Finrot Getting Worse Despite Meds

[LiveLifeGoJump]

Hello --


How deep is the gravel? It needs to be about 5 cm to serve any purpose. If it is too thin, there won't be enough bacteria to filter the water. If the gravel bed is too shallow, add some more gravel.


Cheers,

Neale

Hi

Spotted the advise on gravel depth needing to be 4-5cm. Does this also apply when using sponge filter system (Juel tank with internal filter) and NO undergravel filter?

How long do fins take to grow back? I have a Platty that has a very raggy tail and swims with fins clamped most of the time. It's been going on for a few weeks now (she did get whitespot from the Swordtail [he was put in a floating hatchery tank got stressed out] but has recovered from that & is much more active now) but it's only the tail that's affected & looks more like a case of fin nipping rather than rot (new to fishkeeping so can't be sure about that). Fish were only fed on flake but but I'm now giving them Tubiflex worm (freeze dried cubes), brine shrimp (in jelly) & veggie/alge tablets (mainly for bottom feeders) as well. Intend to feed with (frozen) Daffnia & possibly live brine shrimp soon. I'm hoping that the better diet help her recover.

Could this be fin rot?

 

[nmonks]

Spotted the advise on gravel depth needing to be 4-5cm. Does this also apply when using sponge filter system (Juel tank with internal filter) and NO undergravel filter?

No. You only need as much gravel as your plants (if you have them) or fish require. You don't even need to use gravel; sand can be much prettier, and many fish prefer it.

How long do fins take to grow back? I have a Platty that has a very raggy tail and swims with fins clamped most of the time. It's been going on for a few weeks now (she did get whitespot from the Swordtail [he was put in a floating hatchery tank got stressed out] but has recovered from that & is much more active now) but it's only the tail that's affected & looks more like a case of fin nipping rather than rot (new to fishkeeping so can't be sure about that). Could this be fin rot?

Fin rot is distinctive: the "skin" between the fin rays disappears at a faster rate than the rays themselves, so you get a scalloped edge to the fin, like this -- |U|U| -- where the "U" is the skin eaten back to the body, and the "|" are the fin rays. Fungus looks like cotton wool or dirty fluff.

Now, when freshwater fish swim with their fins clamped to their bodies, that is a very bad sign. It is possible the fish is merely stressed by the aggressive swordtail (platies and swords shouldn't be kept together). Male swordtails can be aggressive; they are best kept with groups of female swordtails and no other males of any livebearer species. If it is more than that, what os the pH and hardness? Platies need hard, alkaline water. The pH should be at least 7.5. What are the other fish in the tank? Adding marine salt to the aquarium can be very helpful when treating skin damage. Livebearers will tolerate high concentrations of salt compared to other freshwater fish, and the salt is very effective at killing external bacteria and fungi.

As you've learned, floating baby livebearer boxes are for fry, not adult fish. While a pregnant guppy might be confined in one for a few days, nothing as large as a swordtail should ever be kept in it.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[LiveLifeGoJump]

Thanks nmonks.

I'm adding a new topic called 'Stressed Platty?' with more info as this topic is dealing with fin rot. If mine is stress then it will not help 'ILoveJack' with his problem. I would be grateful if you would view it & reply with more help.

Norman