Dwarf Gourami Fin Rot?

[NathanWilliams415]

I've had my fish tank for around 2-3 weeks now and the gourami for about 2 weeks. A few days ago I noticed my favorite fish has what looks like decay on his fins. It seems to be white on the tips but maybe you guys can see better in the picture. I've added a small amount of aquarium salt as I heard that might help.
Tank size: 20G
Tank mates: 1 powder blue dwarf gourami. 6 neon tetras. 3 cherry barbs . 5 ghost shrimp
I'm just starting out and I dont have any water testing materials. Tank is about 76°F.
Is my fish doomed to become a finless nub? If it is fin rot, are there any economical solutions or will this problem be common enough for me to purchase medicine for further uses?

( the picture I took seems to downplay the amount of fin that is missing. Compared to my other ghourami it is much shorter)

 

[NathanWilliams415]

I forgot to add I just did a 25% water change yesterday. The fish still swims and eats fine but I'm worried it's health may decline rapidly if it gets worse.

 

[Colin_T]

Fin rot is caused by poor water quality, which is normally caused by a new filter that does not have enough beneficial filter bacteria living in it to keep the ammonia and nitrite levels at 0.

Reduce the feeding to once every couple of days and do a 75% water change and complete gravel clean 4-8 hours after feeding.

 

[seangee]

Welcome to TFF. please read this: http://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/

Your fish are caught in what is known as a fish in cycle. You should do an immediate 75% water change, using dechlorinated water. Thereafter do a 50 - 75% change every time your tank reads ammonia or nitrite at anything other than zero. Its really important that you get a test kit asap - until then I would do daily water changes. At this stage feeding your fish will do more harm than good - so feed sparingly every 2-3 days, ideally 4-8 hours before you do the water change.

No medication is required but clean, fresh water is. You could use Seachem Prime to "neutralise" the effects of ammonia but be aware that it is only effective for 24 - 48 hours. So use it at every water change. Adding floating plants to the tank will also be helpful in getting your fish through this.

 

[NathanWilliams415]

Thanks everyone,

I'll do a 75% change when I get home and I'll stop feeding as much. I haven't even bought the siphon and gravel cleaner thing yet so I'll have to go get that. I have a few live plants planted in the gravel so I'm not sure how to mess with those but i will get it done. How long should I keep up the 75% water change?

 

[seangee]

Unfortunately there is no hard and fast answer to this. That is why the test kit is so important. Your filter has to go through the same stages detailed in the link I posted earlier. The fishless cycle recommended in the article is designed to allow the bacteria to grow as fast as possible. Unfortunately the levels of ammonia required to do that will kill all of your fish. Changing water won't kill the bacteria needed but it dilutes their food (which is poisonous to fish), so they will grow slower.

In the first few weeks you will detect ammonia. Once the bacteria that feed on ammonia have established you will stop seeing ammonia and start seeing nitrite. This is also deadly to fish and requires a different type of bacteria. Some people have had success with adding liquid bacteria directly into the filter. This has never worked for me so I will leave it to others to recommend products.

What will help is a lot of fast growing plants. Floating plants are best for this - duckweed, frogbit and water sprite all work well. Just get a bunch and put it into the top of your tank. Once they start actively growing these plants will feed directly on the ammonia produced by your fish without producing nitrites. Your filter still needs to establish but this is a good way to remove the poison while that happens.

I'm sorry you have found yourself in this situation. It would be great if pet stores actually gave you this information before selling you fish for a new tank but we can't change that now. The good news is that with a bit of patience and effort you can get most (if not all) of your fish through this.

I know its a lot of info and I havent fully explained the science behind it - but the important thing is to act quickly to save your fish which will give you time to get all the info you need. It will all be worth it in the end and a lot of the members on here have been through the same process at some stage (myself included).

 

[Essjay]

Looking at the fish you have, you seem to have 2 male dwarf gouramis - the red one in the photo and a powder blue.

Two male gouramis is a recipe for disaster. These are territorial fish and unless you have a very large tank, one will try to dominate the other and the dominated one will be stressed. Stressed fish get sick more easily so being picked on in addition to water quality issues may be causing the finrot in the red gourami.

