# Catfish lost all his fins, whiskers



## jaybird002

My corycatfish has lost all his fins and whiskers to finrot or some other malady. It is painful to watch it try to navigate. Sometimes it lies on its back because it can't right itself. But it is not dying. When it does manage to turn right side up, it scrounges for food or swims to the top for a bubble of air. What do you think the catfish has, and what can I do to cure it? Should I put it in a separate tank? I hesitate to remove it, because EVERY time I have removed a fish for treatment, it died.

I have had the catfish for about 2 or 3 years. It is in a 29-gallon moderately planted tank. Low-tech, plain gravel substrate with a tiny bit of laterite. Plants include hornwort, anubias nana, vals, crypts. They grow well and crowd each other out. Two corycats that I bought more recently are all right so far. Other fish: 2 small tetras, 3 otocats, 1 large angelfish, 1 molly, 2 oversize siamese algae eaters.

Please tell me what to do for my sick corycat.

Thanks.


----------



## Jeanine

One of the best things I've used is Melafix. It is very safe and has worked quite quickly for me. I have had congo tetra's who have lost most of their fins and tails and had them grow back beautifully. It wont harm your other fish. I have shrimp and lots of plants in my tank as well and haven't noticed any ill effect on them either. I love the stuff.

Best of Luck!


----------



## Zapins

I second Melafix. It helps regrow fins quite quickly. Make sure to dose the tank soon so the fish doesn't starve to death or let the infection spread. Dose the main tank and don't move the fish.


----------



## Evil-Lynn

hmmm fin rot in corys is rather unusual since this bacteria normally attacks long finned fish with a weakened immune system: Bettas, Goldfish, Guppys etc.
Either way, you are doing good in not placing your fish in a hospital tank. Those types of improvised tanks are usually not cycled so the sick fish can die of ammonia poisoning. That happened to me yesterday with two zebra danios infected with ich....

Melafix is a great remedy when it comes to external bacterial infections. It doesn't do much for internal bacterial infections or parasites. You should give it a try like Jeanine and Zapins have already suggested as it promotes fin regrowth very nicely. However, if the fin has completely disappeared from its base, it won't grow back, even with Melafix...


----------



## dwalstad

jaybird002 said:


> I hesitate to remove it, because EVERY time I have removed a fish for treatment, it died.
> 
> It is in a 29-gallon moderately planted tank. Low-tech, plain gravel substrate with a tiny bit of laterite.


Sorry to hear about your sick Cory. With such an advanced disability, I fear that he will die no matter what you do.

My take:

Fish diseases are all too common in the aquarium hobby. Very painful and discouraging! And you can expect all kinds of problems whenever you add new fish to a tank.

Also, a pure gravel substrate with only a _wee bit _of laterite may not be that healthy for bottom-dwelling fish (most people in the "El Natural" forum use a 1" soil underlayer). As organic matter accumulates, gravel-only substrates begin to generate hydrogen sulfide, which is much more toxic than ammonia.

NPT substrates with their soil underlayer are more healthy for fish.


----------



## Diana K

Fin rot and barbel erosion in Cories can be linked to high nitrates. Also, Fin rot can be caused by any of several bacteria. Melafix is a good way to start, but I would test the water, too, and if the nitrates are over about 10 ppm, do something to lower them. Water change, or improve the growing conditions so the plants will lower the nitrates for you. 

Ditto above comments: Gravel is not a good growing media, no matter which additives you add. 

A hospital tank can be set up with a good population of nitrifying bacteria. Sometimes the medicines used will kill these bacteria, though. It is user error not to stay on top of water quality, and keep the toxins under control. Live plants that drift in the water or are planted in containers can help with this, as well as providing a place for a hurt or sick fish to feel safer in hiding.


----------



## jaybird002

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. I did a partial water change and started treating the tank with Melafix. One thing that worries me: Will Melafix harm my 3 otocats? I ask because they are probably the most sensitive species in the tank. Are there any signs of discomfort I should look for in the otocats or other fish? The instructions on the bottle say Melafix daily for 7 days. Should I do that and then stop if no improvement in the fins of the corycat?

More generally regarding tank conditions, the plants grow well. I keep having to take out hornwort or it will clog the tank. The vals are crowding out the crypts, and the anubias are growing well, all in low light. Ammonia and nitrites are 0. Nitrates are about 40-60, but does lowering them increase the risk that blue-green algae will return? If I were starting from scratch, a soil layer would probably be the way to go, but I don't want to tinker with a well established tank. Anything else I can do to prevent formation of hydrogen sulfate or other nasty substances in the gravel?

Thanks again.


----------



## dwalstad

jaybird002 said:


> Nitrates are about 40-60, but does lowering them increase the risk that blue-green algae will return? If I were starting from scratch, a soil layer would probably be the way to go, but I don't want to tinker with a well established tank. Anything else I can do to prevent formation of hydrogen sulfate or other nasty substances in the gravel?
> QUOTE]
> 
> Nitrates at 50 ppm? I would do water changes until you get nitrates down to below 10 ppm. You may be dealing with nitrite toxicity as well as hydrogen sulfide. [Nitrates from the water enter the gravel layer and get converted to nitrites, which are very toxic to fish.] In this situation, bottom dwellers like Corys are the most vulnerable.


----------

