Fin rot salt treatment procedure

Don't move him during treatment. If he has damage, catching him in a net can cause more damage and open up wounds. Chasing him around when he's sick isn't good for him either. Just leave him where he is and treat his tank. If it's not better in a week, post an update and include pictures. You could add a picture now so we have something to compare to in a week.

Colin_T said:

Don't move him during treatment. If he has damage, catching him in a net can cause more damage and open up wounds. Chasing him around when he's sick isn't good for him either. Just leave him where he is and treat his tank. If it's not better in a week, post an update and include pictures. You could add a picture now so we have something to compare to in a week.

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Yes I keep forgetting about the picture, started a new job this week and am all over the place with routine. Will try and grab a pic of him later tonight or tomorrow morning.

This was the best picture I could get of the fin rot and one of his overall body so you can see the other fins aren't affected. I'm really bad at getting pics of him, even using food.

How long have you had him for?
How long has he had the curved back?

It doesn't look like fin rot. Fin rot is where the fins start to split and fray and dissolve away from the fin rays.

Colin_T said:

How long have you had him for?
How long has he had the curved back?

It doesn't look like fin rot. Fin rot is where the fins start to split and fray and dissolve away from the fin rays.

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I've had him for almost a year, he was reported to be about a year old when I got him.

He doesn't have a curved spine, I just caught him as he was turning around, I've attached another shot of him taken a few weeks ago before the issue started to confirm. It's my fault, I was dropping food at the surface to try and get a better picture of him! There's definitely a hole in his fin that wasn't there before, and there's nothing in his tank that he could've got stuck on.

Is there something else it could be if it isn't fin rot?

Holes in the fins can be from bacteria. There have been a few cases over the last few years with male guppies and Bettas getting tiny little holes in their fins. over the next few months the holes get bigger and nothing treats them. We think it's a drug resistant bacteria that is slowly eating the fin but there's not much info on it and nobody is having success treating it. Hopefully it isn't that.

If you can get a clear picture of the fish showing the hole in the fin it might offer more info but at this stage it's hope the salt helps otherwise it might be something that needs antibiotics. And if it's the drug resistant bacterial hole in the fin, that won't help either and the fish usually dies a few months after the hole appears.

Colin_T said:

Holes in the fins can be from bacteria. There have been a few cases over the last few years with male guppies and Bettas getting tiny little holes in their fins. over the next few months the holes get bigger and nothing treats them. We think it's a drug resistant bacteria that is slowly eating the fin but there's not much info on it and nobody is having success treating it. Hopefully it isn't that.

If you can get a clear picture of the fish showing the hole in the fin it might offer more info but at this stage it's hope the salt helps otherwise it might be something that needs antibiotics. And if it's the drug resistant bacterial hole in the fin, that won't help either and the fish usually dies a few months after the hole appears.

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OK thanks Colin, hopefully it's not that but I'll report back if there is no positive change. And I'll keep trying to get a better picture of him! It's hard because he doesn't flare his fins very often so doesn't give me many opportunities!

I have fed zucchini to bristlenose plecos for years. I blanch it and then when it sinks I drop it into the tank. I also use a veggie clip to attach it to the glass. I mostly feed in the evening and I leave the it in the tank overnight and often until the following evening. By then it is usually all eaten, but, if not, I remove what is left. This has never been a problem for me.

My amano shrimp as well as my Neocaridina davidi (both red cherry and blue dream) and even the assassin snails eat it as well as the brisltenose. Even some of the corys hit on it.

How long one can leave any food in the tank depends on the food. If we do not over-feed, there should not be much left to clean up. But some fish are grazers. Think algae eaters for one, another example are discus. There are also foods that break down more slowly than others. What we do want to avoid is over feeding or letting excess food just sit. There is a difference between it getting soft and having it start to fungus. It is a case of using some common sense. A couple of flakes of uneaten food is one thing, piles of rotting food are another.

If we pay attention we should soon learn how much to feed our fish and how often. It is better to start by feeding too little and have to increase the amount than the opposite.

As always, this is just my opinion. Feel free to disagree. What matters is that our fish get fed and that feeding doesn't become an issue.

An update: I did a routine water change today and added the required dose of salt, I think the fin rot is worse and it looks like there's also discolouration at the base of the fin which wasn't there before. Unfortunately he is also hiding all the time in a corner at the bottom of the tank so I am really struggling to get a picture. This is really unusual for him so I am worried, I managed to coax him to have a little frozen mysis so at least he is still eating. While he was out I snapped a few pics and have attached them. Sorry for the glare, was just focusing on trying to get the pics before he disappeared.

We're 5 days into our salt treatment but the rot has definitely progressed in that time. Is it worth starting to dilute it out now and trying some medication? I would need to order any medication in so it'll be a few days before I can get anything.

Edit: am UK based so there might be certain meds I can't get.

Your going to need something that treats bacteria asap. Waterlife Myxazin might help but if it's a drug resistant bacteria it might be pointless. You can use medications with salt so see what's available and get it. Do a water change on the tank in the mean time to dilute the salt out a bit.

Colin_T said:

Your going to need something that treats bacteria asap. Waterlife Myxazin might help but if it's a drug resistant bacteria it might be pointless. You can use medications with salt so see what's available and get it. Do a water change on the tank in the mean time to dilute the salt out a bit.

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Okay thank you, will do a 10% change now. I can't even find him in the tank atm so he has taken himself off somewhere, worries me how quickly he's going downhill. I don't want to stress him by pulling apart the tank to look for him.

Also not to be too morbid but if he does pass what's the best thing to do with the tank if there is some sort of pathogen in there?

Sorry a further update. He's come out but his swimming is very erratic, I'm thinking there might be something neurological going on. At times he appears to swim normally but then he starts jolting almost as if he's being shocked or is doing the fish equivalent of sneezing. He'll do this several times in a row and then stay still for a while. Swim bladder doesn't appear to be affected.

The bacteria could be affecting his brain or just irritating him in general and he's trying to shake it off.

If he dies, flush the tank and everything out. Basically take the filter and heater out and wash them under tap water. Then gravel clean and drain the tank. Then either empty the gravel out and take the tank outside and wash it out with tap water, or refill the tank and drain it again.

After that you can add a heap of salt (so it no longer dissolves) and leave it in the tank for 24 hours with the filter running, then drain it and refill it a couple of times. Then either set it back up or let it dry for a few days before setting it back up. I like to let things dry because it kills most things that live in water. If you do let it dry, you don't need to add salt beforehand unless you want to.

The good news is that he seems to be much more himself this morning. He was out and about when I got up and has eaten lots of pellets. His swimming seems to be normal touch wood. The fin looks just as bad but I was expecting to find him in much worse condition this morning based on how he looked yesterday. I've ordered the medication but it unfortunately won't get here until Wednesday, shall I continue with daily charges to dilute the salt out or keep it as is?