Swim bladder disorder is common in many fishes, including cory catfish. There can be numerous reasons behind swim bladder disorder in cory catfish. Treating the swim bladder disorder at early stages is necessary as it can make them suffer from life-threatening conditions. So, How to treat swim bladder disease in cory catfish? Let us find out.
Proper antibiotic treatment is necessary if the reason behind swim bladder disease is bacteria or parasites. Let them fast for 2-3 days and feed them boiled peas after that for some days if constipation is the reason. Ensure good water conditions and avoid overfeeding to prevent such issues.
This article will discuss how to treat swim bladder disease in cory catfish and the reason behind such issues. Also, we will discuss how to prevent swim bladder disorder in cory catfish, So let us get to it.
Contents
How to fix swim bladder disease in cory catfish?
There can be various reasons behind swim bladder disease in your cory catfish, which needs specific treatment.
The treatment depends on the reasons behind swim bladder disease.
If the reason behind swim bladder disorder is bacteria infection or parasites, it will need a different treatment.
And, if constipation is the reason behind your cory catfish struggling to swim, it will require a different treatment.
If constipation is the reason behind your cory catfish suffering from swim bladder disorder, follow these steps to treat them:
- Let your cory catfish fast for 2-3 days. Don’t provide them with any food for this period.
- Maintain the water temperature between 78-80 °F while running the treatment. Consider adding a heater to stabilize the water temperature.
- After two to three days, feed your cory catfish with boiled peas. Feed them skinned and cooked peas.
- If your cory catfish is not recovered yet, continue feeding peas for 2-3 days more.
- Once they recover from constipation issues, you can start providing them with their ideal dietary requirements (Avoid feeding any floating food).
If infection or parasites is the reason behind your cory catfish suffering from swim bladder disorder, proper antibiotical treatment will be necessary.
These are some things you should consider doing when treating your cory catfish with antibiotics:
- Separate the sick fish from the home tank and place them in a hospital tank.
- Keep the water warm and stable by setting the temperature at 80 °F and adding a heater to stabilize it.
- Don’t fill the tank fully with water, and keep the water level low (The water level should be a 2-3 inches above the height of your cory catfish).
- Let them fast for two to three days, and after that, start feeding them with boiled peas.
- Treat them with antibiotics recommended by the vet.
- Reintroduce them to your home tank once they get recover from the issue.
Also read: Why Is My Cory Catfish Upside Down?
What are the reasons for swim bladder disease in my corydoras?
All these are the reasons behind swim bladder disorder:
- Poor water conditions
- Inadequate water temperature
- Overfeeding
- Poor genetics
Poor water conditions
Poor water conditions can be the primary reason behind your cory catfish suffering from swim bladder disorder.
Living in poor water conditions, they can get affected by various diseases and parasites.
Also, they will come under stress because of bad water quality, becoming prone to diseases and parasites.
Poor water conditions will result in an ammonia spike in a tank, affecting your cory catfish by burning their gills and body.
Your cory catfish will suffer from various types of issues when kept in bad water quality.
Inadequate water temperature
Inappropriate water temperature can make your cory catfish suffer from swim bladder disorder.
Keeping your cory catfish in cold water will slow down their digestion, and they can become constipated, affecting their swim bladder.
Also, living in a tank with inadequate water temperature will put them under constant stress, becoming prone to diseases and infections.
Overfeeding
Overfeeding your make your cory catfish suffer from bloating and constipation.
An enlarged gastrointestinal tract will affect the swim bladder, causing swim bladder disorder.
Also, constipated fish will not be able to swim fine because of a bloated belly and compromised swim bladder.
Feeding dry food to your cory catfish that expands when it gets wet in their stomach will also result in an enlarged abdomen.
Poor genetics
Poor genetics can also be the reason behind swim bladder disorder in your cory catfish.
If genetics is the reason, you will see the symptoms at the early stages.
They will find it hard swimming from the day they get born.
However, you cannot treat the swim bladder if the reason for such an issue is bad genetics.
