11 replies to this topic

[Kazonak]

I don't exactly know what is wrong with my fish, if they have a fungal infection or bacterial. It's just this, the lower portion of their tail fins turn white and then begin to eat away at the rest of the tail. I moves into the body, diruption the scales towarrds that bak and then the fish dies. Worst of all it happens really quickly! How can I stop this and hal these fish? I just got my new batch of Rosyside Daces and already Certain ones have shown signs of tail rot. I'm rather freaking out! I really need people's input and quick!

 

I don't have pictures at the moment but I can take and post some soon. 

 

Thanks for your help!

 

Kazonak

[gerald]

Sounds like Flexibacter, also known as Columnaris or Flavobacterium.  Very common on newly caught fish, due to collecting stress, especially when they're already near their thermal max limit.  It's treatable when limited to fins, but once it gets into the body they rarely recover. 

[Mrfipp]

It's also commonly referred to as "fin rot."

[Kazonak]

How do I treat it Properly? Without overloading them with chemicals. Do i need to perform more frequent water changes every few days? Or do I stick to weekly...

[Mrfipp]

Water quality is important for their recovery and water changes are usually recommended. There's a plethora of products available to treat fin rot. They are largely a combination antibacterial treatment. Some people use copper sulfate medications but I never use copper because I keep invertebrates, so I can't speak for that option. You'll have to follow the instructions for the product you pick, as they are all different in their concentrations and use.

[Josh Blaylock]

Once they have it, you'll rarely have  a fish recover.  The best treatment is prevention.  This comes down to collection times, temps, and quick transportation.  

 

#1.  Collecting shiners/minnow in the summer is not a good idea.  Spring, Fall, or Winter is best.  They will do better when their water is colder.

#2. Salt already in the transport bucket (right Gerald) and a quick trip home.  The shorter you keep them in a bucket/cooler, the better.  If they have to be a container for a while, frequent water changes and an airstone is necessary.

 

 

To address the fish that are already showing signs, kill them.  It will be better for entire tank.  Put them in a cup of water, put that in the freezer.

[Kazonak]

Thanks Guys! I appreciate it. How contagious is it exactly?

[Matt DeLaVega]

I don't feel like it is very contagious. It is more opportunistic and affects stressed fish. It is probably almost always present in the water or on the fish itself. So healthy established fish are not likely to become infected. But cull them or quarantine them anyway, since they will likely die, they will further pollute your water and cause more stress.

[Sean Phillips]

Agreed, it's in the water in pretty much any aquarium it's just how strong the immune system of the individual fish is and the average fish will be plenty strong enough to resist it. Again as stated previously water quality so the most crucial thing so keep up on your water changes and try to keep nitrates under 10 ppm or preferably under 5.

[Kazonak]

Yeah I tested my water recently and everything except my nitrates are good... I'm pretty sure this is due to the fact that I'm not home very often and I have my parents caring for the aquarium. Thanks everyone for the help! This community is so generous and helpful!

[NateTessler13]

Once they have it, you'll rarely have  a fish recover.  The best treatment is prevention.  This comes down to collection times, temps, and quick transportation.  

 

#1.  Collecting shiners/minnow in the summer is not a good idea.  Spring, Fall, or Winter is best.  They will do better when their water is colder.

#2. Salt already in the transport bucket (right Gerald) and a quick trip home.  The shorter you keep them in a bucket/cooler, the better.  If they have to be a container for a while, frequent water changes and an airstone is necessary.

 

 

To address the fish that are already showing signs, kill them.  It will be better for entire tank.  Put them in a cup of water, put that in the freezer.

 

To echo Josh's comments, salt is important as a preventative.  It can also be used as a treatment.  When I needed to rid my fish of parasites or help treat diseases, I would place them in a sea-water strength salt dip (33 parts per thousand) for as long as they could tolerate it.  Once they started to turn on their side, I placed them back into freshwater.  Afterward, I would keep the salinity of the aquarium at 5 parts per thousand.  Once the fish were rid of parasites or disease, I reduced the salinity to 3 parts per thousand.  I routinely kept the salinity of my aquariums at 3 parts per thousand.

[Mrfipp]

Salt is not always a good option for aquariums, especially on a maintained level. The two big issues that arise from our point of view with salt is added stress to fish and damage to plants if you have them. Of course these reaction will both be dependent on the type of fish and plants you have, as species are more or less sensitive to salt based on their historic environments and adaptations. Water passes through the cell walls of both fish and plants, as water tries to equalize itself. This is the same as with ph and chemical differences between the water in the tank and the water in the organism. The result of salt at lightly elevated levels with fish is normally additional work load of organs and irritated gills. In plants it basically slowly dries out the plant.

Slightly elevated salt may not have a visibly apparent effect on fish in aquaria, but it does affect them. Everything in the water affects the fish. It may also not have a detrimental effect on any plants in the aquarium but it will likely alter it's growth patterns, rate, and potentially color. Worst case, plants will simply die off. Then there's snails and other invertebrates...

I'm not saying salt doesn't rid parasitic infections, etc. Just saying I don't keep any salt in any of my freshwater aquariums because it does have implications. It's also not compatible with my aquariums as the majority of my aquariums have live plants. So, it's a solution. However, It's not the only solution or always the best option.

Of course, take my opinion with a grain of salt....