Corydora emergency

Question
QUESTION: Thanks for the help with the pop-eye. I went to the pet shop I usually go to (It is very good. It's called petbarn here in Australia) and they tested my water for me, everything was fine which is good! They also called their fish expert who said exactly what you said and also told me that his eye may never go back to normal, but as long as he is healthy and not in pain, looks are far from a concern!

I am planning to separate my betta as he is just not suitable with tank mates, he also prefers being alone. The 20L is still cycling however I am going to keep him in the condo inside the tank and monitor him when I let him out to swim around.

So, I put the cory back into the tank, I was very worried as he was not swimming properly in the bucket. I re-introduced him properly as what a recovery! swimming normally. I think he was lonely. He is now just stationary in the tank with clamped fins, should this pass as I just introduced him back in? He is still showing signs of stress such as fast breathing. There are no unusual things on his body but I will keep a close eye on him. I bought melafix to treat with but I can't until I get my betta out of the tank.

I am planning on getting two little mollies for the 13 gallon the cory's are in, I saw two beautiful white ones today at the pet shop, I was wondering how long I have to wait until I can get more fish considering my cory's condition?

Thanks for the help

ANSWER: Oh thats wonderful to hear! Good thing you have a reliable petshop!

Clamped fins are commonly a stress symptom. And cories are well-known for fast breathing if they are stressed as well.

I would just try to leave him be and use the melafix for about a week or so and see how he does. If you see his condition does start to improve and all the fish in the aquarium look well and are thriving you should be OK to add Mollies to the aquarium. The pearly white ones are beautiful! Remember if you get a female that babies are almost guaranteed! :-)

I hope this helps!!
Susan~

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi,

Thanks for the reply, all is going quite well, and the salt water treatment for the fin rot is also working well!

I currently have my male in an isolation box inside the tank just for night to keep him in, as I can keep and eye on him during the day and he seems more friendly at day time anyway.

The 20L is still cycling and the nitrite is taking its time which is annoying!

Today I saw a female betta, it looked very unwell and in a small cup with fin rot. I had to buy it. She cost 10 dollars so she wasn't cheap. I told the pet shop that what they were doing was cruel but they couldn't care less. This was some pet store inside a shopping center.

I she is inside a 2l bucket which is inside the 20L for temperature regulation and well, what an improvement already! She is still not very active, however I am letting her settle in tomorrow and starting salt baths on saturday.

Will she be alright without a filter in the water? I am used to keeping aerated water and not still water for fish so I really don't know. I am hoping to get her health up and fins growing. She will eventually go in the 54L and artemis in the 20L.

Thanks, sorry for the chain of emails! I just have so many questions and I find here so much more reliable than internet sites!

Answer
Hello!
I don't blame you for rescuing the little female. I've rescued countless bettas in the past who've had many illnesses, with finrot being the most common. Wow! 10 dollars is quite expensive for a female. I wonder if she could really be a male of the short-finned variety of bettas. The surefire way you can distinquish a female is by looking at her underside for a white spot between her ventral fins.

If you can't tell right away that's ok, we need to focus on what's really important and that's making her feel better!
She can certainly do fine without a filter. Bettas appreciate still water and you can make up for lack of a filter by doing water changes. She'll need time to settle and feel comfortable in the new environment. She may even hide for a few days. Have you seen her eat?

Right now her best bet would be clean warm water and a good diet. Salt baths won't hurt!

I wish for her a speedy recovery! Best of luck! :- )

Don't worry about the chain of emails, its what I'm here for! :-)