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Hi everyone, I am busy writing a book on my favourite fish (Pepper cories or Corydoras paleatus).

I am a bit stuck with the diseases section as I have only had to deal with fin rot (this only happened to one fish, and only once).

I have read that catfish are more resilient towards disease than some other fish, is this true?

Would you please help me by listing the diseases that you have had to deal with (concerning cories) as well as the treatment that you used.

M@RS wrote:Would you please help me by listing the diseases that you have had to deal with (concerning cories) as well as the treatment that you used.

On peppered cories?
* Chilodonella. Treatment was 25ppm formalin in the aquarium. The fish were free of symptom within an hour of administering the formalin.
* "Mystery disease". One individual became progressively more ill over a period of weeks until he lost equilibrium and couldn't control his swimming. Basically in desperation I moved him to a brackish water aquarium (about 3 ppt salinity) and in 24 hours he had recovered completely. To be on the safe side I kept him in that brackish water aquarium for six months before letting him re-join his group. I have no idea what the problem was, though.

Thanks Mike, it doesn't have to specifically be pepper cories. Any cories will do.

Thanks for the info!

I lost a Sterba to similar symptoms as that "Mystery Disease". I euthanized him when he started floating all over the tank. Another Sterba just didn't survive the trip from LFS to home. I suspect he might have emitted that cory toxin, but I'm the last person qualified to hazard a guess.

I lost 3 albino aeneus to unknown causes--could have been part of "New Tank Syndrome" but I honestly don't know. They started out very robust, but after a sick danio was introduced into the tank, they just kind of got progressively weaker and lethargic and died off, much as some danios had done. I suspected tuberculosis and even velvet but never had conclusive evidence of either. The remaining 3 albinos from that school are as hardy as can be.

I have a pepper, but knock wood, he's still going strong.

Best wishes on your book.

I have also encountered the "mystery disease", I forgot to mention that I saved 4 bronze cories from a LFS in December.

All 4 looked like they didn't have long to live. Only one of them developed this and I removed him from the tank and medicated him. Unfortunately I could not save him.

I have lost quite a few cories.

They all developed symptons/signs such as
- sunken eyes
- sunken belly
- reddish belly
- erratic swimming
- listless-ness
before they die.

Cause: a newly born cory dead n got stuck under a piece of wood.

My first few months of fishkeeping, a group of Cories(Aeneus and Paleatus) contracted Ick from new tankmates I didn't quarantine. The one of the C.paleatus was so bad, she had spots on her eyes!Lesson learned.
Amanda

Sorry, bit off-topic from your survery--but I wonder if the "Mystery Disease" is in any way related to the cory toxin described by Ian Fuller. From what I read about that particular phenomena, the toxin kills pretty quickly. I wonder if there's a different substance emitted by cories that are stressed but not necessarily frightened to the point where the fight or poison your adversary and flee instinct kicks in. Like maybe a low-level dilute version that some fish can withstand, and others that are either in close proximity when it's released, or who are stressed themselves...can't. I know, it's a half-baked theory. But I've run across a lot of accounts of the mystery disease in other forums, from people whose water parameters were apparently fine.

A very interesting point. I would say that stress would definitely be the trigger.

How would one be able to find out if a cory poisoned itself like this?

I don't think it's the Corydora sp. poisoning itself per se. Please refer to <a href='http://www.planetcatfish.com/core/glossary.php' target='_blank'>this</a> for starters under "Alarm Substance."
Amanda