# Help with fin rot!



## Andremr (Oct 13, 2016)

Hi guys. I'm having troubles with fin rot. I would say 30% of the fishes have it but they seem ok, swimming and eating as per usual. Some of their fins are just missing and some has part of it missing with the edge being white.

135lt fish tank

1 x peppermint brittlenose (4cm)
3 x kuhli loaches (4cm)
2 x platis 
6 x male endlers guppy
17 x neon
1 x algae eater
4 x bumblebee gobby
+ 25 platis/guppy fries

Lots of plants

Ph 7.2 / Ammonia 0ppm / Nitrite 0ppm / Nitrate 0ppm / 24.5-26º

27lt water replacement twice a week

I got this fish tank 3 months ago. I had some guppy and platis couples but got annoyed with the high number of fries so I took back to the shop all the females. I just could get the Nitrite to 0 ten days ago when I replaced the pump from 1000l/h to 2000l/h. The tank has those filters on the top that goes across. With the new pump I could spread the water better over the media which helped with the nitrite. So my problem is many of my fishes have fin rot. Around 1.5 month ago I tried to cure them with melafix and pimafix and multicure but no positive results because in my opinion due the nitrite(0.25ppm sometimes 0.5ppm) and ammonia (0.25ppm). So the water has been fine for over 10 days, everything at 0ppm but the fishes still have fin rot. I added yesterday the 1/2 of the dosage(due to the loaches and others) of multi cure again with one tablespoon of aquarium salt. What should I do next?

Thanks in advance


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## Kaitlyn (Dec 21, 2014)

I've never had luck with putting medication in the water for fin rot. At least for my bettas, I've found that antibiotic food is the best cure. Dr. G's frozen antibiotic food worked really well clearing up a stubborn case of fin rot for me. Medicated food also shouldn't mess with the beneficial bacteria in your tank; any antibiotics you put in the water are going to destroy your nitrogen cycle. If you want to use medication in the water I would move the sick fish to a hospital tank first so the healthy fish aren't at risk of an ammonia or nitrite spike. If you go that route, Maracyn II should be good for fin rot. Melafix and Pimafix aren't great for clearing up infections; they're pretty much diluted tea tree oil. I'm not sure about multicure; does it say what medications are in it?

Are you positive you really have 0 nitrates? If you're using the API freshwater test kit, you need to shake nitrate test bottle #2 really well for a few minutes the first time you use it. It crystallizes and will give you a false reading if it's not mixed well.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

When you change the water in your tank, are you conditioning the new water before you put it in the tank? Some water utilities chlorinate the water to sterilize it, and the chlorine and/or chloramine can cause fin rot if not treated. Get some dechlorinator (a.k.a. tap water conditioner) and dose the water before adding it to the tank.

0 nitrate may be a problem as well. What test kit are you using? Are you using testing strips (litmus test) or are you using a liquid titration test kit? The strips are notoriously inaccurate.

Lastly, have you observed the tank for any signs of aggression? Some of the fish you listed, like the male guppies, are notorious for harassing others in the tank. Fin nipping could be the cause of the shredded fins.


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