CPD clamped fins

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To answer the question on why the Kordon is "bad," one has to understand the physiology of fish and their relationship to what is in the water in which they must live.

Fish "drink" by assimilating water through their cells via osmosis. Any substance in the water that has the ability to diffuse across the cell membranes will thus enter the fish's bloodstream and internal organs. At the very least this causes some stress and possibly complications for the fish because there is the possible effect of the substance on the functioning of internal organs, especially the kidneys that attempt to remove these substances. As a simple example, soft water fish that are maintained in hard water will assimilate calcium from the water, and in time it builds up and blocks the kidneys and the fish "suddenly dies." This is why no additive of any sort should ever be added to the water in a fish tank except when it is essential. Water conditioners for most hobbyists is an essential substance. None of the many "snake oil" preparations are essential, and some may be very damaging. Fish need clean water whose parameters suit their preferences/requirements...nothing more if you want stress-free and healthy fish.

A study on the effect of various substances in conditioners related to the slime coating of fish is linked below. This is concerned with commercial food fish, but some of their findings are applicable to ornamental aquarium fish. It is clear that these substances have somewhat of a negative effect.

Thanks for that. Very informative and thorough, I appreciate that! :)
 
Update: I did approx a 50% water change. Everyone else still seems okay, and the 3 in question still acting the same as before.

I understand it won’t be instantaneous, but how long should I anticipate them to start acting more normal? And how long till fins unclamp?
 
A video of the tank would or might be instructive. You want to capture exactly what is happening between fish, so sit very still for a while before starting the video. You upload the video to YouTube and then post the link here. There are issues with the species i this tank, and I might be able to see if this is part of the problem.
 
A video of the tank would or might be instructive. You want to capture exactly what is happening between fish, so sit very still for a while before starting the video. You upload the video to YouTube and then post the link here. There are issues with the species i this tank, and I might be able to see if this is part of the problem.
I will do that! Thank you, señor
 
A video of the tank would or might be instructive. You want to capture exactly what is happening between fish, so sit very still for a while before starting the video. You upload the video to YouTube and then post the link here. There are issues with the species i this tank, and I might be able to see if this is part of the problem.
Okay I did it - ignore the audio - I was listening to something in the background and couldn’t figure out how to mute the audio.

Tried to get close ups of color etc. And then also tried to get all three in the shot at once to show how they’re interacting. The other 3 that are fine are hanging out where they normally do and swimming around - probably imposible to get a proper video of those without it just being flashes of grey across the screen. Also please ignore my betta who tried to steal the attention of the camera.

 
Add some salt or Malachite Green. It looks like they have an external protozoan infection.

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SALT
You can add rock salt (often sold as aquarium salt) or swimming pool salt to the aquarium at the dose rate of 1 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres of water. If there is no improvement after 48 hours you can double that dose rate so there is 2 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres.

Keep the salt level like this for at least 2 weeks but no longer than 4 weeks otherwise kidney damage can occur. Kidney damage is more likely to occur in fish from soft water (tetras, Corydoras, angelfish, Bettas & gouramis, loaches) that are exposed to high levels of salt for an extended period of time, and is not an issue with livebearers, rainbowfish or other salt tolerant species.

The salt will not affect the beneficial filter bacteria, fish, plants, shrimp or snails.

After you use salt and the fish have recovered, you do a 10% water change each day for a week using only fresh water that has been dechlorinated. Then do a 20% water change each day for a week. Then you can do bigger water changes after that. This dilutes the salt out of the tank slowly so it doesn't harm the fish.

If you do water changes while using salt, you need to treat the new water with salt before adding it to the tank. This will keep the salt level stable in the tank and minimise stress on the fish.

When you first add salt, add the salt to a small bucket of tank water and dissolve the salt. Then slowly pour the salt water into the tank near the filter outlet. Add the salt over a couple of minutes.
 
OK, the videos helped a lot, I concur with Colin here as they very obviously have a health issue that is serious.
 
Add some salt or Malachite Green. It looks like they have an external protozoan infection.

-------------------
SALT
You can add rock salt (often sold as aquarium salt) or swimming pool salt to the aquarium at the dose rate of 1 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres of water. If there is no improvement after 48 hours you can double that dose rate so there is 2 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres.

Keep the salt level like this for at least 2 weeks but no longer than 4 weeks otherwise kidney damage can occur. Kidney damage is more likely to occur in fish from soft water (tetras, Corydoras, angelfish, Bettas & gouramis, loaches) that are exposed to high levels of salt for an extended period of time, and is not an issue with livebearers, rainbowfish or other salt tolerant species.

The salt will not affect the beneficial filter bacteria, fish, plants, shrimp or snails.

After you use salt and the fish have recovered, you do a 10% water change each day for a week using only fresh water that has been dechlorinated. Then do a 20% water change each day for a week. Then you can do bigger water changes after that. This dilutes the salt out of the tank slowly so it doesn't harm the fish.

If you do water changes while using salt, you need to treat the new water with salt before adding it to the tank. This will keep the salt level stable in the tank and minimise stress on the fish.

When you first add salt, add the salt to a small bucket of tank water and dissolve the salt. Then slowly pour the salt water into the tank near the filter outlet. Add the salt over a couple of minutes.
So I can’t add salt to my tank because I have shrimp. I don’t have a quarantine tank at the moment, assuming a container where I changed the water daily wouldn’t be sufficient?

Also they don’t have white spots or pimples on them - I know ick would show that as a symptom. Which is why I ruled ick out for now.
 
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The salt will not affect the beneficial filter bacteria, fish, plants, shrimp or snails.

I didn't say the problem was white spot. There are lots of different external protozoa and some cause problems to fish. White spot is one type but there are plenty more that don't show up as white dots.

Whatever you do, you need to do it soon or you could lose all the fish. Personally, I would add salt and see if it helps.
 
I didn't say the problem was white spot. There are lots of different external protozoa and some cause problems to fish. White spot is one type but there are plenty more that don't show up as white dots.

Whatever you do, you need to do it soon or you could lose all the fish. Personally, I would add salt and see if it helps.
Thank you for your reply. When I looked up what you said it came up as ich. So they have dark splotches on them now, I have them in a separate tank and did aquarium salt.

In my main tank it’s planted and aquarium salt would kill the plants. I’m worried there’s nothing I can do for the main tank.
 
I’ve experienced differently in the past, I understand what he originally said. Thank you.
 

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