TwoTankAmin
Fish Connoisseur
Hope this helps-
It takes some time for lower level ammonia damage to occur. A 1 ppm reading in your tank short term by itself should not cause a real issue (based on the pH and temp). However, prolonged exposure is another story. If ammonia is causing burns then it would have had to have been there for a while and likely at higher levels.
One does not have to think, guess or image a tank is cycled, that is what our test kits are for. A cycle starts with 0s, then these numbers rise and then fall back to 0s. These things are measurable and observable, so the one thing we can know for sure is if a tank is cycled or not. When I hear somebody has a tank up for 6 or 7 weeks with fish in it from the start and that they have been doing regular water changes, the first thing I think is its not cycled. This is especially true when one reports ammonia but not nitrite present. Incidentally. I do not think that any hobby kit for nitrate can yield a reliable 1 ppm reading for nitrate.
from http/animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/information/Diseases.htm#Tail%20Rot%20&%20Fin%20Rot
Tail Rot & Fin Rot
Symptoms: Disintegrating fins that may be reduced to stumps, exposed fin rays, blood on edges of fins, reddened areas at base of fins, skin ulcers with gray or red margins, cloudy eyes.
Tail and fin rot appears to be a bacterial infection of the tail and/or fins and may be caused by generally poor conditions, bully, or fin nipping tankmates. If aquarium conditions are not good an infection can be caused from a simple injury to the fins/tail. Tuberculosis can lead to tail and fin rot. Basically, the tail and/or fins become frayed or lose color. Over time the affected area slowly breaks down.
First, attempt to ascertain the cause. Then treat accordingly. Also, treat the water or fish with antibiotics. If added to the water, use 20 - 30 mg per liter. If the fish is to be treated add an antibiotic to the food. With flake food, use about 1% of antibiotic and carefully mix it in. If you keep the fish hungry they should eagerly eat the mixture before the antibiotic dissipates. Antibiotics usually come in 250 mg capsules. If added to 25 grams of flake food, one capsule should be enough to treat dozens of fish. A good antibiotic is chloromycetin (chloramphenicol) or tetracycline. If you feed your fish frozen foods or chopped foods, try to use the same ratio with mixing. As a last resort add at most 10 mg per liter of water. Also, if unkempt conditions are the suspected cause, correct it.
from http/badmanstropicalfish.com/fish_palace/tropicalfish_disease_identification.html#Finrot
Common Name:
Bacterial Fin Rot
Pathogen/Cause:
Various organisms (nonspecific)
Physical Signs:
Shredded-looking and tattered fins decreasing in length, sometimes infected down to the pedicle.
Behavioral Signs:
Increasing difficulty swimming, behavioral signs depend on whether other secondary infections present.
Potential Treatment:
Broad spectrum antibiotics.
Other Notes:
Frequent water changes a must to improve quality. Test for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates.
from http/www.fishdoc.co.uk/disease/finrot.htm
Identifying fin rot
Fin rot is a general term for necrotic loss of fin tissue, resulting in split or ragged fins. It is usually the edge of the fin that is attacked, although occasionally a hole may appear in the middle of the fin. The appearance of fin rot can vary between a distinct, semi-circular “bite” shape and a “shredded” effect.
The edge of the lesion is usually opaque or whitish. In advanced cases there may be some reddening or inflammation. The main threat from this fish disease is, if left untreated fin rot can slowly eat away the entire fin along with the fin rays and start to invade the fish’s body, leading to peduncle disease if the caudal (tail) fin is involved, or saddleback ulcer if the dorsal (top) fin is affected. Fin rot is a bacterial disease involving opportunistic bacteria such as Aeromonas, Pseudomonas or Flexibacter that abound in all aquatic environments. Secondary fungal infections are not uncommon.
It takes some time for lower level ammonia damage to occur. A 1 ppm reading in your tank short term by itself should not cause a real issue (based on the pH and temp). However, prolonged exposure is another story. If ammonia is causing burns then it would have had to have been there for a while and likely at higher levels.
One does not have to think, guess or image a tank is cycled, that is what our test kits are for. A cycle starts with 0s, then these numbers rise and then fall back to 0s. These things are measurable and observable, so the one thing we can know for sure is if a tank is cycled or not. When I hear somebody has a tank up for 6 or 7 weeks with fish in it from the start and that they have been doing regular water changes, the first thing I think is its not cycled. This is especially true when one reports ammonia but not nitrite present. Incidentally. I do not think that any hobby kit for nitrate can yield a reliable 1 ppm reading for nitrate.