Fin rot treatment

[Navfish]

Seems like my angelfish has minor fin rot and I don’t have medication for it.

Could I use salt in the main tank?
How would I do that if I have other fishes in there as well?
How would I dose it and how long should I keep it in the tank?

1x angelfish
4x serpae tetra
2x black mollies
1x neon tetras (getting more in the summer)
1x nerite snail
I have a 37g tank

Thanks!

 

[Ram419]

Not sure if I can see the rot. Is it the areas where it's more clear then black or is that just the coloration of the fish?

First things first though, if you see issues make sure to get water parameters. A water change always helps so make sure to do that as well.

I'm not sure if salt will help a bad case and it can hurt live plants. I've used API Stress Coat to heal fin rot and body scrapes before.

 

[Colin_T]

It's more likely to be fin damage from the serpae tetras.

Fin rot is caused by poor water quality and a dirty tank. Treatment involves doing the following.

Test the water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH.

Wipe the inside of the glass down with a clean fish sponge. This removes the biofilm on the glass and the biofilm will contain lots of harmful bacteria, fungus, protozoans and various other microscopic life forms.

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a week. The water changes and gravel cleaning will reduce the number of disease organisms in the water and provide a cleaner environment for the fish to recover in. It also removes a lot of the gunk and this means any medication can work on treating the fish instead of being wasted killing the pathogens in the gunk.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

Clean the filter if it hasn't been done in the last 2 weeks. However, if the filter is less than 6 weeks old, do not clean it. Wash the filter materials/ media in a bucket of tank water and re-use the media. Tip the bucket of dirty water on the garden/ lawn. Cleaning the filter means less gunk and cleaner water with fewer pathogens so any medication (if needed) will work more effectively on the fish.

 

[GaryE]

Fin rot may be the most overdiagnosed problem in tanks. I wouldn't add salt, I would remove it. Water changes will solve fin damage 99% of the time. Start with 30% three times a week for 2 weeks, then lock in at 30% once a week, no matter what.

I see no fin rot there.

 

[seangee]

I'm with @Colin_T here. Its the serpaes doing what they do.
On a separate note all the fish you have need soft water except the mollies which require very hard water. That combination cannot all thrive in the same water. You should check your parameters and post the results (actual numbers and units) and let members advise before any future stocking.