Finrot Outbreak. Whats The Best Way To Treat It?

[N4HXL]

I'm posting this on behalf of my other half who has the tank while he's in a blind screaming panic in the next room...... Before I brain him, please can somebody help?
He's running a fairly new tank with Guppies, Silver Mollies, Cardinal Tetras some form of Minnow (Rainbow? silvery with red fins), some Plecos (green fluttery things. Japanese) a few Clown Loach and some teeny sucker fish that are silver, long and thin with black stripes down each side. Pardon my ignorance folks, just trying to give as much info as possible. Its a 180 litre Juwel aquarium. Has all natural plants, some wood, gravel, carbon dioxide pump for the plants and all the usual filters.
There's no airstone and he's taken the carbon bit out of his filter for the time being as he read it would interfere with treatment.
We had one guppy die the other day and he's just noticed the tell tale signs of finrot on two of the other guppies. It doesn't seem that advanced. Just a bit of white on the edge of the tail fin on one male and a frayed looking rounded off tail on a young female (I say it doesn't lok that advances but he is adamant it is). For info, the male silver Mollie has some white/silvery marks on one side of his head. We can't tell yet whether thats fungus or whether he's just bumped it being a boisterous bouncy fish!
In a blind panic he's poured 40/50mls of Interpet Fungus and Finrot treatment into the tank. Not dissolved it in water like the instructions say.
So what to do next before it gets any worse?
Are water changes recommended or should the water be left with the treatment in it? Should he add any aquarium salt? Is it worth quarantining the obviously sick fish and hoping it hasn't spread any further, or should the whole tank be treated?
Please help for the sake of the fish, my sanity and his brains!
Donna

 

[5teady_2012]

So bscially hes put the amount of dose in to treat 200-250 litres, what i would do is do about 20% waterchange and then keep the med going as normal (as on instructions) the waterchange will just help to balance out the extra he put in.

Whats your water stats?
Was your tank cycled before adding fish (cos u said its fairly new)

In the meantime i would just finish the medication for finrot and after that, start using myxazin the next time anything like finrot happens again, its a much better med.

 

[N4HXL]

Whats your water stats?
Was your tank cycled before adding fish (cos u said its fairly new)

Ok, he's telling me now he added a capful and a tiny bit more of the treatment so it works out about treatment for 200 litres.
The tank was cycled
I said it was fairly new but it has been up and running for about 4 months now. Just added new fish last week. Stupidly, not quarantined first.....
Anyhow. How do we know how to carry on treating and how often as it doesn't make it clear on the box.
Would it be better to get some Myxazin and carry on treating with that?
and when can we be sure its gone?
He says he will do his water change tomorrow, as it was due tonight.
water stats (if that means PH and phosphates etc) are all good as he was dancing round the room with glee after testing it!

 

[5teady_2012]

Interpet no8 you use it once and that is for 7 days, after the 7 days you do a 3-50% waterchange and if there is still signs of finrot, do it again.

I would get some myxazin and some melafix, once you have got it, do a 50% water change, and then the day after, do a 25% waterchange, then start the myxazin and melafix treatment (read instructions carefully lol).

Myxazin and melafix combined will do a mazing job and you will be suprised how quick they heal.

 

[scooterchick]

Hi Donna,

Sounds like the tank is cycling and unfortunately you have some not very hardy fish. The guppies are very fragile and won't survive a cycling tank, they're hard enough to keep at the best of times. Tell your other half to calm himself down and the worst thing he can do it dump a whole load of chemical in the tank without a proper diagnosis, he'd have been as well pouring it down the toilet. If you're both up to it at this tiem of night do a 50% water change, rinse the filter in the old tank water, dechlorinate the fresh water, that should help get the amonia and nitrite down (which I'm sure you'll have) and remove some of the med. Tomorrow tell him to get an API test kit, not the strips, the liquid tests so we can see what your water stats are.

Best thing for finrot is clean water, much more effective than any medication. Oh and the clown loaches will get far too big for the tank, they really do need to go back to the fish shop.

Are you in Scotland by any chance? I've never heard anyone else using the 'brain him' expression, one I use quite a lot myself for my other half. Especially the night he spilled 10 gallons of dirty tank water all over the kitchen floor.

 

[5teady_2012]

ps, cupfull Meaning the plastic cup that came with bottle? if so thats 20ml and treats 100 liters.

Hi Donna,

Sounds like the tank is cycling and unfortunately you have some not very hardy fish. The guppies are very fragile and won't survive a cycling tank, they're hard enough to keep at the best of times. Tell your other half to calm himself down and the worst thing he can do it dump a whole load of chemical in the tank without a proper diagnosis, he'd have been as well pouring it down the toilet. If you're both up to it at this tiem of night do a 50% water change, rinse the filter in the old tank water, dechlorinate the fresh water, that should help get the amonia and nitrite down (which I'm sure you'll have) and remove some of the med. Tomorrow tell him to get an API test kit, not the strips, the liquid tests so we can see what your water stats are.

