine online form lots of shops to try and treat the sores.