The only option left to you is to euthanize your cory catfish humanely.
How can we prevent our cory catfish from swim bladder disease?
Ensure all these things to prevent your cory catfish from the swim bladder disorder:
- Keep your cory catfish in good water conditions.
- Maintain appropriate water temperature.
- Avoid overfeeding your cory catfish.
- Avoid feeding dry food to your cory catfish.
- Isolate the new livestock before adding them to your tank.
Good water conditions
Poor water conditions can be the primary reason your cory catfish suffer from such issues.
Bad water conditions will make your cory catfish vulnerable to various diseases and parasites, which can cause swim bladder disorder.
To ensure the good water condition of your cory catfish tank, perform a weekly water change of at least 35%.
Consider adding a good filtration system with biofilter media to protect the water from harmful toxins like ammonia and nitrite.
| Particulars | Cory Catfish |
|---|---|
| Water condition | Clean water condition |
| Ammonia | 0ppm |
| Nitrite | 0ppm |
| Nitrate | Below 20ppm |
Keep a regular check on ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels using the API master test kit, and make sure to maintain ammonia and nitrite at 0ppm, whereas nitrate should be below 20ppm.
You can buy it from amazon: API FRESHWATER MASTER TEST KIT.
Adding plenty of live aquatic plants to your cory catfish tank will help keep the water clean and oxygenated.
Appropriate water temperature
Maintain the water temperature between 70-82 °F.
Keeping your cory catfish in a cold water temperature can also make them suffer from such issues.
| Particulars | Cory Catfish |
|---|---|
| Water Temperature | Between 70-82 °F |
| Water pH level | Between 7 and 8 |
| Water TDS level | Between 400-600ppm |
| Water Hardness | Between 5 and 19 dGH |
Cold water will slow down their digestion process, and they can become constipated.
Also, make sure to maintain a stable water temperature as the unstable water temperature will make your cory catfish come under constant stress, becoming prone to various diseases and parasites.
Avoid overfeeding
Overfeeding can also be the primary reason behind swim bladder disorder.
To ensure that you are not overfeeding them, consider feeding them in a quantity that they can finish eating in one to two minutes.
If your cory catfish is taking more time to finish their food, you are overfeeding them.
And, if your cory catfish finishes their food in seconds, you are underfeeding them.
Also read: How Often To Feed Cory Catfish?
Avoid dry foods
Avoid feeding dry foods to your cory catfish that expand when they get wet inside their body.
Feeding dry food to your cory catfish will expand the stomach, disturbing the swim bladder, resulting in swim bladder disorder.
Pre-soak the food before feeding your cory catfish.
You can feed them bloodworms, brine shrimp, mosquito larvae, sinking flakes and pellets, and blanched vegetables.
Isolate the new livestock
Consider isolating the new livestock for one to two weeks before adding them to your home aquarium.
Doing this will give you time to detect if any new fish is suffering from disease or parasites.
Transfering the new livestock into a home aquarium without isolating them can affect the healthy fish in the home aquarium.
Your healthy fish will be affected if any new fish is affected by a contagious infection or disease.
So, consider isolating the new livestock before adding them to your home aquarium, as it will help treat them if they suffer from any issues. Then you can introduce them to your home aquarium.
Also read: Why Is My Cory Catfish Floating?
Conclusion:
The treatment of swim bladder disease depends on the reason behind the swim bladder disorder.
Proper fasting for 2-3 days and feeding them with boiled peas for some days will help them recover from swim bladder disorder if the reason is constipation.
Proper antibiotical medication is necessary if the reason behind swim bladder disease is parasites and bacteria.
Bad genetics can also be the reason behind such issues, and we cannot do anything about that.
The only option left with us is to euthanize the cory catfish humanely if bad genetics is the reason behind swim bladder disorder.
Ensure good water conditions and adequate water temperature, and avoid overfeeding to prevent such issues.
Reference: Wikipedia, ResearchGate, ScienceDirect