Help please - cichlid with pec fin problem

[Scuba Sam]

Hi there, my golden severum has a sore left pectoral fin. For a few days now he has had redness where the fin meets his body. The fin base looks a bit swollen, and is red in colour compared to the other side. He uses it normally, and is eating at least as well as usual, but he has just started waving it around occasionally. Flapping it back and forward fast, with the other one just flapping normally.

Any explanations please?

Thanks, Sam

[Scuba Sam]

Hi Mystic,

Thanks for your suggestion. He occasionally gives the silver dollar a hard time, but no-one hassles him - he is top dog. It does not look like a wound at all, more inflammation.

Thanks for your suggestion - all ideas welcomed!!

[sharn]

perhaps its bacterial if you dont think anyones been picking on him.

is it possible he hurt himself by banging into something?

[Scuba Sam]

Hi Sharn,

Thanks for your suggestions. Nothing I can think of that would hurt him, not sure about bacteria, but he is coming right.

The redness is half as intense now, and there is less swelling. I have a theory which I thought someone on here would no more about.

I wondered if it was too high a level of CO2 in the tank. The tank has an underwater filter which I recently turned down, and now can't turn up again. I also moved some new fish in there - gouramis so they are at a different level to everyone else. I wonder if there was not sufficient oxygen being added to the water causing the redness to show up. I added a waterfall filter with a huge flow rate and he is slowly improving in colour.

Any comments?

Thanks,

Sam

[sharn]

i would think they would be showing oxygen deprivation if it was low o2 levels, gasping at the surface and such.

i wonder if perhaps youve had a small spike and hes been effected badly by it. turning down the UG filter may have caused a bit of the bacteria to die off (im not sure, just a guess) and therefore there was a little spike?

good to hear hes coming right though

[Scuba Sam]

Thanks Sharn and Mystic for your thoughtful suggestions. A spike is a possibility I hadn't thought of - I did move six fish into the tank fairly quickly - gouramis - so the tank condition doesn't bother them as much. All is well at the mo, and my new angels will come out of quarantine in the next few days freeing up a tank.

Cheers,

Sam