**Fin Rot** Please help!

[maybellinechic]

Hi, I don't know if goldfish qualify as tropical fish and if they don't, I apologise. But I really need some help!

I am a newbie here and I am your generic goldfish owner. I have a 20 gallon tank, and I have 2 massive goldfish. 5-6 inches in length. Anyhow, I have one that is around 4.5 years old and I went away for a day and I came back to discover fin rot. This is bad enough to almost completlty destroy the anal fin, thus tipping the fish in it's side. It's eyes are bit a sunken. It is alive and kicking, although it is getting weaker.

I don't have time to get to a store to buy antibiotics. Considering it's 8:50 here... So is there anything I can do for a quick fix?

The caudal fin is quite inflamed and same with the pelvic and pectoral fins.

I have another goldfish, a comet, who is perfectly fine. Is swimming around very well.

 

[smileandnod]

There is no quick fix for this. The first thing to do would be a 50% water change. Next get some meds. IIRC finrot is a bacterial poblem usually cased by water quality problems.

What are your amonia/nitrite readings?

When I was new to keeping and had goldfish, I had a very nasty outbreak of finrot. One goldfish lost half it's tail, a comet looked like it's fins had been through a shredder, and a shubumkin just lay on bottom of the tank for about 3 weeks, without even eating.
They all recovered, and over time the fins grew back. The fish went ono to thrive, so it is recoverable, but I would reccomend a med as soone as possible.

As as aside, I was once advised to cut off the affected fin, and treat the wound with peroxide!! Anyone else been told to do this? I really don't like the sound of that.

Ian.

 

[angelgirl2003]

If you have some aquarium salt, add 1 teaspoon per 5 gallons as a start. I would do a 20% waterchange first. Then you need to get to your lfs as soon as possible to get the proper med. for him. Good luck