How to treat fin rot in fish:
Fin rot is very common in fish
& it is a bacterial infection that is dangerous for your tank inhabitants,
& many fish are affected by this disease. If your aquarium is dirty then
you can expect this disease or if you are not caring for your fish or you have
introduced a new sick fish to aquarium. Your diseased fish may have torn &
ragged fins. Your fish infected with fin rot may seem discolored & lazy. If
your fish having fin rot are not treated well, then your fish’s fins might get
permanent damage & it could prove deadly. This disease is very contagious
& must be treated on time so it does not spread in your aquarium.
How to get rid of fin rot in aquarium fish:
Fish having fin rot must be taken
out of aquarium. Remove your infected fish from aquarium & setup a
quarantine aquarium for the fish & fill it up with clean water, & de chlorinate
tap water so that it does not harm your fish.
Remove other fish of your aquarium
to another tank with clean, fresh & de chlorinated water. Make sure you use
a different net for other fish because fin rot can spread from one fish to
another if you are using the same net. Make sure you do not keep both affected
& unaffected fish in the same tank because fin rot can spread from diseased
to un diseased fish.
It is very important to wash the
aquarium & aquarium accessories. Then take out all water from the original aquarium,
& remove its accessories, including gravel.
Wash the aquarium with hot water.
Avoid using soap or detergents as it is dangerous for the fish. Use aquarium safe
accessories for accomplishing any job. You can use paper towels to reach the gaps
of the aquarium & it is recommended to clean everything well.
Soak every accessory of the
aquarium in hot water for 5 to 10 min. If your aquarium is stocked with live
plants, soaking them in lukewarm water is suggested. Take your plants out of
water & allow them to dry.
Wash your tank gravel with warm
water & hoover your gravels with a small vacuum to remove any dirt or other
debris present on them.
Complete aquarium water change is required.
After your aquarium is clean & dry, put gravel & other accessories back
in the aquarium. If your aquarium is not cycled, do a complete water change.
Ensure your aquarium water is maintained between 80 to 82 degree Fahrenheit.
If you have a cycled aquarium,
which means that you have enough bacteria already established on the aquarium surfaces
& accessories, you can change fifty percent water of aquarium, or can do
subsequent water changes of small amounts.
If your aquarium has a filter, fill
a bucket with fresh aquarium water & wash your tank filter with the bucket
water. After cleaning your aquarium filter, you can set it up in your aquarium.
Using tap water for cleaning the filter is prohibited because it can kill
beneficial bacteria that is built up inside the filter. Fresh water has
chlorine which kills good bacteria. Beneficial bacteria converts harmful
chemicals that releases from fish waste into less harmful chemicals which can
be removed with regular water changes.
Check pH of the aquarium water.
Before adding fish back in the original aquarium, do a pH test to make sure
your water quality is fine. The water pH must be between 7 to 8 & the toxic
chemicals that releases from fish water quantity should be no more than 40 ppm.
After your tank water is suitable for the fish, release the fish back in the main aquarium, also add the fish having fin rot. Then use medication for treating the infected fish. Cleaning aquarium together with medicines can help in proper curing of fin rot.
Use medications to treat fin rot:
Even though fin rot is very
common & dangerous because it can permanently damage your fish fins, but it
can be treated. Medicines including Melafix & Aquarisol can be used to
treat fin rot & they can help in removing the germs that cause this
infection.
Melafix is better at killing
bacteria that causes fin rot & it does not have side effects & this medication
has better success rates in removing the sickness.
Not every medicine is safe to use
in aquarium.
Other medications that can be used
for treating fin rot include Tetracycline, Chloramphenicol, malachite green
methylene blue, & Oxytetracycline. Be careful because medicines can stress
your aquarium inhabitants. Fish filter water through their gills so
they intake high quantity of medications.
In some of the cases your fish
might have fungal infection as well as fin rot. Fin rots commonly starts from
the edges of the fish fins & tails. But if you observe holes then it is a
sign of fungal infection.
If fin rot is spreading quickly
on your fish such as the fins & tails of the fish recede considerably in just
1 day, then it is a sign of columnaris infection.
Signs of Fin Rot:
Fin rot usually affects fish
living in dirty environment. Many fish are affected with this disease including
fish having beautiful fins & tails such as betta fish & gold fish. For treating
fin rot, it must be identified first. Below we have described various stages of
fin rot & how it can be identified:
Early Stage:
During early stages fins & /
or tail of the affected fish show some discoloration, that can be found on the edges
of the fish. Comparing to original color of the fish, the discoloration could
be white, red or black.
Mid Stage:
During mid stages, the edges of
fish fin could seem frayed & uneven as the pieces affected by fin rot start
to die & fall off.
Final Stage:
In the final stages of fin rot,
the complete fin & / or tail of the fish is rotten away, & the disease
starts spreading in the body, & could prove fatal.
Your fish may show signs such as laziness
or loss of appetite, because body of the fish is fighting against the disease.
How do you know if fin rot has been treated successfully:
You might wait for several days
before fin rot has been successfully cured, but during the treatment you can
observe some visible signs of recovery such as:
Fin rot has stopped spreading
No newer symptoms have been
observed
Infected fish is again taking
interest in eating & its activity level is increasing.
Fin start to regrow & it
could have a different color than original.
A number of solutions are
possible to avoid fin rot from reappearing. If your aquarium has unclean water
then it could be the sign of fin rot, so make sure you are changing water weekly.
Do not add many fish to a single tank, & stop overfeeding your fish, &
add plants that can help in filtration of the aquarium.
Lower the stress level of your
fish by keeping your fish in ideal temperature with the help of a heater, reduce filter power that decreases the water movement, & avoid adding bully fish.
Monitor your fish & water conditions every day, & use test kits to
measure pH, & ammonia, nitrites & nitrates level, & make sure it is
below 40 ppm.
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