Small Pet Advice

Symptoms
Fin and Tail Rot is a common infection in tank aquariums caused by a group of bacteria called Cytophaga, which affect fish with long, soft fins. The symptoms have a broad range. Usually the tail and fins start off looking ragged, either in the form of a ‘bite’ or a ’shredded’ effect. These lesions are discoloured white/grey with an edging of red. They can form into ulcers which have an orange/yellow color. The fish may also be lethargic and reluctant to feed. At an advanced phase, large milky patches can be seen on the fins and a significant amount of tissue will have been damaged. Respiration will also be quick with undue amounts of mucous in the gills and the lips of the fish may be bloated. The foremost danger is that if left untreated, the disease can rot the entire fin and start to attack the fish’s body.

Causes and Prevention
It is very essential to establish why this infection has occurred. The bacteria in fact exists in most fish tank aquariums without being a problem, therefore the infection is mostly triggered by other factors, nearly all cases being precipitated by stress or poor environmental conditions. It is crucial to identify and eliminate underlying stressors.

It is commonly introduced into tank aquariums by new fish from the pet store that harbour the hurtful bacteria, which they release into your tank through faeces. It is therefore vital to quarantine all new fish for about 10 days before introducing them into new fish tank aquariums. Fish can be particularly sensitive to tension and can also develop the disease owing to the shock of not being cautiously acclimatized to a new fish tank environment. It is important that all fish are well-matched and peaceful fish are not matched with aggressive fish, as this would bring about bullying which usually results in fin and tail nipping and the wounds provide ideal breeding grounds for the bacteria. Also do not overcrowd freshwater aquariums as this stresses out fish and can even make passive fish become nippy, as well as resulting in polluted tanks.

To recognize and remove any problems with water condition, do a check of your water quality using a test kit to make certain there is no increase of unwanted chemicals. Take care you keep the proper water parameters particular to the fish species you tend. Hard water with a high pH encourages the growth of the bacteria, as does a unexpected dip in temperature.
As part of your normal maintenance routine, ensure all equipment is running properly, especially the filter. Do 15% water changes weekly as well as vacuuming the gravel. You should also try to take out any uneaten food after each feeding time.

Remedy
Before using any medication, do a thorough clean of the fish tank. Wash the inside of the glass/acrylic and thoroughly clean the gravel to eliminate waste from the substrate. On the other hand, you may completely eliminate the gravel for greater effect. You should reduce the areas where the bacteria can live and breed so remove any ornaments in the tank and bleach them. Clean the exterior of the aquarium, hood, light and tank top. Water quality plays a critical role in the prevention and cure of fin and tail rot so you need to perform a large water change – I would suggest 50%. Remove activated carbon from filters as this will eliminate any medication you use.

There are different degrees of fin and tail rot which will govern the type of treatment you use in your aquariums.

For the earliest stages of the disease, I strongly advise using Melafix along with aquarium salt. This is an all natural medication which will not destroy your biological filter. Use 2 teaspoons (10ml) of Melafix for every 50 gallons of water, combined with 2 tablespoons of aquarium salt per 10 gallons of water. Most tropical fish will be all right with it. Dissolve the salt in water before pouring it into the tank, as if it comes into direct contact with fish it will burn them. The water will foam up and smell of liquorice but this is normal and will soon disappear after the treatment is over and you carry out water changes. Perform a 5% water change each day for 10 days and replenish the medication and salt according to the right ratio to bring the concentration back up to full strength. Continue to keep the tank clean by wiping the sides and vacuuming the gravel (if you keep it). This will handle the bacterial infection and help to heal the damaged fins. You should observe a rapid improvement and regeneration of fish fins. If not, the fish need to be removed to a quarantine tank for stronger treatment.
I would just bring up that some advocate using copper sulphate but this risks further damage to the gills of the fish.

For more advanced forms of the disease I would advise moving the infected fish into a spare, clean tank for treatment. You will want to treat the fish with antibiotics such as Tetracycline, Maracyn-Two or Maracyn Plus Antibacteria for at least 10 days. Carefully follow the instructions and do not combine medications as this can be lethal. These medications are available from pet shops and online vendors.

Keeping fish aquariums disease-free
Following a protocol of quarantining when adding new fish and carefully acclimatizing them to new aquariums, as well as correctly matching fish and avoiding overcrowding, will to a great extent reduce stress, which is a major cause of the disease. Through regular and thorough maintenance of aquariums, ensuring good water quality, proper water parameters and efficient filtration, incidence of parasites becoming a difficulty should be eliminated. Should fin and tail rot occur notwithstanding your best efforts, early signs of the disease can be easily detected by carefully monitoring your fish each day, especially at feeding time. Through quick remedial action, fish can be quickly treated and restored to health.

Copyright © 2009 Jill Kaestner @ Kaestner Marketing LLC