"NetMax" wrote in message
.. .

"Dick" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 9 Feb 2004 17:03:57 -0000, "Babel Fish"
wrote:

Hello,

I have just lost white cloud mountain minnows to fin rot. I am
guessing
that this is because the tank had not been fully cycled. Now I am
more
clued up on the cycle, etc, what would be the recommmended course of
action
to take? - take everything out, wash it and start the cycle again, or
leave
the water in there that the minnows were in and keep an eye on water
chemistry until it completes the cycle?

Thanks


In my experience fin rot follows fin nipping. Have you got an
aggressive fin nipper perhaps?

Melafix often clears "rot" and is safe for most fish.

Fin rot is a very opportunistic bacteria which enters the open cells of
the end of a fish's fins (usually the tailfin). The fish has almost
always have to be in an advanced stress condition, so that their immune
system cannot stop the bacteria from multiplying. If you have lost all
the fish, then just wait until the tank has cycled, do a large water
change and add a few new fish. If there are still fish in there, there
are antibiotics available. Melafix can also be used, though it is more
of a preventative, it does have some mild curative powers (imo), and I've
never observed it to have any bad effects on the biofilter (unlike most
antibiotics).

NetMax


Thanks for the info. What would you call a large water change? 30 or so %
?