Best thing for finrot is clean water, much more effective than any medication. Oh and the clown loaches will get far too big for the tank, they really do need to go back to the fish shop.

Are you in Scotland by any chance? I've never heard anyone else using the 'brain him' expression, one I use quite a lot myself for my other half. Especially the night he spilled 10 gallons of dirty tank water all over the kitchen floor.

Seriuosly thats bad info, compared to melafix and myxazin, clean water is nothing.

I dont think the tank will be cycling after 4 months.

although i agree a test kit is needed to at least test the nitrites and ammonia.

 

[scooterchick]

ps, cupfull Meaning the plastic cup that came with bottle? if so thats 20ml and treats 100 liters.

Hi Donna,

Sounds like the tank is cycling and unfortunately you have some not very hardy fish. The guppies are very fragile and won't survive a cycling tank, they're hard enough to keep at the best of times. Tell your other half to calm himself down and the worst thing he can do it dump a whole load of chemical in the tank without a proper diagnosis, he'd have been as well pouring it down the toilet. If you're both up to it at this tiem of night do a 50% water change, rinse the filter in the old tank water, dechlorinate the fresh water, that should help get the amonia and nitrite down (which I'm sure you'll have) and remove some of the med. Tomorrow tell him to get an API test kit, not the strips, the liquid tests so we can see what your water stats are.

Best thing for finrot is clean water, much more effective than any medication. Oh and the clown loaches will get far too big for the tank, they really do need to go back to the fish shop.

Are you in Scotland by any chance? I've never heard anyone else using the 'brain him' expression, one I use quite a lot myself for my other half. Especially the night he spilled 10 gallons of dirty tank water all over the kitchen floor.

Seriuosly thats bad info, compared to melafix and myxazin, clean water is nothing.

I dont think the tank will be cycling after 4 months.

although i agree a test kit is needed to at least test the nitrites and ammonia.

The tank could be mini cycling depending on how the filter is being cleaned. As for the finrot, we'll have to agree to disagree, finrot99% of the time only occurs in poor water conditions, improve the water quality and the finrot will also signifcantly improve especially if it's not too bad. If it's got to the stage it's getting close ot the body then the fish is a gonner, however yes, I'll give you the melafix may help a little

 

[5teady_2012]

ps, cupfull Meaning the plastic cup that came with bottle? if so thats 20ml and treats 100 liters.

Hi Donna,

Sounds like the tank is cycling and unfortunately you have some not very hardy fish. The guppies are very fragile and won't survive a cycling tank, they're hard enough to keep at the best of times. Tell your other half to calm himself down and the worst thing he can do it dump a whole load of chemical in the tank without a proper diagnosis, he'd have been as well pouring it down the toilet. If you're both up to it at this tiem of night do a 50% water change, rinse the filter in the old tank water, dechlorinate the fresh water, that should help get the amonia and nitrite down (which I'm sure you'll have) and remove some of the med. Tomorrow tell him to get an API test kit, not the strips, the liquid tests so we can see what your water stats are.

Best thing for finrot is clean water, much more effective than any medication. Oh and the clown loaches will get far too big for the tank, they really do need to go back to the fish shop.

Are you in Scotland by any chance? I've never heard anyone else using the 'brain him' expression, one I use quite a lot myself for my other half. Especially the night he spilled 10 gallons of dirty tank water all over the kitchen floor.

Seriuosly thats bad info, compared to melafix and myxazin, clean water is nothing.

I dont think the tank will be cycling after 4 months.

although i agree a test kit is needed to at least test the nitrites and ammonia.

The tank could be mini cycling depending on how the filter is being cleaned. As for the finrot, we'll have to agree to disagree, finrot99% of the time only occurs in poor water conditions, improve the water quality and the finrot will also signifcantly improve especially if it's not too bad. If it's got to the stage it's getting close ot the body then the fish is a gonner, however yes, I'll give you the melafix may help a little

So now your putting melafix over myxazin? myxazin rapidly heals finrot.

As for the roll of the eyes, i do this when reading a lot of your info.

 

[N4HXL]

Hello all....Neil here now....sent Donna on her way!

The aquarium is not cycling. I kept goldfish in it till March, took them out, did a 75% water change, and left it alone with a couple of plants in it for over a month before adding 6 minnow. They were on their own until June when I added tetras. Have had the guppies and clowns for a month and added the mollies last week.

The water is fine. Nitrates/Nitrites barely even register on the test. The water is soft/medium and ph is at 7.5. Carbonate hardness is fine too.

I basically noticed this guppy looking weird last nigh (sort of shimmering in patches) then tonight after work noticed that she has lost a bit of her tail today! The signs on other fish aren't massive...could be imperfections that im noticing as i'm paranoid.

I want a straight answer....I will do a water change of around 40% tomorrow.....What do I add, what do I remove?

 

[scooterchick]

ps, cupfull Meaning the plastic cup that came with bottle? if so thats 20ml and treats 100 liters.

