Major fin damage: parasites?

[Calcifer10000]

Hello!

I posted awhile back about ich; thanks for the replies. I think my tank's ich case is gone, but a few of the fish seem to be missing fins, while others have perfect fins and are just fine. It shouldn't be water quality and I haven't added anything new, so I was thinking, could it be parasites? I saw a red dot on one fish's fins; could that be a parasite?

If I possibly have parasites in the tank, how should I treat the tank, other than medication? Will temperature and/or salt help the situation at all?

Thank you for any advice!

 

[QTOFFER]

Finrot is a very common secondary infection in fish that recently had a bout with ich. There are meds that are supposed to cure it, but I've had most success with 30- 50% water changes every other day. Adding a mild antibiotic like MelaFix helps too. If you eliminate the bacteria causing the infection, the fins will grow back; although sometimes not as nice as they originally were.

I would keep a close eye on the fish with the red spot - might be septicemia, which should be aggressively treated. Start out with big frequent water changes. If it gets worse, or doesn't clear up in a few days, try a broad spectrum antibiotic like Maracyn.

 

[severum mama]

I also think it would be good to use Melafix. I have had a lot of success with it.

If you have to use the Maracyn, keep your test kit handy. I treated a 55 gallon tank with Maracyn for cyanobacteria, and I found that it did affect the bio filter. I did some extra water changes and all was well, but just be prepared. HTH

 

[Calcifer10000]

I've been using Melafix for several days now, so I'll continue that. Should I combine another antibacterial medication along with it, or keep medications separate?

The red spot seems not to be in the fin, but hanging on the outer surface. Maybe I could try removing it...

 

[Apocalypse_Gold]

When my brother had ich, or rather his fish had ich, he had several with major fin loss. Melafix and water changes are your best remedy. I would leave the red spot alone for now.