Cure for Fin/Tail Rot

[js]

Hi there

Just after some opinions. I have a platty which has a cottony growth on the end of his tail, and has now spread right across the end of it, so am presuming fin/tail rot. My blue ram then got a bit on the end of his tail. My tank is approx 200ltr community and all other fish look fine at the moment.

I treated with BioPet Antibacterial & Fungal (because I don't want to turn the silicone blue in my tank), after the 7 days of treatment, there was no difference to their tails. I have now had them floating in a plastic container filled with tank water and a dose of Wunder Tonic. I am filling the container with new tank water and dosing with the tonic again each night. Have been doing this for about 3 days now, and still haven't noticed any improvement.

I have looked at getting Melafix and dosing my whole tank, as this will not discolour my silicone either, but see there is also a product called Pimafix. Could someone please recommend which one I should use? I have no experience with either product. Or is there a better method/product still?

Many thanks

[ryanjury]

You can try dropping the tonic directly over the affected area just catch the fish and hold them in the net over a bucket or something like that and drop it on, let a good amount soak in and stick the fish back into the tank. I haven't had much success with putting it in the water and have found it works better if you apply it directly and do it daily.

[Aquila]

Finrot can be tricky to treat at times. Especially if there is a bacterial infection occuring underneath. Do you see any reddened area ahead of the white growth? If so, you may need to treat with Furan-2.

I've had success using straight Wunder Methylene Blue to treat fungal tail rot before when Melafix did nothing. Haven't tried Pimafix but I suspect its fairly weak like Melafix and only useful as for very minor treament. Acriflavine may also help.

Make sure you seperate the infected fish as it can spread quickly. Also add an airstone to their quarenteed container.

Do daily water changes in the container as well as in the main tank for the next little while to help prevent further infection.

[Jennifer]

What are your water parameters?

Is it possible to tell if the white bit is fuzzy or is it lumpy? If it is lumpy, it could be viral or a parasite, a pic might help. If it is fuzzy, it is likely to be bacterial fin rot in which case the antiobiotic SMZ TMP (sulfa trimeth) is very effective, safe and inexpensive (most vets carry it). If this has been going on for a while it is probably best to treat with antibiotics rather than topical antiseptics like Melafix since the infection is likely in the tissue (not just on the surface of the skin).

In any case, keep very clean water. If they are in a very small container, you need to change the water more frequently. Also, keep them warm and fed well to boost the immune response.

[js]

Thanks for your replies. I am pretty sure it is fluffy/fuzzy rather than lumpy, and cannot see any red areas.

I am emptying their container daily and refilling with fresh tank water. They are eating well, especially the platties, and I am keeping an eye on the ram, as he doesn't eat as much. I have one extra platty in there, as I just noticed a small area on the side of her head that looked slightly discoloured, but not sure if this is just a natural mark on her body or not, so thought I would treat her too, just in case. Have seen no change in that either, so presume she doesn't have anything wrong with her.

I will have a go at applying the tonic directly to the area tonight, as ryanjury has advised.

Sorry for sounding a bit thick (I am quite new to this fishkeeping business), but when you say I need to add an air stone, do you mean like the whole tank set up, with tubing and pump, or do I get an air shell from the shop? Using a container floating in the aquarium, I am not sure how I would set up another air system?

Thanks once again. Everyone on here is fantastic, and your advice is greatly appreciated.

[Aquila]

Sounds you are on the right track. Goodluck, I hope your diligent monitoring pays off. If the problem doesn't go away for another week you will have to switch to an antibiotic.

when you say I need to add an air stone, do you mean like the whole tank set up, with tubing and pump, or do I get an air shell from the shop? Using a container floating in the aquarium, I am not sure how I would set up another air system?

I mean to add an airstone with tubing attached to a pump to the container in which you have the medicated fish so that the water will be sufficiently aerated. Make sure the bubbles are not coming out too strong so that the fish have trouble swimming against the current.

[Adrienne]

You are doing well.

You do not 'sound a bit thick' and remember no question is a 'stupid' question.

I wouldn't bother with melafix, as while this does aid healing, it won't necessarily treat it. Keeping the water as clean as possible certainly will help and I find dosing directly onto the wound works really well. I don't know anything about Pimafix.