Fin rot

[jschall]

One of my female congo tetras (a different one from my other thread) has its tail rotting off close to the base, starting from the top and bottom edges and going inward. There's a little white spot where its rotting.

I don't know what to do for this - is it bacterial, fungal or parasitic? I don't have a hospital tank - should I get one now?

I do have a UV sterilizer on the tank. All the other fish (all my male congo tetras, all my bichirs, my african butterfly fish, and my knifefish) are perfectly fine.

 

[blackghostuk]

Very probably finrot, which is bacterial.
I would treat the whole tank.

 

[jschall]

Doing more reading, I think I have fungal fin rot. I read that catching the fish and dabbing malachite green on the effected area with a qtip is a very effective cure.
I don't have malachite green, but I may pick some up tomorrow.

I don't want to treat the tank unless I absolutely have to, because I have a knife fish (which is scaleless.)

 

[hybridtheoryd16]

True fin and tail rot is a bacterial infection and can only be cured by using antibiotics.

I prefer using maracyn and maracyn2 together at the same time. Because they contain different antibiotics and used in conjunction they cover most of the known aquatic bacteria.


Antibiotics must only be used in hospital tanks. Because they will destroy the bacteria that makes up your bio-filter (beneficial bacteria) as well as the bacteria that is harming the fish.

For small fish a clean bucket will work fine as a hospital inclosure. Just use the tank water and fill the bucket and place a heater and a air stone in it. And it makes a perfect med tank.

 

[jschall]

I put both this congo tetra and the one with the swim bladder problem (other thread) in a 5 gallon bucket with a DIY air-powered filter and a heater (which I need to return, its a hydor elite mini 50w heater, and I have it maxed out (there's no temperature scale on the dial) and it will only heat to 76), and put maracyn 2 in there.