Can't Get Rid of Fin Rot

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96motorhead

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Jan 9, 2015
Messages
2
I have a common goldfish and pleco in my 29g tank and they have had fin rot on and off for about a year. I can't get rid of it, I've tried melafix but that hasn't changed anything. The fish swim around normally all day,the fin rot doesn't seem to effect them at all. If anyone has any solutions I would greatly appreciate it.


Details:
Nitrate: 10
Nitrite: 0
hardness: 300
chlorine: 0
alkalinity: 180
ph: 7.8
ammonia: 0

Tank size: 29g
filter: 55g
water changes: about 50% every Monday with gravel vacuum
Goldfish age: 8 years
Pleco age: 3 years
They are fed once every 2 days
There is a piece of driftwood in the tank, but no plants.
 
Sadly, both of those fish have very high bio loads and dirty water contributes to diseases. I would add another filter to help lower the waste for starters and upping the water changes to 2-3 a week. Also, you should feed them every day. Eating helps boost their immune system, much like me and you. If you were to only eat every two days, you would be sickly and more prone to getting sick.

I am not sure when the "feed every other day or fast your fish" thing started, but its a garbage practice. Living things like to eat and need proper nutrition and a clean environment to live. Its not hard to do! Do a big water change, followed by upping your water changing frequency, add another large filter, and feed small amounts daily and it should get better.
 
Also, you could throw in some low light floating plants like Hornwort or anacharis to suck up some extra waste, as well as make your fish feel more at home and comfortable. Its cheap and can grow in anything...........especially hornwort.
 
Yes def add some plants to help with the bioload. I think you could add some Seachem Stressguard. I used it and with water changes and good practice. It did wonders. Very gentle but effective stuff. Better than melafix


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I have a common goldfish and pleco in my 29g tank and they have had fin rot on and off for about a year. I can't get rid of it, I've tried melafix but that hasn't changed anything. The fish swim around normally all day,the fin rot doesn't seem to effect them at all. If anyone has any solutions I would greatly appreciate it.


Details:
Nitrate: 10
Nitrite: 0
hardness: 300
chlorine: 0
alkalinity: 180
ph: 7.8
ammonia: 0

Tank size: 29g
filter: 55g
water changes: about 50% every Monday with gravel vacuum
Goldfish age: 8 years
Pleco age: 3 years
They are fed once every 2 days
There is a piece of driftwood in the tank, but no plants.


Melafix may be helping but it's more for infection prevention or light infections imo. The fin rot coming and going suggests something is going right with healing but something changes and you get another outbreak. I'd be looking into what has changed in the tank when it comes back.

Edit - I assume 10ppm nitrate is from a liquid test kit?
 
The ammonia test is from a liquid test kit, the rest are from a strip, I get consistent readings every time I test, they aren't all over the chart. I will try that antibiotic from walmart, changing my water more often and feeding every day. Also thanks everyone for the help.
 
The ammonia test is from a liquid test kit, the rest are from a strip, I get consistent readings every time I test, they aren't all over the chart. I will try that antibiotic from walmart, changing my water more often and feeding every day. Also thanks everyone for the help.


I just did a comparison on the weekend and the strips were under-reading for nitrates. Something like 0 to 20ppm on strips vs 40 to 80 on liquid test (always have trouble with colours). Overall my experience has been the strips tend to under-read so would recommend seeing if the lfs will do a liquid test just in case.
 
Or try terramycin or better antibiotics. They work better than Furan Tbh, you probably have to order the terramycin, but its a antibiotic.
 
On the long run they need more room. The GF needs a pond or a very large tank as he can hit 12".

The Pleco needs a heated pond or a 150g (?) tank as they hit 24".

No matter how clean you keep the water the fish will have health issues if they can't grow.
ImageUploadedByAquarium Advice1421236419.728036.jpg

For now ? Keep the water very clean.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
 
Sadly, both of those fish have very high bio loads and dirty water contributes to diseases. I would add another filter to help lower the waste for starters and upping the water changes to 2-3 a week. Also, you should feed them every day. Eating helps boost their immune system, much like me and you. If you were to only eat every two days, you would be sickly and more prone to getting sick.

I am not sure when the "feed every other day or fast your fish" thing started, but its a garbage practice. Living things like to eat and need proper nutrition and a clean environment to live. Its not hard to do! Do a big water change, followed by upping your water changing frequency, add another large filter, and feed small amounts daily and it should get better.
...................................................
I agree with you . fish need good nutrition on a daily basis to remain healthy just as any other living thing does. They are not snakes that can take a long time to digest a meal which is normal for their species but not for fish... Alison:fish2:
 
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