Weather Loach & Fin Rot. Please Help!

[ilovemywizardfish]

Hello, I am currently battling a bad case of fin rot. I have treated my tank(38gal) with melafix, maracyn-2, kanaplex, and salt. I have also done large water changes, scrubbed the inside of the tank and boiled the fake plants.


Both of my weather loaches have just started showing signs of fin rot and I was wondering what to do with the temp? I know weather loaches like being colder, but standard procedure is to raise the temp when fish are ill.

Currently, I've lost my 6" pleco, and 3 mollies.

I have a feeling that the problems started when I was "gifted" an upside down catfish and that he is patient zero. Its fin is missing a couple chunks and he has small holes in his pectoral fins. Being nocturnal, I only see him hiding in a cave during the day. I have since isolated him in a hospital tank.

This has been going on since Christmas and I hope someone can help me.

Thank you so much,
Matt

[starsplitter7]

Hi Matt,

Good luck with your fish. I had a Dragon Goby with a super bad case of fin rot and I used Maracyn 1 and 2 together and had him in isolation. I followed the instructions really carefully. He started healing immediately, and healed up in a month. I was sure I would lose him.

I am not good with treatment, but to help the experts fill out the questions below. (They're on the sticky for this forum.)

* Type of fish that are affected (common name and latin name if possible - common names vary worldwide, latin names don't!).
* How long has the tank been set up for?
* Size of tank (dimensions and volume).
* How is the tank being filtered?
* Water temperature.
* Your maintenance regime (e.g. how often water changes are carried out, what percentage of the water is changed each time, how often you clean your filter/s and how do you do this?)
* Has anything new been added to the tank recently? (fish, plants, live food, decor etc).
* What other fish are in the tank?
* As detailed a description as possible of the symptoms the fish are exhibiting (remember a photograph can speak a thousand words).
* How long ago the affected fish were added to the tank, and how long the fish have been displaying symptoms.
* Your current water parameters - ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH (please don't say 'my water is fine, the levels are ok', we would like actual numbers from the test results).

[Diana]

Fin rot is usually a bacterial issue. Since Maracyn II did not help I would move on to a stronger antibiotic, perhaps Kanamycin or one of the sulfas (I have used Triple Sulfa for other bacterial problems.

One bacteria (Flavobacteria columnaris) that causes fin rot thrives in these conditions:
High temp. (keep the tank under 76*F)
High nitrates (keep 'em under 10 ppm)
High organic waste load (do several water changes with some VERY thorough gravel vacs)
There are other bacteria that can cause this, too.

I would do at least 2 water changes of 50% to remove all the mixed up meds you have going on. The stress to the fish may be contributing to the problem. Give them 24-48 hours of pure, clean water then begin treatment with a different medicine. Do not combine meds unless both meds are labeled as safe to use with each other.

[ilovemywizardfish]

Thanks stars and thanks daina.
Dropped the temp in the tank, I have been doing very thorough gravel cleanings and my nitrates are under 10ppm.
I forgot to mention that I have been using kanaplex.

Today, I did a 70% water change and did a dose of kanaplex, miraplex and added salt.
Daina, should I continue the kanaplex or should I do the water change and run it clean for a few days?

Thanks again,
Matt

[shari2]

Fin rot is often caused by stress or injury. What could be stressing your fish?
What are your water parameters?
What fish are in the tank?
What kind of filtration?
What's your water change schedule?

If you could manage a picture that would help immensely.

Fin rot can also be fungal.

http://www.angelfire.com/blues/fish_pro ... INROT.html

Given that antibiotics don't seem to have had much effect you may want to consider running a course of anti-fungal meds after you clean out the tank from all the other stuff.

Keep the water clean (very clean!) Try to determine what may be stressing your fish. If you've started the Kanaplex complete the treatment as described. If it is not effective add some activated carbon to your filter, do several water changes over a day or two, and treat with an antifungal medication.

[ilovemywizardfish]

thanks shari,
we have alright tap water and since I did such a large water change, the levels don't seem too out of line, but here they are.
nitrate 10
nitrite 0
hardness 50
alkalinity 40-80
ph 7.0

I was thinking today that it may be fungal, since I have tried just about everything antibacterial related and I'm still having problems.

2 weather loaches, 1 khuli, 4 mollies, lace catfish, emerald cory, sm chinese algae eater and 2 silver dollars. (sorry, I don't have the latin names)

38gallon tank with a 60gal filter.

It's embarrassing, but i miss read the packaging and removed my filter entirely, not just the carbon as I have since learned.

Water changes of about 12 gallons with gravel vac weekly to bi-weekly.

When I did the first 70% change(week ago), I noticed a lot of waste in the gravel and in conjunction with my lovely "gifted" fish(@#&!%), I think that's what was stressing them.

I read another forum dealing with fin rot and heard about Jungle Fungus Eliminator, can anyone attest to the worth of this product?

Thank you all so much.

[shari2]

Jungle products work well.

Don't jump into the fungal treatment without finishing the antibiotic.
Again, keep up the water changes, do heavy gravel vacuuming, watch for signs of stress. Don't do massive water changes, better several smaller ones over the course of a few days. Major water chemistry changes are stressful to fish.

[Diana]

When you say you 'tried' antibiotics, did you run a full and complete course of each one you tried, reading and following all the directions, and maintaining the meds in the tank for the full duration?
Antibiotics may not seem to work the first day, and even on day 2 or 3 the results may not show. Conversely the disease may seem to subside about mid-treatment, but if you quit halfway through the treatment the bacteria that had not died so far spring back and you have a resurgence of the disease.

You have listed several medicines, including antibiotics. Have you done all of these at separate times, a full course of each?

Do not combine meds unless both meds are labeled as safe to use with each other.

[ilovemywizardfish]

Hi Daina,
I started with just Melafix at first signs and when the fin rot got worse, I did a water change and a full treatment of Maracyn 2 with Melafix (I was told at the fish store that the Melafix wouldn't interfere with treatment).
After that didn't work, a water change and full treatment of API Tetracycline.
When that didn't work, another water change and a 3 dose cycle of Kanaplex.
(Note: I used Melafix and added salt during each treatment cycle after water changes)

This brings me to yesterday, when I did a 70% water change and started Kanaplex with the intentions of daily dosing. (one dose into cycle right now)

These are all bacterial treatments, so I'm wondering if it is fungal and I should stop all other treatments and start with the Fungus Eliminator. Thanks.


Awaiting your guidance,
Matt

[ilovemywizardfish]

so just a little update,
I did a water change, then used kanaplex and fungus eliminator (38g and 2g) with melafix and it looks like the rot has stopped for now.

AMAZINGLY, the upside down catfish whose fin looked like an E with two 3mm chunks missing has re-grown the missing fin. I am blown away that in 3 days he could re-grow so much fin!

My small weather loach's fins seem to have smooth edges now where it was before tattered and it looks like fin re-growth is begun.

I'm not counting my chickens before they've hatched, but things are looking up.
Thanks everyone,
Matt

[shari2]

glad to hear it, Matt.

[Diana]

Sounds like there was more than one problem going on, then. Often injury (from disease or other) will allow fungus to gain a foothold into the injured tissue. So whichever bacteria was originally responsible was killed, but the fungus had gotten in there.
Rare for fungus to actually be the only disease going on.

The original problem can come form any of several sources: Disease (bacterial or other); injury from fish fighting or excessive chasing for breeding, to scraping against something (plastic plants can cut the fins); water chemistry issue, such as ammonia burns or high nitrtates causing some stress and better opportunity for the bacteria to get started.