guppy: fin rot

[duendecillo]

How can I treat fin rot on a guppy, atleast I think that's what he has. He used to have a beautiful blue tail, and now it's almost gone...
anything I can do to help him?

 

[mr_br0kn_drmz]

i got a link to this place you can check it out if you want too. it has a method on how to take care of fin rot on guppies.

http/www.members.tripod.com/~PPGA/

 

[JoKeR]

Well the best Home-made remedy is Give it a good old salt bath, and raise the temp to 80-82 and fast before its spreads.

 

[duendecillo]

should I take him out then?
or will the neons, platties, betta females and other guppies be okay with some salt in the tank? and the higher temp?
does it spread to the other fish??

 

[Pointy_kitty]

should I take him out then?
or will the neons, platties, betta females and other guppies be okay with some salt in the tank? and the higher temp?
does it spread to the other fish??

are you sure its fin rot?
does it look like the fins have rot off and have a red edge or are black/brown?
or does it just look as if his tail is torn off or just missing chunks
there have been instances when betta females or even the other guppies gang up on one fish and rip at him and chase him
the tail is always the first thing to go in these situaltions

if it is fin rot then something had to have caused it (dirty water, low temperatures or even major stress)
it is a bacterial infection, so if the guppy got it in your tank, then there is a possibility that the rest might develope it,
either way salt helps heal so like 55gallon dude said, take him out and give him a salt bath and if you do suspect that it is in fact fin rot, then i would check your nitrite/ nitrate/ ammonia/ PH and if they are high then do a large water change (30-50%) and add some extra slime coat stress protector
i wouldn't add salt directly to the tank, since IMO neons don't respond well to it,but if you suspect bad bacterias in your tank and you see fin rot on other fish, i would go for jungle fungus cure fizz tablets,
they healed my bad off betta and noone else has gotten it

GOOD LUCK!

 

[duendecillo]

yes, I'm quite sure it's fin rot.
The nitrite, ammonia and stuff like that are okay
but the water is hard... can this cause it?

do you use kitchen salt? (sorry for the stupid question, but it's the first time one of my fish is sick)

 

[Pointy_kitty]

yes, I'm quite sure it's fin rot.
The nitrite, ammonia and stuff like that are okay
but the water is hard... can this cause it?

do you use kitchen salt? (sorry for the stupid question, but it's the first time one of my fish is sick)

you use aquarium salt
its very cheap at wal-mart and places like that (doesn't have to be some fancy brand that will cost a fortune at your lfs)
it will give you directions on how much to use
remember to remove that guppy from the tank to bath it in salt water
are you farmiliar with how to "bath" the fish?
its not the same as our baths

also i have never heard of the hardness causeing it.... i supose the stress might bother it but unless it is way off then usually fish adapt to it

how long have you had this fish?
and have you added any fish lately?

 

[duendecillo]

in Belgium we don't have walmart, but I'll find some, no problem...
no, I'm not familiar with bathing a fish )
I was gonna use a small plastic tank where there's some salt in it then... (the problem is: no heating then)
I've had him a month, together with his tankmates... (the tank had been cycled for a year, but recently, the gravel was changed, together with a lot of the water...)

oh, and another thing, although my betta is in another tank, I noticed something on his tail too, maybe if you want you can look in the aquarium section at the picture?

 

[mr_br0kn_drmz]

"Net the fish and hold it in the net until the first wild thrashing aroung stops.

Hold the fish firmly but gently within the net so his head is uphill from his tail... this is vital as thestrong medication must not run down in to the gill areas. Should this happen, immediately return the fish to the tank and cross your fingers.

Paint the exposed side of the guppy tail, beginning at the peduncle and concentrating on ther final fringe where the tail rot is most active.

Paint the other side of the tail right through the net from the outside.

Wait about 20 seconds after painting then return the fish to his home tank (providing of course, that it is clean and well cared for).

All signs of tail rot should be gone by the next day and within a week new growth should be visible. Ocassionally a fish needs more than one treatment (maybe a spot was missed during the first treatment). Because the functional part of the guppy does not come in contact with the medication it has proven perfectly safe to repeat the treatment as often as necessary to clear up even the most persistant tail rot."

i got this off of the link i posted earlier i think you should try it out

 

[Pointy_kitty]

oh, and another thing, although my betta is in another tank, I noticed something on his tail too, maybe if you want you can look in the aquarium section at the picture?

yes, sorry i am 99% sure that is fin rot,
as that is how mine started out when i brought it home

try the method mr posted,
then get back to us on how its going
otherwhise use jungle fungus cure fizz tabs but DO NOT OVER MEDICATE!
if the betta is in less than a ten gallon (1 tablets worth) than chip off a peace equivilent to the tank size (1/10th a tablet per gallon)

 

[duendecillo]

okay thanx, I'll send my mother to the lfs tomorrow, cause I have to go to France, not a good time

well, on the other hand, my first platy fry! 15 of them!

 

[EX-AmP]

ive heard once that if you had a fish with a badly ripped tail you can just cut the portion of the tail off then let it grow back. I JUST HEARD THIS so i dont reccomend trying this. it might work for fin rot if the salt bath doesnt work