Cause for finrot

Hi all!
My tank is by and large healthy but every once in awhile the fish (one or
more) get a bout of fin rot or split fins. I then treat it with antibiotics
and the tank is fine for a while. I would rather treat the cause, but I
don't know what it is. Please give me any suggestions of what I can do to
to curb this! My current group of fish have been with me for 2 years and I
don't want to lose anyone! Thanks!

Here are my tank specs:
46 gallon
Emporer bio filter (charcoal filter changed once a month)
Two 4" airstones
Some live plants (Amazon swords and anacharis (which gets eaten by the fish,
but that is its purpose)
2 Fantails, 1 Ranchu and 1 Black Moor - largest=3" body
No gravel - only large rocks and some 1" pebbles
Feed a variety of food - (Spirulina, Dried Brine, Wardley's bits, Hikari
Flakes, Some sinking pellets, I can't remember the brand) - two pinches
twice a day (not on the weekend - the tank is at work)
Lots of Algae on the back and one side of the tank that the kids munch on
Water change - 15 gallons a week - I use a water conditioner and make sure
the water is the same temp as the tank.

No Ammonia
No Nitrites
Ph fine
Nitrates between 10-20 ppm

Many thanks! Jennifer

May be due to periodic poor water quality - May want to consider:
1. Just feed sinking food that they immeadiately eat - so no food gets into
tank
2. Increase filtration - add another filter
and clean well monthly
3. remove large rocks and pebbles - so tank is bare bottom ( dissolved organic
compounds can accumulate under these)
4. remove live plants- ? source of bacteria
Lets see what Dr. S and the others here have to say!

fin rot is 90+ % water quality problem. usually it shows up when gravel starts
getting loaded and drives the nitrates up, but you dont have gravel and your nitrates
are 20-30 which is great. I guess I am surprised that you only need to change 15
gallons per week to keep nitrates down. anyway.
since the tank is at work it could be the cleaning chems being used tox the tank. at
home it could be the city screwing around with the water. in any case, there is
"mineral creep", after a while of small water changes the minerals which dont
evaporate begin to build up. when you use the antibiotics do you also do some
frequent water changes? water changes ... big ones are the best treatment for fin
rot or splitting. AND, dont add any other fish or live things to the tank. close it
now. less problems. Ingrid


"Matthew Byrne" wrote:
Hi all!
My tank is by and large healthy but every once in awhile the fish (one or
more) get a bout of fin rot or split fins. I then treat it with antibiotics
and the tank is fine for a while. I would rather treat the cause, but I
don't know what it is. Please give me any suggestions of what I can do to
to curb this! My current group of fish have been with me for 2 years and I
don't want to lose anyone! Thanks!

Here are my tank specs:
46 gallon
Emporer bio filter (charcoal filter changed once a month)
Two 4" airstones
Some live plants (Amazon swords and anacharis (which gets eaten by the fish,
but that is its purpose)
2 Fantails, 1 Ranchu and 1 Black Moor - largest=3" body
No gravel - only large rocks and some 1" pebbles
Feed a variety of food - (Spirulina, Dried Brine, Wardley's bits, Hikari
Flakes, Some sinking pellets, I can't remember the brand) - two pinches
twice a day (not on the weekend - the tank is at work)
Lots of Algae on the back and one side of the tank that the kids munch on
Water change - 15 gallons a week - I use a water conditioner and make sure
the water is the same temp as the tank.

No Ammonia
No Nitrites
Ph fine
Nitrates between 10-20 ppm

Many thanks! Jennifer




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

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


wrote in message
...
fin rot is 90+ % water quality problem. usually it shows up when gravel
starts
getting loaded and drives the nitrates up, but you dont have gravel and
your nitrates
are 20-30 which is great. I guess I am surprised that you only need to
change 15
gallons per week to keep nitrates down. anyway.
since the tank is at work it could be the cleaning chems being used tox
the tank. at
home it could be the city screwing around with the water. in any case,
there is
"mineral creep", after a while of small water changes the minerals which
dont
evaporate begin to build up. when you use the antibiotics do you also do
some
frequent water changes? water changes ... big ones are the best treatment
for fin
rot or splitting. AND, dont add any other fish or live things to the
tank. close it
now. less problems. Ingrid


"Matthew Byrne" wrote:
Hi all!
My tank is by and large healthy but every once in awhile the fish (one or
more) get a bout of fin rot or split fins. I then treat it with
antibiotics
and the tank is fine for a while. I would rather treat the cause, but I
don't know what it is. Please give me any suggestions of what I can do
to
to curb this! My current group of fish have been with me for 2 years and
I
don't want to lose anyone! Thanks!

Here are my tank specs:
46 gallon
Emporer bio filter (charcoal filter changed once a month)
Two 4" airstones
Some live plants (Amazon swords and anacharis (which gets eaten by the
fish,
but that is its purpose)
2 Fantails, 1 Ranchu and 1 Black Moor - largest=3" body
No gravel - only large rocks and some 1" pebbles
Feed a variety of food - (Spirulina, Dried Brine, Wardley's bits, Hikari
Flakes, Some sinking pellets, I can't remember the brand) - two pinches
twice a day (not on the weekend - the tank is at work)
Lots of Algae on the back and one side of the tank that the kids munch on
Water change - 15 gallons a week - I use a water conditioner and make
sure
the water is the same temp as the tank.

No Ammonia
No Nitrites
Ph fine
Nitrates between 10-20 ppm

Many thanks! Jennifer




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

dont start over. after a few water changes it will be fine.
FISHLESS CYCLING OF TANKS
rather than getting the RIGHT kind of ammonia and getting the RIGHT amount in the
tank, a pinch of Hikari Gold fish food for a small tank up to a tablespoon in a 75
gallon can be tossed into the tank, the heat set to 82oF and plenty of aeration. In
3 days or so watch the ammonia. If no ammonia is seen add more food.
Ingrid

"Babel Fish" wrote:

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


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.