NONSTOP FIN ROT - need help!!!!

[ronnieroach]

I have a pair of parrots, a severum, kribensis & an upsidedown cat in my 55gal. i know its overstocked a little but everyone is small.

over the past 2 months ive treated w/ furan 2 twice & a cycle of melafix & pimafix after the rot came back following the second furan treatment.. every time i treat, it goes away & everyone seems healthy again for a week or 2 then all the symptoms come back.

my levels are:
ph 6.8 - 7
amonia 0
nitrates 0

should i just be treating twice in a row?

currently on workmans comp & i cant really afford to keep wasting money on meds if they wont work.

if i cannot find a solution, a friend said he would take them & let them live out there lives in his empty big tank.

IF i have to rehome them, would a complete water change be ok to put my green spotted puffer in the 55? or should i remove the current rocks & boil my plants / petrified wood??

all help is appreciated. please hurry im buggin out over here

thanks!!!

 

[ronnieroach]

my buddy has the hospice tank all set up so todays gonna be the day if i cant find a solution

 

[HUKIT]

When you states nitrates are zero did you mean nitrites? In a cycled aquarium unless it's heavily planted it's impossible to have zero nitrates. How are you testing your water? Pristine water conditions with nitrates below 10ppm is the best medicine for fin rot, the only time I would recommend meds if the area turned fuzzy or stopped eating.

 

[ronnieroach]

i use the api liquid test kit.. just tested again, and unless the melafix/pimafix is affecting the readout, both my nitrite (NO2) & my nitrate (NO3) levels are 0ppm .. i did do a 35% water change today, if that makes a difference??

one parrot seems to have a white spot on his gil that seems a tiny tiny TINY bit fuzzy.. the other, who i posted pics of last time, just has some minor rips on his fins. the kribensis has whiteish & frayed fins but theyre minor also. my upsidedown cat only has frays on his top fin but its really shot & now my severum has frays & i never ever ever see them nip one another & i watch them nonstop. i do know it can be a diff story when the lights go out though.

i did the water change, cleaned ANY & ALL debris from rocks, added a few tablespoons of salt & started the melafix/pimafix treatment again. they all ate a bit after i treated too.

I HATE HOW NUTS I AM ABOUT THESE FISH!!! but theyre my pets & i love them

& now everyone went from hiding nose down in the rocks to swimming around again. I JUST WANNA KEEP THEM HEALTHY!!

i know i'm overstocked but ive seen healthy tanks of the same size w/ way more fish & i had more fish in my tank w/ a 10' oscar & never had a health issue til i rehomed my oscar.

again, ALL help is appreciated.

 

[HUKIT]

Are you shaking the living daylights out of the nitrate bottles before testing, then shaking for a minute after mixing bottle #1 & #2? With that much of a bioload on a tank it's impossible there's no nitrates, it's a error with the kit or in preparation.

 

[ronnieroach]

ok i'm gonna try it again in a little bit. is it cool if i pm you?

& could my
2 parrots (less than 4inches each) severum (less than 3 inches)
kribensis (less than 3 inches)
upsidedown cat (2 1/2 -- 3 inches)
really be the reason this keeps happening? ive seen so many worse overstocked tanks that were fine & mine are in a 55 thats 4 feet long & looks empty fish wise lol

 

[HUKIT]

Poor water conditions can certainly lead to stress and illness. We need to rule out all the possibilities before a treatment is advised. The nitrate test is only one that's a pain to prepare, shake the crap out of it, also make sure the test kit is not expired as well. Do you have any pictures? Just to make sure it's fin rot or are you confident that's it, not fin nipping?

Pm's are ok but with things like this it's better left in the open for everyone to see and help.

 

[ronnieroach]

tested the nitrates again. shook the bajeezes out of the tube after each bottle & for over a minute for the second. still getting a zero - possible 5ppm reading. bought the kit a year and a half ago, dunno if thats why. maybe i should grab a box of strips?

as far as rot vs. nipping im not 100%.. obviously im not the best at this lol

since the smaller parrot had the whiteish dot on his gill i figured it was something treatable w/ the mela/pimafix. & the larger parrot doesnt get bothered by anyone so i doubt its nipping on him. his past rot was in the same spot too. the cat has his top fin totally shred but he likes to swim ON the parrots so who knows. the krib had the whiteish tip of his fin along w/ the fraying. & the severum, who has never had a mark on him, has his back fin slit pretty good in a few spots.

 

[HUKIT]

I'm just curious if it's nipped fins rather than fin rot. Usually you will see signs like white edges, fraying of fin, and grating color. I would try to post some pictures if possible. Maybe your treating for nothing but a bully.

If it is fin rot and it's reoccurring them the cause must be found, treating helps but it needs to be prevented in the future.

 

[ronnieroach]

well i def know that its been fin rot the past few times, making me think it is again. the previous times have had all 3 of the symptoms youve mentioned, including a white line on the fin that i had on my firemouth who died & my krib last time.

im trying to get pics but they all hide when i come over to the tank, probably cuz of the comotion today or cuz they know i dont have food.

you think i should quit the mela/pimafix & do a 25% water change tmro or do a few days & see what happens??

im open to your best bet. :/

 

[HUKIT]

I would skip the Melafix/Pimafix and perform small daily water changes of 20-25% and monitor from there.

I know you mentioned the stock list and for now with those sizes your fine as long as the water conditions stay good and no aggression but in the future a larger tank will be needed.

 

[ronnieroach]

sounds good i'll update in a few days. & thanks for all your help!

 

[ronnieroach]

ok so my parrots & severum look fine after the water changes but they seem really stressed. all they do is hide nonstop.

everyone is eating, but my bigger parrot isnt eating as much as normal. just a few nibbles & hes done.

ive added some salt & stresscoat & their pailness has definitely gone away. i guess the hiding is what bothers me.

i'm probably just overthinking it but they never used to be so scared all the time.

any remedies for stress? im planning on leaving the light off for a day or 2 to see if that helps.

all help is appreciated

 

[HUKIT]

Lights off, light feedings, and skip the salt but keep up with daily water changes.