Does your cory catfish have a swollen belly? Are you worried it’s dropsy, but not sure if it could affect your cory catfish? In this article, we’ll discuss if cory catfish can get dropsy.
Can Cory Catfish Get Dropsy? Yes. Freshwater fish like cory catfish are more commonly affected by dropsy. Look for a swollen belly and lethargic behavior. Dropsy is difficult to treat, but medications and salt have worked in the past to treat dropsy in cory catfish.
Look closer for other physical signs on their body like discoloration, irritation, clamped fins or excess mucus production.
Why Does My Cory Catfish Have Dropsy?
Dropsy is the a secondary condition that results from tank problems. Your catfish has a compromised immune system due to the tank’s conditions such as:
- not enough beneficial bacteria
- high nitrites or ammonia
- aggressive or hyperactive tankmates
- high or low water temperature
- overcrowding
- small tank size
Bacteria
You are keeping fish, but also fostering a healthy ecosystem that hosts millions of bacteria. The battle is on to have more beneficial bacteria to counteract harmful ones that cause dropsy and other health conditions. The best way to ensure there are enough beneficial bacteria is to properly cycle your tank patiently and thoroughly.
Nitrites And Ammonia
Keep these levels at 0 and perform larger water changes. If your cory catifsh has dropsy, it’s time for water changes at 50% for the first week and continue at 30-50% water changes each week for the next month.
Tankmates
Cory catfish are peaceful by nature. Even though you are stocking tankmates that are not aggressive, they could be too energetic at times. Fish that dart around could stress out your cory catfish leaving their immune systems weakened as a result.
Water Temperature
Between 72°-80°F is recommended, but 8 degrees of fluctuation throughout the day could be affecting your cory catfish in such a small ecosystem. In the wild, they could search for warmer waters, but they’re stuck in your tank at the temperature that you have set.
Overcrowding
Although you’ve been told that you can keep one cory catfish per gallon of water, they may feel overcrowded. Adding in decorations, plants and other tankmates will increase the bioload and free space in the tank for your cory catfish to hunt and explore.
Small Tank
Allow for an extra gallon of room per cory catfish to increase their roaming space. Try 4-5 cory catfish in a 10 gallon tank instead of 9 or 10. Increase the tank size to 20 gallons and hopefully watch your group of cory catfish becoming a lot less sensitive with the added space.
How Do I Know If My Cory Catfish Has Dropsy?
If you notice the swollen belly, you’ve already indicated the first sign of dropsy. Now it’s time to check for more. Look for the following signs:
- A belly that remains swollen all day
- bulging eyes
- red or irritated skin
- paler in color
- stringy or pale excretions
- clamped fins
- lethargic or sluggish
- loss of appetite
- gasping for air
Once you’ve identified that there is something worse going on compared to constipation, you can start your process of treating your cory catfish with a suspected dropsy illness.
How Do I Treat My Cory Catfish for Dropsy?
Dropsy is difficult to cure. It’s going to take a complete look at the tank instead of trying to treat one cory catfish in most cases. If you have caught it early, you can start with the one affected fish. If there are more than one, go into full tank cleanup mode.
How To Treat 1 Cory Catfish With Dropsy:
- place in a quarantine tank
- mix in a teaspoon of salt
- epsom salt bath
- feed high quality food
- add vitamin or garlic solution to the food
- test the quarantine tank daily
- medicate with broad spectrum antibiotics
A hospital tank to quarantine your ill fish is recommended to have on hand. A teaspoon of salt could help, but the debate is open for discussion. Alternatively you can try epsom salt in the quarantine tank and let your cory catfish rest in there for 15-20 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon into the hospital tank.
The best food packed with protein and vitamins will help boost their immune system for their natural defenses to kick in. Test the water to make sure the levels remain ideal and only resort to antibiotic treatments when all else fails. Consult a professional for dosage and duration.
How To Treat More Than 1 Cory Catfish With Dropsy:
- heavy water changes up to 50%
- add 1 teaspoon of salt per gallon of water
- medicate all your fish
- euthanize if bloating gets worse
Water changes will help cory catfish who prefer more pristine conditions compared to oscar fish for example. You can treat the entire tank with salt, but try not to exceed one teaspoon per gallon and only repeat this process for 2-3 days.
If you don’t notice any difference, it’s time for stronger medications that require you to follow the instructions for each one carefully. The last resort is a terrible one, but euthanizing to prevent suffering is important when your tank is the culprit and needs a complete overhaul and cycling.
How Do I Prevent Dropsy?
Prevention is easier than treating this difficult disease once it inflicts your cory catfish and your tank as a whole. Poor water quality is usually the first cause and regular maintenance will help to prevent infections from spreading.
Stress is the main cause of dropsy in fish. Hopefully the bloating you see is just constipation and can be cleared with a fasting period or trying to add peas for a day to see if that clears it up.
Preventing dropsy is the same as trying to prevent stress. Here is what we recommend:
- clean tank
- strong filter
- gravel vacuum
- larger tank
- varied diet of fresh or frozen food
- water testing kit
We wish the best for your bloated cory catfish and hope they are able recover as soon as possible. Good luck and see you soon!
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