Hi Donna,

Sounds like the tank is cycling and unfortunately you have some not very hardy fish. The guppies are very fragile and won't survive a cycling tank, they're hard enough to keep at the best of times. Tell your other half to calm himself down and the worst thing he can do it dump a whole load of chemical in the tank without a proper diagnosis, he'd have been as well pouring it down the toilet. If you're both up to it at this tiem of night do a 50% water change, rinse the filter in the old tank water, dechlorinate the fresh water, that should help get the amonia and nitrite down (which I'm sure you'll have) and remove some of the med. Tomorrow tell him to get an API test kit, not the strips, the liquid tests so we can see what your water stats are.

Best thing for finrot is clean water, much more effective than any medication. Oh and the clown loaches will get far too big for the tank, they really do need to go back to the fish shop.

Are you in Scotland by any chance? I've never heard anyone else using the 'brain him' expression, one I use quite a lot myself for my other half. Especially the night he spilled 10 gallons of dirty tank water all over the kitchen floor.

Seriuosly thats bad info, compared to melafix and myxazin, clean water is nothing.

I dont think the tank will be cycling after 4 months.

although i agree a test kit is needed to at least test the nitrites and ammonia.

The tank could be mini cycling depending on how the filter is being cleaned. As for the finrot, we'll have to agree to disagree, finrot99% of the time only occurs in poor water conditions, improve the water quality and the finrot will also signifcantly improve especially if it's not too bad. If it's got to the stage it's getting close ot the body then the fish is a gonner, however yes, I'll give you the melafix may help a little

So now your putting melafix over myxazin? myxazin rapidly heals finrot.

As for the roll of the eyes, i do this to most of the crap you type.

Oh really. I thought the roll eyes was a smile, not intended as a roll of the eyes. However I'm certainly not going to get into a slagging match with you, get back on topic and stop with the personal insults. We're both trying to help, just because my opinion is different to your does not make it the above word you typed.

 

[N4HXL]

....and I clean my filters in the removed water....as I am supposed to. I am proud of the quality! I don't like forums as a rule as you just get conflicting info (see above lol)

 

[5teady_2012]

1. do a 25% waterchange tomorrow, let the med take its course.
2. In the meantime (only if you want to) get some myxazin and melafix (for future problems)
3. After 6-7 days, do a 50% waterchange.
4. If problems still occur, treat again (or if you get melafix and myxazin - treat with that instead).

Good luck, hope all goes well.

Oh really. I thought the roll eyes was a smile, not intended as a roll of the eyes. However I'm certainly not going to get into a slagging match with you, get back on topic and stop with the personal insults. We're both trying to help, just because my opinion is different to your does not make it the above word you typed.

Im sorry for that comment, you just annoyed me by saying such a stupid this and when people need help and they get mislead by such comments its annoying, especially when ive been on the recieving end of bad info.

again, sorry.

 

[scooterchick]

Hello all....Neil here now....sent Donna on her way!

The aquarium is not cycling. I kept goldfish in it till March, took them out, did a 75% water change, and left it alone with a couple of plants in it for over a month before adding 6 minnow. They were on their own until June when I added tetras. Have had the guppies and clowns for a month and added the mollies last week.

The water is fine. Nitrates/Nitrites barely even register on the test. The water is soft/medium and ph is at 7.5. Carbonate hardness is fine too.

I basically noticed this guppy looking weird last nigh (sort of shimmering in patches) then tonight after work noticed that she has lost a bit of her tail today! The signs on other fish aren't massive...could be imperfections that im noticing as i'm paranoid.

I want a straight answer....I will do a water change of around 40% tomorrow.....What do I add, what do I remove?

Hi Neil,

If the tail has just suddenly lost a chunk it's possible some other fish has had a bite of it. I stand by my original advice that daily water changes are the way to go, although obviously 5teady disagrees. Hopefully soemone else will be along for a 3rd opinion. Do the water change anyway, any chance of a pic?

Welcome to the fish forums, btw! And sorry you've somewhat had a baptism of fire, it's usually a really friendly place.

 

[N4HXL]

Thanks. When I change the water, do I leave carbon out of filter until next week? Do I leave nitrate and phosphate absorbers in?

and do I still add blackwater extract, tapsafe and fertiliser as normal?

 

[5teady_2012]

The carbon can be replace after 7 days of treatment.

Hi Neil,

If the tail has just suddenly lost a chunk it's possible some other fish has had a bite of it. I stand by my original advice that daily water changes are the way to go, although obviously 5teady disagrees. Hopefully soemone else will be along for a 3rd opinion. Do the water change anyway, any chance of a pic?

Welcome to the fish forums, btw! And sorry you've somewhat had a baptism of fire, it's usually a really friendly place.

I just disagree cos the medications do help, otherwise whats the point in having them? interpet is really good but melafix, pimafix, and myxazin is top stuff and rapdily cures and stops it. (i do agree waterchanges helps a lot, but just nothing compared to what the meds do)

I agree the guppy should not of lost its tail that fast, possibly the clown loaches?