 

[NathanWilliams415]

I really never saw either of my fish nipping at all and I thought they got along well, but the red one with fin rot won't have to worry much anymore. During my 75% water change my power blue DG didn't take it well unfortunately. It started swimming vertically last night and this morning I found it dead. The red one is still okay minus the fin rot. I have some time left on my warranty I should be able to return the blue DG. I'm going to test my water today because I don't want to lose more. I feel like I should have stuck with just tetras for a few months until my tank issues are settled.

(The Blue DG always seemed less active than my red so I wasn't all that surpised but is still sad)

 

[NathanWilliams415]

Update:

After returning my blue DG to the store and getting the free water test done my water passed and I got the refund. However, my ammonia was reading in the caution region. I'll have to remedy that.

Sadly after retuning from the store the red Gourami with fin rot was completely dead when I returned home.

I now have only tetras and cherry barbs. I don't think I will be buying anymore Dwarf Gouramis until I know my tank will be healthy for them. Maybe I will try a more hardy fish. The only good thing that came out of this is they died within the refund period and I now have more knowledge on the subject thanks to you guys.

 

[Colin_T]

sorry to hear he died

 

[NathanWilliams415]

It's okay. Im putting the refunded credit into an order of red cherry shrimp since I only have small tetras in the tank now. I always wanted cherry shrimp.

 

[seangee]

Please verify that your cycle is fully complete before adding RCS. They are really sensitive to ammonia and nitrite, There is no caution zone where shrimp are concerned.

 

[NathanWilliams415]

No problem. It'll be at least a month until I try to put them in. I also added a lot of new plants and some moss to try and make my tank a better habitat.

 

[NathanWilliams415]

I'll update again to see if there is anything else I can do for my tank. I've tested my water about 5 times since August 18th, but I keep getting not great results.

I have ammonia between .5 and 1
0 nitrite
0 nitrate
75 hardness
0 chlorine
120 total alkalinity
7.8 ph

I've had this tank for 5 weeks but my ammonia levels have only went up. I figured i would atleast have some nitrite by now. I was set on doing 30% water changes per week but everytime i see my ammonia high I do two 30% per week at the moment.

I feel like I'm starving my fish and shrimp by only feeding them once every other day, but my ammonia level has encroached up to the danger levels on my sheet I was given not to long ago. When I feed them I feed flakes and only 1 or 2 flakes ever hit the ground when they eat. And even then the shrimp are always on it.

Today I did another change and gravel vacuum. There was very little debris during the vacuum.

Is this something only time can fix? I have no idea why my water isn't more healthy after 5 weeks of having fish in there.

 

[Colin_T]

When do you test for ammonia?
If you test the water within 4 hours of feeding the fish, you could be getting a reading from fish food and waste. Try to test before you feed the fish and then an hour after you feed if you want to compare the results. If you have a good well established filter, the beneficial filter bacteria should break down any ammonia within a couple of hours, preferably less.

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If you have chloramine in your tap water, that could be causing the ammonia if you test the water shortly after doing a water change. Chloramine is a mixture of chlorine and ammonia and when you add a dechlorinator, you break the chlorine ammonia bond and remove the chlorine. But it leaves the ammonia behind that would normally be picked up by the filter bacteria.

Some dechlorinators will bind to this free ammonia and stop it being harmful for a period of time so the filter bacteria can break it down. If the bacteria does not break it down, the ammonia can become toxic again as the binding agent wears off after about 24 hours.

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You could have a faulty test kit. Are you using paper test strips or a liquid test kit?
Paper test strips are not as accurate as liquid test kits. You should also check the expiry date on the test kits.

If you are using a liquid test kit, make sure you rinse the test phial out with tap water before and after use, and use a plastic cap on the phial when you shake it up. Do not use your finger or thumb to cover the top of the phial because skin acids can affect the results.

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Don't worry about the fish starving. Unlike mammals that use most of the food they eat to stay warm, most fish take their body temperature from the surrounding water. This means any food they eat is used for movement and growth. This allows fish to go for weeks or even months without food and still not starve.

Having said this, the filters should have some beneficial bacteria in them after 5 weeks of having fish in the tank, so you could increase feeding to once a day and see how the ammonia levels go.