How to tell if finrot or nipping

[Skibum3]

I have never been able to tell if a fish has fin rot or the fins are just being nipped how do you tell the difference

 

[aquandrew]

fin rot will make the fins look frayed, soggy, deteriorating. nipped fins will have clean tears and happen instantaneously. fin rot takes time to develop.

 

[Skibum3]

Oh, okay. Can you treat fin rot with aquarium salt?

 

[Plecostomus129]

I do not know about treatment with aquarium salt, but I believe that Meracyn 2 can be used to treat fin rot.

 

[nickstanley995]

Nipping are more so chunks too. I had a tank where my guppies tails were being nipped the only thing that stopped it was taking out the tetras who were doing it. Maybe take out the nippers put them in a seperate tank or a tank devider and watch to see if more of the tail disappears.

 

[Skibum3]

Okay and one last thing will the salt help the fish heal if they are just nipped fins?

 

[nickstanley995]

No Idea my fishes fins grew on its own back took a month

 

[Skibum3]

Alright thanks everyone !!

 

[Plecostomus129]

No problem! Glad to help.

 

[DeirdreHoyle]

I have been wondering about this too! My pleco developed a rip in his dorsal fin overnight and I assumed it was a nitrite spike, but his tank mate is a betta who will sometimes flare his gills at the pleco. Could this be fin nipping?

 

[Skibum3]

I have been wondering about this too! My pleco developed a rip in his dorsal fin overnight and I assumed it was a nitrite spike, but his tank mate is a betta who will sometimes flare his gills at the pleco. Could this be fin nipping?

My bet would be that the betta did it. They are naturally aggressive fish so it wouldn't surprise me. Unless you have a sharp decoration in your tank that could possibly have does that.

 

[aquandrew]

I have been wondering about this too! My pleco developed a rip in his dorsal fin overnight and I assumed it was a nitrite spike, but his tank mate is a betta who will sometimes flare his gills at the pleco. Could this be fin nipping?

my bet would be that it wedged itself into a decoration, plecos are known for doing that

 

[aquandrew]

Okay and one last thing will the salt help the fish heal if they are just nipped fins?

salt is not needed. just do daily to every other day water changes until it is healed.

 

[Delapool]

fin rot will make the fins look frayed, soggy, deteriorating. nipped fins will have clean tears and happen instantaneously. fin rot takes time to develop.

does fin rot tend to eat all the tail fin working in or start on tail fin first would you know?

 

[aquandrew]

does fin rot tend to eat all the tail fin working in or start on tail fin first would you know?

most of the time it starts on the ends of the fins and works its way in, but it can start over the whole fins. fin rot is caused by poor water quality and can easily be treated with water changes.

 

[Delapool]

Thanks for the information

 

[aquandrew]

no problem, glad to help