Is this fin rot, or nipped fins?

[Ursi]

I have 4 angelfish, the two smaller ones have torn fins the worst and also some of my guppies do too. I need to work out why this is happening but I'm not sure whether it's fin/tail rot or nipping.









These are the two angel fish, the guppies are more or less the same I can't manage to get a photo they are moving too fast for my slow phone..

Thanks in advance!

 

[phoenixkiller]

I have the same problem with the top fin of my angel. I am told with either nipped fins or fin rot that both will recover from it with clean water.

What are your parameters? Do you use an accurate API Liquid Master Test kit? Fin rot is caused by poor water quality, and angelfish in particular do not tolerate low water quality, and their health would quickly decline.

Clean water is your goal at the moment.

Hope I helped!

 

[Ursi]

I change 20% of my water every 5 days, and I usually test my water 2 days after I do a change. I use nutrafin test, it's a liquid test though and my water readings are :

Ammonia- 0
Nitrite -0
Nitrate -10
PH - 7.0

My PH varies from 7 to 7.5, the rest of the readings however never change. The tails on the guppies have been like it for a while same as the angel fish, they show no other signs of disease or stress, which is why I thought it could be fin nipping. I did some searching on google to compare photos and I just can't tell if it's the same or not. I actually have 3 swordtail fry in the tank which are less than a week old, so obviously for that reason I do not want to put meds in my tank unless I have to, I had an out break of ich in my tank a few weeks back which I treated with protozin along with turning the temp of my tank up to 28 C which I was recommended to do by the fish shop. I added some aquarium salt after the treatment, the dose recommended on the box, and turned the temp back down after 10 days to 26C. The problem with the fins and tails however have been on going longer than that problem and the outbreak of ich has completely cleared up.

I am slightly concerned it is nipping, could my golden loach or rainbow shark be the culprit?

 

[Ursi]

I'll just add too the ich was brought in by a Mollie I purchased, it didn't spread to any other fish

 

[phoenixkiller]

Sounds like it's just some fin nipping. Not fin rot. I suggest weekly big (50%) water changes until their fins are healed.

BUT, that will do no good if we cannot identify the culprit. What other fish do you have in the tank, and how many of each?

 

[Ursi]

I have in my tank :

4 angel fish
3 swordtails (1m,2f)
4 mollies (1m,3f)
5 balloon mollies (all f)
2 balloon platys (both m)
4 neon tetras
5 guppies (all m)
1 rainbow shark
1 golden loach
2 bristle nose plecs
3 swordtail fry (under 1 week old)

I know that golden loaches can become aggressive as they get older, and rainbow sharks are territorial. But, I never see either of these going for the fish with the ripped fins/tails.. In fact I never see any of them going at each other, so I don't know who could be the culprit. I don't have a separate tank to isolate one to see if it stops, as also I would have to take the one I think is doing it out for a long time to be able to tell if im right.

I can't just leave it though as it is getting slowly worse and not improving.

I'm completely confused!

 

[Zimmanski]

I had this problem with both of my first two angels, my new one is only a nickel size so nothing with that one yet but fin rot usually looks brownish or reddish around the effected area and will slowly, then rapidly, eat away at the effected fin then transfer to the rest and your fish will die. My first angel only had it a little, and beat the rot by him self thank god, cause I was CLUELESS, my second was not so lucky and almost lost 70% of its top fin. I used Melafix and it cured it and helped in regrowth and now that angel has almost a fully recovered fin(still healing yay!) but now I use Melafix at any signs of fin nipping or tears just to be safe, it's all natural so using it can't hurt and I'd much rather not risk it. It also helps fin nipping injuries to heal quicker too. I suggest you follow my route, a sick angel isn't a happy angel, and what's an angel to us without their long tall fins? Good luck, keep us updated

 

[phoenixkiller]

I would say it's the rainbow. Likely or not, they're most likely the most territorial fish in your tank. I would at this point call him the prime suspect.

Keep an eye on him in particular...

 

[Ursi]

Thanks I will buy some melafix

I'm convinced it has to be either the rainbow shark or the golden loach, as they are the only two that can be aggressive? I'm sure it's not the live bearers or bristle nose plecs. It's only the fish with the long fins that have the tears and from what you have just described about the fin rot I'm sure it's not that or I would have 9 dead fish by now.

As this has been on going for such a long time now I need to take some course of action.. I know the rainbow needs a cave of its own and I have a cave for him and a large ish log with lots of hiding places in and around it too, where he spends quite a bit of time, he is also the fastest in the tank so would be able to get hold of them pretty easily. The golden loach is known to be aggressive when it reaches adult, but mine is still young and I have never seen him show any aggressive behaviour except from towards the shark when the shark has bothered him..

I'll be gutted to let him go, but I know the problem won't go unless I remove the fish that is doing the nipping. If you were me would you arrange to take him back to the fish shop?

Thanks for all the advice

 

[bud29]

If the fish's fins have black edges, it is most likely fin rot. If there are no black edges at all, it's probably nipped fins. However, as stated before, clean water cures both.

 

[Ursi]

There are no black edges at all.

I am going to do 50% water changes every 5 days instead of 20%, or seeing as I will be changing 50% should I just do that once a week instead? I will also buy some melafix to help them along, and will have to do some research on rainbows nipping fins and go from there.

 

[bud29]

Alright. No black edges normally means nipped fins. Your water change plan sounds good, although I would continue doing the water changes until the fins are grown back. Good luck!

 

[Ursi]

Ok thanks, I will do that

 

[onsetbeachbum]

I have 4 angelfish, the two smaller ones have torn fins the worst and also some of my guppies do too. I need to work out why this is happening but I'm not sure whether it's fin/tail rot or nipping.



View attachment 124068



View attachment 124069

These are the two angel fish, the guppies are more or less the same I can't manage to get a photo they are moving too fast for my slow phone..

Thanks in advance!

What other fish do you have in the tank? I had a problem with one of my angel fish missing its tail fin. A rainbow shark was the culprit. The bully was nipping at night. I ended up flushing it. The tail fin on the angel has since grown back about 75 percent.