How Long Does Tail Rot Take to spread?
- Thread starter CT 501
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Tail rot is a product of bad water quality. It's not an infectious disease
Whats bad water quality?? Can the wrong pH for wrong species be a cause?!
With good clean water, the tail rot will fix itself. It may spread for a little but it will go away.
I'm not sure weather ph will cause tail rot
I'm not sure weather ph will cause tail rot
To my knowledge, Good water quality is 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and low nitrate
It may for a short time. Im not sure
Tail rot is a general label. The causes can be bacterial or fungal, or both. So how it progresses is a function of what it is. How you clear it is too. Which bacteria? As fishkeepers, we don't have the resources to find out.
Generally dirty water will give it a head start, just as filthy conditions make it easier for us to pick up infections. I cut my leg yesterday while working, and the wound is clean. There's a run off creek not far from here, and if I go stand in it, I can almost guarantee an infection. Would this infection be minor, or a dangerous flesh eater?
Luck.
If you have just bought fish, it could progress in spite of clean water. if it's an established tank, you let things slip and now you have to fix it. 25-30% water changes daily for a week or two, then careful maintenance after.
pH alone is unlikely. If you let a tank go, pH may drop as a secondary indication of the problem. That depends on your source water.
Generally dirty water will give it a head start, just as filthy conditions make it easier for us to pick up infections. I cut my leg yesterday while working, and the wound is clean. There's a run off creek not far from here, and if I go stand in it, I can almost guarantee an infection. Would this infection be minor, or a dangerous flesh eater?
Luck.
If you have just bought fish, it could progress in spite of clean water. if it's an established tank, you let things slip and now you have to fix it. 25-30% water changes daily for a week or two, then careful maintenance after.
pH alone is unlikely. If you let a tank go, pH may drop as a secondary indication of the problem. That depends on your source water.
We'd need a little history on the fish, and details on the tank, the routines, etc. It's a huge question you've asked, with a lot of answers.
I would just add that many of the threads here involving so-called "rot" on tails or fins turns out to be nipping by other fish. Having all the data (history mentioned above) is critical to sorting out the issue.
Poor water quality is any aquarium water that has any trace of ammonia or nitrite, or a nitrate reading above 20ppm. It can also include the wrong water chemistry (pH, GH & KH) for the species.
(eg: goldfish or mollies in a pH of 6.0)
(eg: tetras in a pH of 9.0).
GH is included in wrong water chemistry for the species but it is not usually a major contributing factor to diseases, especially if the water is hard (has lots of minerals). Bacteria and fungus generally don't do as well in hard water for some reason. I don't know why, but you get fewer bacterial and fungal infections in hard water.
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As GaryE mentioned, fin rot/ tail rot can be caused by a number of things including poor water quality (ammonia is the most common cause for it to start). Once there is damage to the skin or tissue, then bacteria and fungus can enter the wound and start an infection.
If the fish has a good immune system and the infection is dealt with by the fish, the damaged fin/ tail should heal up and not get worse.
If the fish is unable to heal itself, then bacteria, fungus or even external protozoan parasites could infect the tissue and slowly or rapidly spread. Some harmful bacteria can spread rapidly and double in number every 30 minutes. This means a fish could lose its tail in a few days. Other bacteria don't grow as fast or the fish has a partial immune response to the infection and the tail might take a week or two to erode away.
-------------------
Good water quality will help boost a fish's immune system as will the correct water chemistry (pH, GH, KH). Appropriate temperature and a good diet will help as well.
If a fish is healthy and kept in good conditions and well fed, it should be able to fight off most minor infections just like people can. Most people don't go to a doctor if they get a splinter or small cut on their finger because their immune system can repair the damage. Same with fish.
If water conditions are good but an infection has set in, and the fish's immune system can't deal with the infecting organism, then you need to treat them with something (salt of chemical medications).
(eg: goldfish or mollies in a pH of 6.0)
(eg: tetras in a pH of 9.0).
GH is included in wrong water chemistry for the species but it is not usually a major contributing factor to diseases, especially if the water is hard (has lots of minerals). Bacteria and fungus generally don't do as well in hard water for some reason. I don't know why, but you get fewer bacterial and fungal infections in hard water.
-------------------
As GaryE mentioned, fin rot/ tail rot can be caused by a number of things including poor water quality (ammonia is the most common cause for it to start). Once there is damage to the skin or tissue, then bacteria and fungus can enter the wound and start an infection.
If the fish has a good immune system and the infection is dealt with by the fish, the damaged fin/ tail should heal up and not get worse.
If the fish is unable to heal itself, then bacteria, fungus or even external protozoan parasites could infect the tissue and slowly or rapidly spread. Some harmful bacteria can spread rapidly and double in number every 30 minutes. This means a fish could lose its tail in a few days. Other bacteria don't grow as fast or the fish has a partial immune response to the infection and the tail might take a week or two to erode away.
-------------------
Good water quality will help boost a fish's immune system as will the correct water chemistry (pH, GH, KH). Appropriate temperature and a good diet will help as well.
If a fish is healthy and kept in good conditions and well fed, it should be able to fight off most minor infections just like people can. Most people don't go to a doctor if they get a splinter or small cut on their finger because their immune system can repair the damage. Same with fish.
If water conditions are good but an infection has set in, and the fish's immune system can't deal with the infecting organism, then you need to treat them with something (salt of chemical medications).
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