Aeration & bad bacteria Question !

[Spence22]

I have a goldfish that is sick, looks to be a bacterial issue (fin & tail rot). My question is, do i want to have more aertion than i normally do or do i want less? Ive turned my bubble wall off, was this a smart thing?
I read that all bacteria need oxygen to survive so i figured turning off my air pump would help deprive the bad bacteria. But now my fish and the bad bacteria are both fighting for the air in the tank and this will stress the fish. So what should i do?

BTW ive been treating with melafix and API salt for 5 days.

 

[jetajockey]

There are good and bad bacteria that need oxygen to survive, not to mention the fish will die long before the bacteria die off, so that method is not going to work.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I'd turn it back on ASAP if your fish is having problems breathing.

 

[jlk]

Goldfish have very high oxygen needs. The more aeration you can provide, the better. I am not a fan of melafix except for the most general situations that healthy water would cure anyway. Fin rot is a bacterial infection that can be deadly if it reaches the base of the tail/fins & the bacteria enters the bloodstream. How do your water parameters look for ammonia/nitrites/nitrates? Can you possibily post a pic? If you cant, can you give a general idea of the degree of the fin rot (ie- is some tissue missing, are the rays sticking out, have rays broken off, is the tail gone). Some more information will help us to help you better!

 

[toddnbecka]

Quite simply, would you try/expect to cure yourself of a strep infection by locking yourself in an airtight room with very little air circulation?

 

[Spence22]

I understand what you guys are saying. See i have a 29 gallon aquarium with a fluval 205 canister filter and a pengiun 150 biowheel. This provides my tank with alot of surface agitation, however there is one dead spot so i bought an air-pump and a bubble wall. I only use it ocasionally, mostly when the temperature gets above average so the evaporation will cool the tank off. In my eyes, even if i turn the air pump off there is still plenty of water agitaion from my filters. Freddie my goldfish doesnt look to be oxygen deprived at all. He's always chillin toward the bottomm of the tank, he rarely goes toward the top, usually just to eat.
When i wrote the post i guess i ment to say, is it wise to keep the bubble wall on to give Extra aertion for the fish.

 

[jlk]

I would keep it on. The extra aeration can only help & it will not change what is happening with the fin rot for better or worse. Most likely, the fin rot needs to be addressed with course of antibiotics. If you need more help, please ask!

 

[Spence22]

Goldfish have very high oxygen needs. The more aeration you can provide, the better. I am not a fan of melafix except for the most general situations that healthy water would cure anyway. Fin rot is a bacterial infection that can be deadly if it reaches the base of the tail/fins & the bacteria enters the bloodstream. How do your water parameters look for ammonia/nitrites/nitrates? Can you possibily post a pic? If you cant, can you give a general idea of the degree of the fin rot (ie- is some tissue missing, are the rays sticking out, have rays broken off, is the tail gone). Some more information will help us to help you better!

Water Parameters using API Master Test Kit
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 10 ppm
P.H. : 7.6
Temp: 72.5

Here are a few pictures that i just took.

 

[Spence22]

 

[jlk]

Thank you! Your water looks good! His tail is a bit ragged but its not that bad. As healthy water does not seem to be improving his condition, i would suggest a course of antibiotics to clear up the infection & allow his tail to heal. You can find minocycline under the name Maracyn 2 at most big chain petstores (ie petsmart). I would try a course of this along with a theraputic dose of aquarium salt (which you are already doing) & see how this works out. Keep us posted!

 

[Spence22]

Thank You for your response. I have been considering Maracyn 1 or 2, or API E.C.. Im about to leave here in a few minutes. im going to petsmart, ill grab the maracyn 2. ill keep you updated

 

[toddnbecka]

The bubble wall really isn't necessary to circulate the water in the tank if you have a canister and a hob filter on the tank too. Goldfish really don't like strong current, even the "normal" body/fin types are pond fish, not adapted to moving water.
Nearly all of the O2/CO2 exchange takes place at the surface. As long as the water is circulating through the tank at least 3-4x/hour (~100 gph in a 29) an the temp isn't in the 80's there should be plenty of O2 in the water. Bubble walls will help circulate the water, but the bubbles themselves don't do much for aerating the water because they move through it so quickly.

 

[Spence22]

The bubble wall really isn't necessary to circulate the water in the tank if you have a canister and a hob filter on the tank too. Goldfish really don't like strong current, even the "normal" body/fin types are pond fish, not adapted to moving water.
Nearly all of the O2/CO2 exchange takes place at the surface. As long as the water is circulating through the tank at least 3-4x/hour (~100 gph in a 29) an the temp isn't in the 80's there should be plenty of O2 in the water. Bubble walls will help circulate the water, but the bubbles themselves don't do much for aerating the water because they move through it so quickly.

Ok thanks for your knowledge. I basically just bought it cause i have a dead spot at the back of the tank so i figured the bubble wall would add a little suraface agitation in the exact spot and supply a little bit of aertion. But its totally just extra. I dont use it every day.

 

[Spence22]

Thank you! Your water looks good! His tail is a bit ragged but its not that bad. As healthy water does not seem to be improving his condition, i would suggest a course of antibiotics to clear up the infection & allow his tail to heal. You can find minocycline under the name Maracyn 2 at most big chain petstores (ie petsmart). I would try a course of this along with a theraputic dose of aquarium salt (which you are already doing) & see how this works out. Keep us posted!

Ok well i just got back from petsmart and bought the Maracyn 2. The petsmart empolyee is very knowledgeable and told me that its propbably the best thing for me. She also told me to feed some fresh zuccinie for natural vitamins. Im about to do a gravel cleaning and water change before i use the Maracyn 2.
QUESTIONS:
How much water should i change? 50%? I dosed with melafix for 6 days but i did put new carbon in last night to help suck it up. And would it be helpful to raise the temp in my aquarium? ive been told it can help kill the bacteria but im not crazy about the idea.

 

[jetajockey]

I'm not one for using antibiotics if I can help it, since it tends to wreak havoc on the biofilter in the tank. I've used salt and frequent (biweekly) water changes to deal with fin rot, and in some difficult cases I use a medicated food. Jungle makes medicated pellets, and kensfish.com and angelsplus.com both have medicated flakes in all sorts of varieties.

 

[Spence22]

I'm not one for using antibiotics if I can help it, since it tends to wreak havoc on the biofilter in the tank. I've used salt and frequent (biweekly) water changes to deal with fin rot, and in some difficult cases I use a medicated food. Jungle makes medicated pellets, and kensfish.com and angelsplus.com both have medicated flakes in all sorts of varieties.

Ive been looking for food medications locally but haven't been successful.

 

[jlk]

I would give the marcyn2 a try. in the meantime, you can go to The Goldfish Connection's website & order some of their medi-gold food. Its very effective & goldfish love it! Hope this helps!