i think my panda cory has fin rot

[cutechic]

When I bought my panda corys a few days ago they were both active, but once I brought them home I realised that one had a rip in his dorsal fin. I have been doing daily 10% water changes and adding aloe vera after each change, but today I noticed that the same cory also has a rip in his tail fin. The fins are a little darker than the other cory's.

ph 6.4 ppm
ammonia, nitrite both 0 ppm
temperature: 70 degrees

I've read here that Melafix can be used to treat fin rot is the fin rot is not advanced. Should I buy some and treat my tank?

Also, I read that one is supposed to use activated carbon to remove the excess medication after treatment. I have a UG filter, so how can I do this?

 

[cometcattle]

I would add the Melafix. I would slowly raise the temp in your tank. I try to keep all my tanks at 78-80. Ive been disease free for three years. As far as removing the meds,do you have a HOB filter on your 10g? If so, when your done medicating, put a fresh carbon cart in and use it in your 4g for a couple of hours.

Good Luck

 

[Doggfather]

yes, use Melafix to treat the fin rot.

some undergravel filter have carbon cartrages you can insert

 

[cutechic]

My 10 gallon also has a UG filter, but I'll look for the carbon insert for the UG filter in my 4 gallon. I should stop doing daily water changes when treating with Melafix, right?

 

[cometcattle]

I would. But be sure to do a partial when your treating, then add your carbon. Raise your temp. IMO 70F is way too low and it will promote more disease.

Good luck cutechic

 

[Inchworm]

Hi cutechic

Finrot is caused by a bacterial infection, but if it is not in an advanced stage, MelaFix is a good product to use. I've had success with it.

However, I would not suggest you raise the temperature higher than 74 degrees until you have completed treatment, since bacteria grows faster in higher temperatures.

Bacterial infections are caused by bacteria that is in every tank. It is only when the fish is stressed that problems develop. This often happens when the fish is in transport or at a lfs. Overcrowding, low oxygen in the water, uneaten food in the tank, high nitrites, and sudden increase in temperature are all things that stress the fish and lead to these infections.

Good luck and let me know how he is doing.

 

[cutechic]

Thanks Inch

All right, I have bought some Melafix and just added the third dose (one each evening). The temperature is at 74 degrees right now. I was only going to raise it to 72 until my cory has been treated, but somehow it was raised more than it should have been. I raised it really slowly so I wouldn't stress them

The corys seem to be getting more active, but I'm not sure if the one with fin rot is getting better The one without fin rot seems to have paler fins than before- the dorsal fin used to be all black, and now it's clearish near the tips It's not ripped though.

They're both using the slate cave and the pvc cave I made for them however

 

[Inchworm]

Hi cutechic

I'm glad that your corys are active and using your caves. But I'm getting a little concerned about their fins not healing. It's a little soon to worry though.

Make sure that your water is very clean and fresh. Do change some water every day. Two gallons would be good. Make sure that it is replaced with water at the same temperature. Just put in enough MelaFix to replace what was removed. It's a very easy medicine to use and a little bit extra won't hurt your fish.

How are your platties? They are not showing any sign of a problem, are they?

Now, just in case your fish don't respond to the MelaFix, what brands of medicine do you have available in Canada? Can you get Kanacyn by Aquatronics? Or, Maracyn and Maracyn2?

 

[cutechic]

I thought I wasn't supposed to do water changes until a week after I started medicating. . . that's what the package says. ) I'll do one tonight and then start doing daily water changes again though.

How are your platties? They are not showing any sign of a problem, are they?

I'm a bit confused. They aren't in the same tank as the corys, but they're all doing fine

Kanacyn, Maracyn and Maracyn2 are all available here.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi cutechic

I'm so sorry, I misread your signature and thought that where it said platy fry, it said pandas. )

It's good that they are alone while they are being treated. And since they have lots of room, water changes are not as urgent. Just keep the water fresh and clean because that's an important part of their treatment.

 

[cutechic]

I'm getting a betta today to keep in the 4 gallon with them. I'm buying him from a place an hour away, and I've already rescheduled the time to pick him up twice, so I don't want to reschedule again. Will he be ok with the pandas in the 4 gallon? The empty tank I have is not cycled, so I can't put him in there. I'll keep doing the daily water changes, but if the fin rot doesn't improve in a few days I may go out and buy a different medication. What do you think?

 

[Inchworm]

Hi cutechic


If your pandas haven't responded by now, you might want to move up to an antibiotic. My choice would be Kanacyn by Aquatronics, if you can still find it. It is a very effective medication, it dissolves easily in the water and is much less expensive than using Maracyn and Maracyn2.

Since you have MelaFix in the water, give it a couple of good water changes to get rid of it before you use the Kanacyn.

Now, how is your betta? Is he in the tank with the corys? If so, how does he look?

 

[cutechic]

All right, I'll try to get some Kanacyn on Monday. If my lfs doesn't have it I'll have to order it online.

My betta is in the tank with the corys, and he looks well. He is very active and is attempting his first bubble nest! (At least, I think that's what he's trying to do .) Today I even caught him swimming in the pvc pipe! I noticed a pale red streak in his dorsal fin but I read that opaque white bettas always develop red streaks when they get older.

P.S. Thanks for the quick reply and all the help

 

[cutechic]

My corys now have fungus. I thought maybe their fins were just white from the fin rot, but the fins are covered in fuzz

I just added the first dose of Kanacyn to the tank. It treats both fungus and fin rot, so hopefully my little guys will be better within the week. Keep your fingers crossed!

 

[Inchworm]

Hi cutechic

How are your corys doing. I hope there is improvement by now.

What you are seeing is Flavobacterium columnare, the cause of the bacterial infection most often seen in corys and bettas. It's easy to confuse with a fungus because of its appearance, but it's not a true fungus.

The medication you are using will treat it and also Aeromonas, which is another bacteria which sometimes settles in as a secondary infection once the fish has become ill.

Kanacyn is a good antibiotic. You can rest assured you are doing all you can to care for your fish.