One of my robust cardinals has started losing his/her fins. The caudal fin looks like it has been chewed on and the dorsal fin virtually does not exist anymore. The fish is still brightly coloured but it looks as he lost the shine. He doesn't hide or behave in an unusual way. It's just the fins. I got a batch of them in the summer and they all had problems with fins as I remember. Later, however, they recovered. Nobody shows any signs of problems but this little guy...
Well, my first guess would be finrot. I think the most important thing would be to QT this guy, so if what he has is contagious, it doesn't spread. Then I'd treat with Melafix- it's a good antibacterial, that also aids in the regrowth of damaged fish. It'll help him grow back his fins while fighting infection. You might also want to add Pimafix to the regimen. It can be used safely with Melafix, and prevents fungal infections, which commonly come alongside fin rot, not to mention is also another cause of ragged fins.
Yes, it definitely is contagious. You might want to treat the main tank as well, just as a safety precaution. Or at least monitor it carefully and treat at the first sign of any other illness.
Yeah, just hold off, and treat at the first sign of infection. Treating such a large tank stinks. You might want to raise the temp a bit on the main tank for a little while, fungus has a hard time staying alive in higher temperatures. If you do decide to treat the tank, Melafix and Pimafix are perfectly safe for plants, fish, snails etc. I've treated tanks with 1 day old fry and they've been totally fine.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Tropical Fish Keeping
597.8K posts
83.7K members
Since 2006
forum community dedicated to tropical fish owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about species,breeding, health, behavior, aquariums, adopting, care, classifieds, and more! Open to fish, plants and reptiles living in freshwater or saltwater environments.