Pygmy Cory sick I think, please help!

[C-Monster]

One of my pygmy corys is swimming around away from the group, lost a l o t of his color. He's swimming the perimeter of the tank, doing some solo wall surfing, kind of running into walls..I'm not entirely sure what’s going on. He doesn't look good though, everyone else seems fine - any clue how I can help him? I'm thinking he's going to die, just not sure why.

Water parameters are fine! Just did a water change yesterday. Everyone else in the tank reacted positively to the water change (20%-25% replaced) including my new chili rasboras that ever since the water change have been gained confidence to hang out at the top with the older chilis I had.

A local fish store owner suggested to me it might be a bacterial infection.
I just have no clue to figure out what is wrong with it. Any tips or anything really would be appreciated. If you want a photo I’ll post one, he looks normal besides lack of color, for the record!

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Photo would help, video of the swimming would be even better if you can grab it. Video upload feature here doesn't work, but if you upload a vid to youtube, can link it here! If you video using a phone, hold it sideways to get landscape view and not portrait.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

More questions, sorry! But the more info you can give us, the better chance someone can figure out what's going on! Template below, I also want to ask, what substrate do you have, and do you use a water vac? How often do you clean the substrate?

You may cut and paste the template below and submit in your post:

Request Help

Tank size:
tank age:
pH:
ammonia:
nitrite:
nitrate:
kH:
gH:
tank temp:


Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):

Volume and Frequency of water changes:

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:

Tank inhabitants:

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration):

Exposure to chemicals:

Digital photo (include if possible):

 

[C-Monster]

I don’t have a video of him swimming. I’ll try and get one, but it will be a while I’m guessing because he’s hiding at the moment with all the others. They figured out I was even thinking about maybe isolating him so they hid. Ha.
I fed a little bit to see if it would draw him out. I’ll upload a photo. I was able to get that before he hid.

Let me try and answer this all:

Tank size: 24-26 gallon (forget exactly)
tank age: 3 months+
pH: 7.2
ammonia: 0 (or close to it)
nitrite: 0-5
nitrate: 0-1
kH: 120ish maybe a little less
gH: 100 +\-
tank temp: 74F


Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):
Discoloration below the head - you’ll see what I mean in photo. And swimming nervously around tank away from his group.

Volume and Frequency of water changes: 20%-25% weekly

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: Just use Seachem Prime (and Krodon Fish Protector every now and then).

Tank inhabitants:

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): chili rasbora

Exposure to chemicals: None

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Hmm, that nitrite reading worries me a bit, really should be at zero. Which testing kit are you using?
Apart from maybe being a bit pale, I don't see an injury or discolouration on his head, they're usually babies when you buy them, and their colours do develop more as they mature.

Substrate concerns me, is it a planted substrate? All over? How do you clean the substrate?

Check that nitrite level, since if they're not at zero, that's an emergency water change scenario. It could be a water parameter thing and he's just the first to show signs of stress, and it does sound a bit like stressed/panicking behaviour. When did he start doing this? How many pygmies in the tank? Did he start panic swimming while you were doing tank maintenance or when adding the new fish?

 

[C-Monster]

Hmm, that nitrite reading worries me a bit, really should be at zero. Which testing kit are you using?
Apart from maybe being a bit pale, I don't see an injury or discolouration on his head, they're usually babies when you buy them, and their colours do develop more as they mature.

Substrate concerns me, is it a planted substrate? All over? How do you clean the substrate?

Check that nitrite level, since if they're not at zero, that's an emergency water change scenario. It could be a water parameter thing and he's just the first to show signs of stress, and it does sound a bit like stressed/panicking behaviour. When did he start doing this? How many pygmies in the tank? Did he start panic swimming while you were doing tank maintenance or when adding the new fish?

Pretty sure it is at zero. I use test strips, just got a master test kit recently and didn’t open it yet. I’ll check it out tonight with that. But with the test strips it looks like nitrite and nitrate are at 0. I just assumed the strip was slightly off so I gave the range. But the color stays white on the strip (which it’s supposed to be at zero)

Substrate is fluval stratum and I can’t gravel vac it entirely because it’ll all suck up so I get close to it, kind of kick stuff up and then suck it out. I vacuum twice to three times a week - one of those times is a water change. I don’t consider the others times water changes because I just vacuum a bit. He isn’t panic swimming per se, just away from the group and lots of wall surfing and resting in between. I successfully isolated him though, so now he’s not swimming at all because he’s nervous I’m sure. I gave him plants for safety in the quarantine. Thinking of treating him with some antibiotic. Not 100% sure what to do though.
He started acting weird yesterday, that’s when I noticed it. The chilis have been in for a few days now.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Please, please, don't use an antibiotic. There really isn't any strong indication that there's anything bacterial going on, and antibiotic resistance is already a terrible problem due to people over-using antibiotics when it isn't necessary.

It honestly sounds as though he's stressed, and I probably wouldn't have isolated him... since that's going to increase his stress a great deal... I would have monitored more for a day or two...

Gonna ask @Colin_T to chip in, he's the best when it comes to this stuff!

 

[C-Monster]

Oh. Okay. I won’t get antibiotic. I don’t want him to get anyone else sick, so I guess that’s why I did it. It was in attempt of doing the right thing! If I should put him back I will!

It wasn’t stressful moving him btw - I was gently and he swam right into the net. He seems pretty docile/weak. I can take a photo from above if you want. Let me know. He looks normal though besides the discoloration. And the others are normal color too, like I mentioned, but worth re-mentioning.

Thanks again! I feel bad for him

 

[C-Monster]

When I say did it - I mean isolate him. I didn’t give antibiotics!

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Oh. Okay. I won’t get antibiotic. I don’t want him to get anyone else sick, so I guess that’s why I did it. It was in attempt of doing the right thing! If I should put him back I will!

It wasn’t stressful moving him btw - I was gently and he swam right into the net. He seems pretty docile/weak. I can take a photo from above if you want. Let me know. He looks normal though besides the discoloration. And the others are normal color too, like I mentioned, but worth re-mentioning.

Thanks again! I feel bad for him

I understand! I have a pygmy cory colony myself that I love to bits, which is why I clicked on this thread so fast! lol. I want to help where I can.
That he made it so easy to catch him does suggest that there's something wrong... so don't think you did the wrong thing in isolating him! It's usually the right call to make, since like you said, you don't want anything to spread. Always comes down to a judgement call abut when and if to quarantine, and you're the one who can see the fish, so trust your judgement. Keep him in the quarantine now and monitor, keep his water quality really good with large frequent water changes. First aid for fish should always be the best water conditions you can provide with lots of fresh, clean water, to give them the best chance of fighting off anything ailing them. For the quarantine tank/container, add some easily cleanable decor/fake plants, and some live plant trimmings you wouldn't mind losing if it does turn to be a disease, if you have some and can spare them. Just to give him stuff to hide in and try to reduce stress.

Yes please to more photos, or vid if you can! The more info, the better. Hopefully colin or someone else more knowledgeable like @GaryE or @TwoTankAmin can give further advice!

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Sorry, just re-read and saw that you did mention you added plants and stuff for him to hide in! I missed it before, my bad!

 

[Colin_T]

Is the fish eating?
What does its poop look like?

Can you post pictures of the other Corydoras & rasboaras, and more of the sick one so we can compare the colours?
I want a picture of the sick Cory from the side.

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You can kink the hose when gravel cleaning so you don't suck out the substrate.

It's possible there is lots of gunk in the substrate that is affecting him, or he caught something from the rasboras that came in just before this started. Maybe even a combination of these two things.