Fin Rot Or Healing?

[onidrase]

The tail and dorsal fin on my new green terror have a very fine, white outline in some areas where he got pretty beat up at the LFS (they were keeping the little guy with a couple 5-6 inch long oscars and much larger GT's, he was getting picked on pretty good) it's not a full coverage of white outline, just where he got nipped and chewed before.

I've never seen or had fin rot before, but I have a hunch that this might be it. My identification skills in this field will be lacking due to my 0 experience in fin rot. I don't wanna freak out and start throwing chemicals in my tank and stuff over it if it's not even a disease.

Aside from the white lining, he's perfectly fine, he's got a very healthy appetite, already associates me with food, begs and pleads for something tasty whenever I walk by the tank, you know how it goes.

I have another hunch that it's just part of the healing process, as my raphael catfish got a similar white outlining on his fins when he got burned by some medication which I was informed would be safe for catfish in a small dose. It wasn't. I didn't need to medicate the catfish or anything. It all just grew back after a few weeks.

any help is appreciated. I'll try to get pictures up asap if necessary.

 

[onidrase]

A couple pictures that should give a small look at the white lining, but he moves around too much to get much good pics out of him

 

[onidrase]

also, lemme know how to treat this stuff. Would just keeping the water clean be good enough?

 

[onidrase]

aaanyone?

 

[afremont]

aaanyone?

Just keep the water extra clean for a few days. You'll know if it's getting worse or not. Fin rot is often bacterial I believe, but the bacteria are always present anyway. It's just that when the fish gets stressed (and it sounds like it is, since it's new and was being picked on) things can start to go awry and infections can set in. A calmer lifestyle and pristine water should let the fish take care of it on its own. I can't see that much in the pictures, but it doesn't look that bad (yet?). As long as it doesn't get into the actual fish body, it should grow back. You could put some melafix provided you don't have any gouramis, paradise fish, bettas or or other labyrinth fish.

 

[onidrase]

aaanyone?

Just keep the water extra clean for a few days. You'll know if it's getting worse or not. Fin rot is often bacterial I believe, but the bacteria are always present anyway. It's just that when the fish gets stressed (and it sounds like it is, since it's new and was being picked on) things can start to go awry and infections can set in. A calmer lifestyle and pristine water should let the fish take care of it on its own. I can't see that much in the pictures, but it doesn't look that bad (yet?). As long as it doesn't get into the actual fish body, it should grow back. You could put some melafix provided you don't have any gouramis, paradise fish, bettas or or other labyrinth fish.

I've got a bichir that breaths from the surface. And I've also got a 10 gallon I can use to hospitalize it and treat it if it gets bad, but I don't think it will. I may remove the other cichlids to let him recoup, my firemouth has been a terror in this tank for some reason, he's usually very relaxed and timid, I don't know what's got into him. He was even the last one introduced. He does seem a tad stressed with the firemouth being a little *****.