Over time the fins become shorter and shorter as dead flesh continues to slough off the affected fins. The affected area may become red and inflamed, with bloody patches appearing as more tissue is eaten away.
It is common for secondary fungal infections to develop along the raw edges of the fins. It is not unusual for Columnaris cotton-wool bacteria to also be present at the same time as fin rot, as both diseases can be caused by similar environmental factors. The most common causes of fin rot are poor water quality and improperly-low water temperature. Overcrowding the tank, feeding outdated food, overfeeding the fish, and moving or handling can also cause stress that leads to fin rot.
If there is food debris, vacuum the gravel and take care to avoid overfeeding in the future. Start putting dates on your fish food , as it loses the vitamin content fairly quickly after the food container is opened. Feeding your fish fresh, high-quality food in smaller quantities is far better than frequent, large feedings of stale foods.
Check the pH and temperature of the water, and make sure it is appropriate for your fish species. Once the root cause is corrected, antibiotics will usually cure the disease itself.
Treatment with a drug that is effective against gram-negative organisms is recommended. Consult with a veterinarian who treats fish there are many Certified Aquatic Veterinarians now to get the appropriate antibiotics for your fish.
Always treat according to your veterinarian's instructions, as the preparations of fin rot medications can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. It is particularly important to continue treatment for the length of time recommended, as ending treatment too soon can result in a re-occurrence of the infection.
The use of aquarium salt at one teaspoon per gallon of water will benefit livebearing fish but should be avoided in fish such as scaleless catfish, as they are quite sensitive to salt.
Many of the measures to prevent fin rot are the same preliminary steps used to treat fish that have the disease. The best prevention against fin rot is good aquarium maintenance. Change the water regularly, vacuum the gravel, and monitor the water chemistry by having a regular testing schedule and documenting the results.
Stage 2: The fin edges look frayed and uneven as infected pieces start to die and fall off. If your fish naturally has uneven fin edges, you may have difficulty spotting fin rot. Fin rot may come back again unless you remove the cause of the problem. Check the water parameters with an aquarium water test kit to see if anything is out of whack.
Make sure there are no environmental factors causing stress to your fish, like an overly strong filter, sharp decor, or wrong temperature. Clean the fish tank Medications often require you to hold back from doing water changes during treatment, so clean the aquarium and remove as much fish waste as possible. Read our tutorial on how to properly clean your aquarium.
Treat with medications We recommend using a broad-spectrum antibiotic known as erythromycin that is effective against fin rot. If your fish has also developed a secondary fungal infection, methylene blue is an appropriate antifungal treatment. Medications can sometimes make the water harder to breathe in, so add an air stone or sponge filter to keep the water well-oxygenated. Fin rot can be caused by dirty water, nipping from other fish, or other stress factors.
For information on how to treat other fish diseases, see our other articles here: Learn More. Subscribe Get weekly aquarium blog articles right in your inbox. If you delay treatment until your fish develops body rot they are unlikely to recover. The medications used for treatment are toxic and also cause stress to your betta.
A betta with a severe infection may not be strong enough to survive the treatment. The good news is that fin rot is highly treatable in the mild-to-moderate stages, so if you catch things early your betta has an excellent chance of a full recovery! Low or inconsistent aquarium temperatures and infrequent water changes are the leading cause of this disease. Most betta owners will experience rot at some point, so you need to know the symptoms and how to cure it.
The faster you fix the problem and treat your fish, the better chance your betta will completely recover! Jen has more than 30 years experience as a biologist, aquarist, and fishkeeper. She is an expert in setting up new tanks and maintaining naturally-planted freshwater habitats, and has experience raising a wide variety of aquatic species. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Aquarium VS. Table of Contents. Stage of Fin Rot. New red or brownish look to the edges of the fins.
White spots or whitish appearance along the edges of the fins. Early stages may resemble fin loss, but are usually spread along a wider area. Partial deterioration of the fin or multiple fins. Black or reddish bloody colored fins with noticeable loss of tissue along the edges, moving towards the body.
Fuzzy-looking growth along the ragged edges of the fins but not the head or body. Fin deterioration progresses more than half-way towards the body, or. The entire loss of fins or the tissue between the rays of the fins. The base of the fin by the body is inflamed, looks bloody or is turning black. Loss of scales and open sores on the body areas closest to the infected fins.
Your fish may stop eating and have problems swimming or remaining upright in the tank. Their immune system crashes too, which may lead your betta to succumb to other diseases or parasites unrelated to the fin rot. Once the disease progresses to their body it can be very difficult to cure. At this stage, your betta may not recover, so immediate treatment is required. Raise the water temperature to 82 o F for three days.
If improvement is not noticeable or betta declines further, treat for moderate fin rot. Improvement should be noticeable within days and remarkable by the end of a week. You do not have to continue the treatment once your fish improves and looks to be healing.
You should not use aquarium salts for more than 10 days at a time.
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