Weird fins...

[dkpate]

Two of my HR's have fins like this. I am not sure what is/was wrong with them.
With one, his/her tail fin looks kind of ragged too. It is also the smallest one in the group, and since yesterday, the other ones have been kind of picking on it and it has been hanging out by itself. Any suggestions? Thanks!

My water param's are normal and I have had these fish for about 2 weeks.

 

[dkpate]

No one? Whaaaaat?

 

[Blueiz]

It looks as though they may be being picked on. It's not uncommon for this to happen to weaker fish. Keep an eye on them, watch the tank after dark to see if they are being picked on after lights out.

If the stock list in your sig is right, the dwarf gourami would be my number one suspect.

 

[dkpate]

When the lights go off they are all sleeping. The DG never bothers them until it's feeding time, and then he only "flashes" at them. The bigger HR picks on that smaller one. Upon closer inspection today, they all seem to have the same thing on one fin or another. Dorsal fins and pectoral fins. It almost looks like someone took a lighter and melter the fin into a mass, if that makes any sense.

 

[Blueiz]

It could be fin rot that started before you got them. You may want to try a low dose of salt (1 tablespoon per 5 g) to see if that helps, since the clean water isn't helping.

 

[dkpate]

Hmmm, I don't want to use salt because my loaches are in there. I do have some Melafix I had picked up though. Can you use that with scaleless fish?

 

[Phrozian]

If it is indeed finrot, Melafix wouldn't be able to combat it...
Is it possible to remove either the loaches or your injured HRs into a quarantine tank?

 

[dkpate]

The Melafix says it is for fin rot, as well as fungus and parasites, which is why I bought it lol. I don't have another tank, unless I could put the loaches in with my BGK, (he is only 6 inches and super sweet), and one dwarf gourami in the 75G.

 

[Blueiz]

I've never had a prob with my loaches and salt added at levels upwards of 2 tsp per g. Melafix will be fine too, just remember to take out your carbon.

 

[dkpate]

Ok, I will try adding the Melafix, but I think I am going to move the loaches to the 75G with the BGK and DG, if I can catch them lol. They have been fine since I got them, crazy as ever. They are actually the only fish I have never had ANY problems with!
I will cut the filter thing open and get rid of the carbon, so they still have the bacteria in there?

 

[mfdrookie516]

i used melafix to treat some finrot on some platys i got a while back.. worked wonders... i went against my better judgement and got them at petsmart... good think i had a qt ready for them

 

[dkpate]

Ok good deal! I am still going to move the loaches though. And it would be okay to put the live plants and some of the hidey holes in there with them right? Fin rot is from stress?

 

[Blueiz]

When a fish is stressed, it weakens the immune system allowing the fish to become susceptible to disease. Fin rot can come from poor water quality and-or it could be bacterial. Generally it is not severe enough to warrant full antibiotic treatment, clean water with the use of mild anti-bacterials, such as salt or melafix, will cure it.

You may stress your loaches more by moving them than by subjecting them to the meds..

 

[dkpate]

Well I know their water quality is good because I change 50% a week, clean up the poo every day, and test it often to make sure it is. I am pretty sure it is bacterial and they came with it, since none of the other fish in the tank are affected. I dosed the Melafix last night after reading the "msds" online which said it was fins for loaches. My house now smells like a hospital lol. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that all 4 of them had some sort of "fin rot". When I got home this morning, one had passed away while I was at work....2 died the day after I got them. My 6 loaches and 1 DG are just fine, although the loaches seem a little more tenative today...I did a 50% pwc and took out all carbon before I dosed the meds, and it says to do another pwc 3 days into treatment. The water is looking cloudy in the tank today, do you think that is because of the meds?

 

[Blueiz]

The water quality where they came from, since you have only had them for 2 weeks, may not have been all that great