Swollen barbs

**Mark Lathrop** · 07-14-2007, 07:27 AM

I made it back from a short business trip to the eastern side of the state to find an Oto missing when I got back. I have no clue where he is. But anyways, now I also have a cory with some swollen barbs. They also appear to be a little shortened. The front part of his mouth looks a tad bit swollen as well. I can't tell if he had bumped into something really hard, or if this is some sort of disease. The ends of the swollen barbs have a slightly lighter shade, and they are ballsy. The swollen part of his snout is also this light grey color, but it could be lighter in shade due to the stretched skin. Could this be fungus related?

**Mark Lathrop** · 07-16-2007, 01:31 AM

Welp, the swelling isn't going down, so I think I'll quarantine him tonight and treat him with something or other. Anybody ever seen this before, at all?

He isn't acting weird at all, and he still aggressively uses them to find food is what's most puzzling.

**RobbieG** · 07-16-2007, 01:41 AM

He may have beaten himself up a bit digging for food. Do you use gravel or sand?

**Mark Lathrop** · 07-16-2007, 06:08 AM

small gravel. I also have a bare spot in the tank where I do most of the feeding of the corys, just so they don't have to do as much digging...which they do anyways.

**RobbieG** · 07-16-2007, 10:42 AM

He may have just come across something irrisistable in the gravel while you were away - th symptoms don't really sound like a disease.

If its an injury a little anitbacterial wouldn't hurt anyways

**Mark Lathrop** · 07-18-2007, 04:28 PM

Thanks for responding, I did indeed give him some anti-biotics. His mouth swelling had gone down, but his barbs are a little shorter and still a bit swollen. I took him out of quarantine last night. I think he was ready to get back to his friends in the big tank because he swam right into the net upon his own volition. Hehe.

**RobbieG** · 07-19-2007, 09:54 PM

My bumblebees do that - but its usually easier to move all of my other fish out and leave the cory than the other way around!

**gm72** · 07-21-2007, 02:15 PM

I also usually add some stress coat for injuries. Should soothe them a bit, and the aloe should assist in the healing process.

**Mark Lathrop** · 07-24-2007, 06:57 AM

That's actually a good idea. I'm doing a water change tomorrow, so I'll be sure and add some then. Thanks. He's looking almost 100% better now, though his barbs are still just a bit swollen. They were shrunken down quite a bit even up to a few days ago, but now they're already growing back.