Sudden Panda Cory Problem!

[bronzecat]

Hi
Last night we noticed one of our Panda's wasn't eating with the rest. He was having trouble swimming and also leaning to the side. There are no other symptons. No external signs of any problems. We put him in a floating container so he was closer to the surface etc. He's not happy this morning, swimming eratically, lying on side etc.....

The tank -
15 gallons, filtered, planted, 5 months old.
Amm - 0
nitrIte - 0
nitrAte - 15
Temp - 74

1 x male betta
4 x Sterbai cory
3 x Panda cory (including the sick one)

All other fish are fine and eating well.

Any thoughts?

 

[PRW1988]

Panda corys are sensitive fish. It's hard to say exactly, but if it's having trouble swimming it may be a swim bladder disorder.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

have they been in the tank long?

panda's are v sensitive cories and do have a tendancy to keel over for no reason unfortunatley.

it's really only recommended to keep them in mature tanks over 6 months old, your's is near that but it could simply be that the tank isn't yet stable enough for panda's

 

[bronzecat]

Hi
The cory's have been in there for about 4 months. There's good algae growth and they are fed a selection of wafers, pellets & live.

It does look like a swim bladder disorder. He is still alive, but not happy at all. He's still lying on the bottom of his container and occasionally swims about eratically. I'm wondering whether i should just end it for him??

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Usually swim bladder problems are caused by other thing- internal infection, constipation, parasites etc. From your description it soinds like you dont have a lot of time to try something. If you have a hospital tank I would move it there and then take a best shot guess and treat with an antibiotic and add epsom salt which will relieve constipation as is very benign. The problem is it should be introduced gradually as it will raise the level of TDS/hardness of the water and if done too rapidly can be fatal.

The max dose to shoot for is about 1 teaspoon/gal. However this level should be reached in 3 doses over a 16-24 hour period. Disolve the Epsom in some tank water and then pour it into the tank. For an anti-biotic, follow the label directions. I would look for a broad spectrum med.

The H tank need not be cycled but will need heat and aeration. You should then do a 25% wc every other day before dosing anything that day. Replace the epsom removed by a wc- that is 25% water out, replace 25% of the total amount of epsom added so far.

 

[bronzecat]

Hi twotanks

Unfortunately the panda didn't make it I had removed him to a seperate tank and started treating but he just went downhill so rapidly. But thanks for that info, particularly about the salts I know that will be usefull in the future.

thankfully all the others appear fit and healthy