Help...resilient fin and tail rot!

[Dora]

Help! I have resilient fin rot affecting 6 of my 11 fish!

I first noticed it last August with my 3 corydoras elegans. I treated my tank with Melafix. When I didn't see improvement, I moved the 3 elegans to a hospital tank and continued treating them with Melafix (which didn't work), and then treated them with tetracycline (which did work). I moved them back to the main tank around the middle of October.

Around the first of this year, I noticed the tail of one of my elegans wasting away again. I treated the main tank with Melafix as I'd done last time. Still no improvement. Then I moved the 3 elegans back to the hospital tank and treated them with tetracycline. I saw improvement but when I stopped treatment, the fin and tail rot returned. Since then, I've left them in the hospital tank and haven't treated them with anything else.

I have now noticed all 3 of my corydoras aeneus in my main tank are showing signs of wasting fins and tails. 8O My 5 glow light tetras seem unaffected at this time.

MAIN TANK:
20 gallon set up in May of 2005
Millennium 1000 filter
ph: 7.2
kh: 80 ppm
gh: 75 ppm
nitrite: 0 ppm
nitrate: 20 ppm
3 corydoras aeneus (affected)
5 glow light tetras (not affected)
diet of frozen blood worms and shrimp (unchanged)
Last PWC (25%) on 3/6/07 (do this twice per month)

HOSPITAL TANK:
5 gallon set up in October of 2005
Millennium 1000 filter
ph: 7.8
kh: 120 ppm
gh: 150 ppm
nitrite: 0 ppm
nitrate: 15 ppm
3 corydoras elegans (affected)
diet of frozen blood worms and shrimp (unchanged)
Last PWC (50%) on 3/6/07

Does anyone know how I can cure this? :? Are my glow light tetras in danger of catching it too? 8O It would be worse for them because they don't rest on the bottom like the corys.

 

[Zagz]

Persistant fin rot is usually caused by the fish having weakend immune systems. Possibly from stress or water parameters. What are your ammonia readings? When doing pwc's do you add dechlorinator? What temp do you keep your tank at? I would first recommend doing pwc's of 50% per week. With frozen food being the staple feeding if there are any leftovers you may have ammonia spikes. Start with increasing water changes and treating with Maracyn or MaracynII. Temperature can play a large factor as well as frequent water changes.

 

[Dora]

Thanks for the advice! Sorry I don't have an ammonia test kit. Is it true that if the nitrite level is 0, there is probably no ammonia? I use AmQuel as a dechlorinator. Lately I've been using distilled water in combination with treated tap water because it has less alkalinity than my tap water. I've been told the corys prefer more acidic conditions. My main tank and hospital tanks are both around 78-80° F.

Should I use Maracyn or MaracynII in my main tank or just my hospital tank? I'll have to move my 3 other corys to the hosptial tank if that's the case. I was also considering using a combination of Melafix/Pimafix. Melafix hasn't really worked in the past, but maybe the combination with Pimafix might work. Do you think I should try that first or go straight to Maracyn or MaracynII?

Oh...I realize this is a fish site, but I just have to mention that I like your African Grey avitar. Is that your bird? I have a 22 year old cockatiel proving that I'm much better at caring for birds than fish!

 

[Zagz]

I would use the Maracyn or Maracyn II. I prefer MaracynII myself. Mela/pimafix might work but might it is relatively mild. Since you have treated before I would use the MaracynII. There can be ammonia in a tank even when there is no nitrites. At the beginning of a cycle, ammonia is present before anything else. It might not be ammonia. But pristine water and extra water changes won't help.

I wouldn't treat the unaffected fish until you see signs there is something wrong. The problems might be coming from the difference in water supply. Stable ph is more preferable than trying to acheive a perfect ph. Ph swings stress fish and can bring on things such as fin rot.

Yes the African Grey is my bird. His name is Pepper and he will be 27 one week from today. You should post a pic of your tiel in my thread. I've invited others to post their bird pics.

 

[Dora]

I appreciate the info! One thing I'm kind of concerned about is that the 3 aeneus corys are much more active than the 3 elegan corys so I hope the 5 gallon hospital tank won't be too small for them. But at least it will be for their own good. In addition to that, ever since I netted the 3 elegans (which took me longer than expected and was quite an ordeal), the 3 aeneus have been freaked out whenever they see me. 8O You would think I was some menacing character such as Cruella Deville by they way they act. (Well, they're lucky they don't have spots! ) Oddly, the 3 elegans are just fine when I'm around. Anyway, I'm not sure how well it will go netting the frightened aeneus. Do you have any tips for how to net frightened fish? :?

Oh, and Pepper is just beautiful. I wish him a happy hatch day next week. Actually, Whitney won't turn 22 until next month, on April 8. I'd like to post a picture of Whitney. How do I get to your thread?

 

[Dora]

I bought Maracyn-Two to use in the hospital tank. The directions say to add 2 packets per 10 gallons of water (I have 5 gallon tank, so it would be 1 packet) on the first day. For the second to fifth day, add 1 packet (half a packet for my tank). Then it says to repeat this 5 day treatment if necessary. Does anyone know if that means I should add 1 packet or half a packet on the 6th day?

In my main tank, I've noticed a glow light tetra with a small split in the middle of his tail. I'm afraid it might also be fin and tail rot. I probably should treat my main tank with something but I'm afraid Maracyn-Two might be too strong for my glow lights. I'd like to use a combination of Pimafix/Melafix but when I was at my TFS today, one of the guys highly recommended Jungle Lab Fungus Clear Tank Buddies. He said when he'd worked at another TFS, they used it all the time with amazing results. He suggested I use half the dosage because of my glow lights. Well, I ended up buying a package, but I'm not sure if I should use that or the Melafix/Pimafix combo. Anyone have any experiences with either of those treatments?

 

[Zagz]

I always do a minimum 50% water change after the first treatment, if I had to do another treatment I'd start with the 1 package.

 

[Dora]

Thanks, Zagz.

Today I started treating my 5 gallon hospital tank with Maracyn-Two. Because this has been such a tough illness to tackle, I'm planning on treating the hospital tank for 10 days instead of 5. I also started treating my 20 gallon main tank with a Melafix/Pimafix combination. I'll do this for at least 7 days (even though the glow lights freak out when I add it to the tank 8O). I decided not to use the Fungus Clear Tank Buddies because I don't know enough about it. I'll keep it on hand in case any of the other treatments don't work. My fingers are crossed!

 

[MyCatsDrool]

You might consider using the fungus clear. Often tail/fin rot is fungal, not bacterial. Any chance you can get any pictures of the fish?

I would continue with the maracyn treatment for no longer than 5-7 days if no improvement, then a very large water change and work the fungus clear.

Make sure you have to activated carbon in the tanks while you are treating them, as it adsorbs the medication.

 

[Dora]

Any chance you can get any pictures of the fish?

I am amazed at some of the beautiful photos I've seen on this site. Unfortunately, I can't seem to get a clear photo with my digital camera. It doesn't focus well through water, making my fish look like blurry smudges. There might be another setting I could use. I'll have to check my manual. Or possibly my camera is just too cheap.

I would continue with the maracyn treatment for no longer than 5-7 days if no improvement, then a very large water change and work the fungus clear.

How large of a water change should I do? 50% or more?

Make sure you have to activated carbon in the tanks while you are treating them, as it adsorbs the medication.

Roger that. Both of my tanks have filter cartridges with no carbon.