Fish Disease In Tank Aquariums: Fin And Tail Rot
Symptoms
Fin and Tail Rot is a familiar infection in fish tank aquariums caused by a group of bacteria called Cytophaga, which affect fish with long, soft fins. The symptoms have a broad range. Generally the tail and fins start off looking ragged, either in the form of a ‘bite’ or a ‘shredded’ effect. These lesions are discoloured white/grey with an edging of red. They can develop into ulcers which have an orange/yellow color. The fish may also be lethargic and hesitant to feed. At an advanced phase, large milky patches can be seen on the fins and a significant amount of tissue will have been damaged. Respiration will also be quick with excessive amounts of mucous in the gills and the lips of the fish may be swollen. The highest threat is that if left untreated, the infection can rot the whole fin and start to attack the fish’s body.
Causes and Prevention
It is extremely essential to establish why this disease has occurred. The bacteria in fact exists in most fish tank aquariums without being a problem, therefore the infection is ordinarily triggered by other factors, practically all cases being precipitated by stress or poor environmental conditions. It is crucial to identify and eliminate underlying stressors.
It is frequently introduced into tank aquariums by new fish from the pet store that harbour the detrimental bacteria, which they release into your tank through faeces. It is therefore vital to quarantine all new fish for about 10 days before introducing them into new fish tank aquariums. Fish can be particularly sensitive to anxiety and can also develop the disease owing to the trauma of not being cautiously acclimatized to a new fish tank environment. It is imperative that all fish are compatible and peaceful fish are not matched with hostile fish, as this would lead to bullying which usually results in fin and tail nipping and the wounds provide perfect breeding grounds for the bacteria. Also do not overcrowd freshwater aquariums as this stresses out fish and can even make passive fish become nippy, as well as resulting in polluted tanks.
To identify and remove any problems with water condition, do a check of your water quality using a test kit to make sure there is no increase of unwanted chemicals. Make sure you keep the proper water parameters particular to the fish species you keep. Hard water with a high pH encourages the growth of the bacteria, as does a sudden dip in temperature.
As part of your normal maintenance routine, ensure all equipment is operating properly, particularly the filter. Do 15% water changes weekly as well as vacuuming the gravel. You should also strive to remove any uneaten food after each feeding time.
Remedy
Before using any medication, do a careful clean of the fish tank. Wipe clean the inside of the glass/acrylic and thoroughly clean the gravel to remove waste from the substrate. Alternatively, you may completely remove the gravel for greater effect. You ought to minimize the areas where the bacteria can live and breed so take away any ornaments in the tank and bleach them. Clean the outer surface of the fish tank, hood, light and tank top. Water quality plays a critical task in the prevention and cure of fin and tail rot so you need to perform a large water change – I would suggest 50%. Remove activated carbon from filters as this will eliminate any medication you use.
There are diverse degrees of fin and tail rot which will determine the type of treatment you use in your tropical freshwater aquariums.
For the beginning stages of the disease, I strongly advise using Melafix along with aquarium salt. This is an all natural medication which will not destroy your biological filter. Use 2 teaspoons (10ml) of Melafix for every 50 gallons of water, combined with 2 tablespoons of aquarium salt per 10 gallons of water. Regular tropical fish will be okay with it. Dissolve the salt in water rather than pouring it into the tank, as if it comes into direct contact with fish it will burn them. The water will foam up and smell of liquorice but this is normal and will soon disappear after the treatment is finished and you perform water changes. Perform a 5% water change each day for 10 days and replenish the medication and salt according to the correct ratio to bring the concentration back up to full strength. Continue to keep the tank clean by wiping the sides and vacuuming the gravel (if you keep it). This will treat the bacterial infection and help to heal the damaged fins. You should notice a rapid improvement and regeneration of fish fins. If not, the fish need to be removed to a quarantine tank for stronger treatment.
I would just bring up that some advocate using copper sulphate but this risks further damage to the gills of the fish.
For more advanced forms of the disease I would recommend moving the infected fish into a spare, clean tank for treatment. You will need to treat the fish with antibiotics such as Tetracycline, Maracyn-Two or Maracyn Plus Antibacteria for at least 10 days. Carefully follow the instructions and do not combine medications as this can be lethal. These medications are available from pet shops and online vendors.
Keeping fish aquariums disease-free
Following a protocol of quarantining when adding new fish and carefully acclimatizing them to new aquariums, as well as suitably matching fish and avoiding overcrowding, will really reduce stress, which is a major cause of the disease. Through regular and thorough maintenance of fish tank aquariums, ensuring good water quality, proper water parameters and efficient filtration, incidence of parasites becoming a problem should be eliminated. Should fin and tail rot occur notwithstanding your best efforts, early signs of the disease can be easily detected by carefully monitoring your fish each day, especially at feeding time. Through swift corrective action, fish can be quickly treated and restored to health.
Copyright © 2009 Jill Kaestner @ Kaestner Marketing LLC
Tags: aquariums, fish tank aquariums, freshwater aquariums, tank aquariums, tropical freshwater aquariums
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