what could of been wrong?

[daudy_dojo]

i would know if this was fin rot because i had it before in my tank! his belly is all red and he is missing a fin please help me

healthy otto (chinch) with no signs of this! he is eating and perfectly fine

otto (chong) with illness! i discovered this the other day

here it is with the wound circled! notice no fin and all the red

 

[mlee0332]

i don't think it's fin rot .

I'm not sure what it is, but fin rot wouldn't be red. Try some melafix if it says it's safe for ottos. I'm not sure about it. You might also try a little bit of salt. I don't know much about ottos. Sorry.

I do know that guppies and bettas are the fish that are prone to get this disease, especially bettas.

EDIT: DO NOT PAY THE ABOVE ANY ATTENTION!!!!!!
That is prolly fin rot! oops, just re-read symptoms...
get some fungus clear from walmart. Those'll work. As for other treatments, wait for more replies...

 

[daudy_dojo]

think you i hope people will actually reply this time!

 

[daudy_dojo]

what could of been wrong?! he died last night while i was asleep

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Ok, i havn't seen much of your past emergency threads but due to this i will need some more info;
a. what are your most recent water stats like ammonia, nitrate and nitrite?
b. What is the substrate you have in your tank with the otos i.e gravel and is it rounded or rough? Do you gravel vac/syphon it on a weekly basis?
c. How was the oto behaving before death- was it active or lethargic and was its gills particualy red or just normal pink/red/pale?

There are many types of finrot, there is normal finrot for example but there is also bacterial fin rot in which case you will need anti internal bacterial meds to treat it i.e

bacterial fin rot

http/www.fishpalace.org/finrot_qianhu.jpg

http/www.fishpalace.org/salmonella_mantisaofa.jpg

etc.
The reason i ask about the gravel is because if it is sharp or rough it could be irretating the otos bellys as they go over it and be getting secondary infection. Also, ammonia tends to be more concentrated near the bottom of the tank so bottom dwelling fish tend to be the first to suffer from it if the levels start rising and gravel has a tendancy to trap rotting food or fish waste in it which causes ammonia, so if you are not cleaning it regualy enough this will be playing a part in your fish's deaths and the oto's gills do look a bit red which can be a consiquence of less than great water quality but if can also be permanent damage left from an earlier bad water quality time in the fish's life etc.

 

[George Farmer]

I have had Otos die (2 or 3 in the last 2 years) of similar symptoms in the past. It has only affected one at at a time for no apparent reason (believe me when I say my water quality is good). They are notoriously fragile fish - something that I have learnt to live with. All other Otos are in good health before and after symptoms of the particular troubled fish.

 

[daudy_dojo]

a. what are your most recent water stats like ammonia, nitrate and nitrite?
b. What is the substrate you have in your tank with the otos i.e gravel and is it rounded or rough? Do you gravel vac/syphon it on a weekly basis?
c. How was the oto behaving before death- was it active or lethargic and was its gills particualy red or just normal pink/red/pale?

A.
ammonia: 0
nitrite: .25
nitrate: 3
temp: 76F
pH: 7

B. small rounded pea gravel
i gravek vac 2 times a week

C.he was very active(ie: eating, playing, chasing, breathing like normal) and his gills were the normal paleish color!


this tank i have has been cycled but i made it go through a mini cycle (im stupid i changed the filter but added no media to the new one )

 

[RandomWiktor]

What other fish is he in with? The missing fin and red blotch might suggest some kind of trauma; if he got really viciously bit by another fish, it might have torn the fin and caused a hemmorage in the belly. Just a guess, because finrot shouldn't kill so quick.

Another illness that involves redness is septicemia. It is usually streaks on the fins, but sometimes manifests itself as red blotches or pinpoint spots on the body.

 

[daudy_dojo]

well he is with mollies a pleco another otto 2 snails 3cories 1betta (very timid is scared of everything) and... thats all! i found susy que the snail munching on his corpse this morning :goodbye: i got so mad at her! RRR