guppy fin rot?

[zfarrias1]

hi, i just bought a few guppies yesterday at petsmart, then i wake up today and one of them already might have fin rot. his tail fin has a brownish edge on it and a piece off of the bottom is missing. does it really sound like fin rot? if it is fin rot, what are a few treatments i should use, and should i remove the carbon filter cartridge? if its just the other fish nibbling at the fin, what should i do? i can't afford another tank, and even if i could, i don't have the room for it. heeeelllllpppp. in advance

 

[Rosenweiss]

It does sound like fin rot. Basically, before medicating, I would try doing PWC's and improving the quality of your water. How are your water parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates)?

 

[zfarrias1]

this might seem a little stupid but, what does PWC mean? i think i might know what the wc means but idk about the p. as for the water parameters, i have no idea, i'm probably going to get a few of the suction cup sensors in the next couple of days. remember, i'm broke atm, and my mom has had enough trips to petsmart for the week.

 

[Rosenweiss]

Sorry, PWC means partial water change. If you're going to buy testing stuff though, everyone here is really for the API liquid master test kit. Costs about $25 but it's the best 25 you'll ever spend. Seriously. In comparison all other test kits are inaccurate.

If you want to medicate, I'd use Melafix, people generally say that's a good one for fin rot. But the best thing you can do right now is water changes. What's the size of you tank and what all is in it?

 

[zfarrias1]

5 gallon tank, 3 guppies in it, only one has fin rot, no algae eater yet (just got all the stuff, theres no algae yet) i just got the fish yesterday. One last question, where can i buy all that stuff?

 

[Rosenweiss]

I think you can get a test kit and medication at any pet store, including petsmart. But I wouldn't recommend getting any algae eater for that sized tank--there isn't one that's appropriate. I'd say that your three guppies will be fine, but you shouldn't add any more fish. There are only a few species suitable for that small of an environment.

 

[zfarrias1]

when you say there isnt one that is appropriate, do you mean in terms of size or that it would do something else? if you mean in terms of size, i have seen algae eaters that don't grow any bigger than a neon tetra. another thing, are there any decent test kits for less than....preferably $10? no way my mom is spending that kind of money on a test kit, and by the time i get the money for it, my guppy might be XP

 

[Rosenweiss]

In terms of size, unfortunately. Even the smallest algae eaters should be in a 10g MINIMUM. What algae eater are you thinking? if it's an otocinclus or a dwarf corydora, those should still be in 10g minimums due to activity level and the need to school.

There's no way that you can get a decent test kit for less than $10, but what you can do is just buy the ammonia and nitrite kits separately for now (API brand) and spend about that much or a little more, since those 2 are the most important.

 

[zfarrias1]

I just had my mom buy the melafix and i just put it in my tank. on the instruction label, it said to remove the activated carbon. now im wondering if it should be removed for the full length of the treatment or just for a few hours after each dose? Also, since i removed the carbon filter, will the biofilter still keep the water fine? i hope the poor guppy gets better.

P.S. i am talking about a tequila sunrise guppy. the fin had a chunk missing in the bottom, i go to school for 6 hours, come back, and the fin was evened out. not in the good way, which means it is constantly getting worse. wish me luck, i hope the poor guppy gets better.

 

[Rosenweiss]

I think it needs to be remvoed for the full length of treatment, since carbon leaches the meds out of the water. But don't worry, you don't need it anyway. Just get some biomax and shove it in there instead. What kind of filter do you have though?

Anyway, i know how you feel. I just lost a guppy myself. :-/ And the others might die, too, and we can't even figure out what's wrong.

Anyway, i got your rep, so I'm glad your guppy is feeling better. I hope he heals all the way.

 

[basketballqt]

I'm dealing with anchor worms that I actually got form a petsmart as well... My tequila sunrise female just looks so sad.. I feel so bad for her and yesterday I had to pick 4 really big anchor worms off of her and so she's been bleeding on and off and yeah.. just a horror story.. The lesson I learned - don't buy fish from them anymore. lol

As far as helping her out.. I'd put salt in the tank if you don't already have some.. I noticed that after putting some salt in my tank yesterday, she's already doing a lot better off... I've seen a lot of places to put salt in the guppy tank..

 

[Rosenweiss]

If you google anchor worms, you can find a lot of good ways to treat for them. I think salt is one of them; copper can also kill parasites (but it kills snails and shrimp too).