Fin rot: community tank treatment with peroxide

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-01 17:06

Sometimes an aquarist notices that yesterday he althy fish have a white border on the edges of the tail or fins. With its growth, the tissues exfoliate from the processes and die. Thus, one of the most common diseases of aquarium fish manifests itself - fin rot. There are many ways to deal with this scourge. Very often, for this purpose, for example, hydrogen peroxide is used.

Which fish can get sick

Most often, fin rot develops in barbs, blue neons, goldfish, labyrinths and livebearers. This disease is especially dangerous for young animals. The tissues of the fins and tail of such fish are still very delicate and “dissolve” due to rot almost instantly. Adults pick up rot much less often, and the disease itself is easier for them.

But, of course, the greatest danger of rot is for fish with luxurious tails and fins. This mainly applies to such beauties as veiltails. The onset of the disease can completely reduce decorativethe quality of these aquarium inhabitants is gone. Therefore, it will be most useful to learn about the methods of its treatment and prevention for the owners of this popular variety of goldfish.

Main reasons for development

Causes fin rot a special kind of bacteria - Pseudomonas fluorescens. In this case, the main causes of infection are:

• poor quality water;
• improper feeding;
• aggression of other fish;
• stress and infections (bacterial).

What drugs can be used

When a disease such as fin rot is detected in goldfish, treatment can be done both with purchased products and with ordinary home remedies that are always at hand. The same applies to other types of aquarium inhabitants. Most often used for this disease:

• s alt;
• hydrogen peroxide;
• streptocide;
• levomycetin.

Sometimes aquarists use other drugs when they detect a disease such as fin rot in goldfish. Treatment with methylene blue, for example, can give some results. However, this tool is not too strong and does not always help. Of the purchased special preparations, TetraMedica General Tonic and SeraBaktopur are usually used. These are very effective tools. You can also try treating the rot with bicillin-5 or malachite green (not to be confused with diamond).

Howproperly treat

Treatment for fin rot is best done in a community tank. This can prevent the disease from recurring or infecting other fish. The fact is that bacteria that cause rot enter the aquarium, usually with river soil, food, or plants taken from open water. Thus, disinfection carried out directly on the spot will make it possible to get rid of the very cause of the disease.

In a separate vessel, fin rot is treated only if there are any he althy fish in the aquarium that cannot tolerate the drug chosen for this purpose. Before starting the procedures, it is mandatory to replace the water in the aquarium by 30-50%. You will also need to increase the temperature to the maximum allowable for this particular species of fish. If there are he althy representatives of the fauna in the aquarium that do not tolerate warm water, the “patient” who has fallen ill with rot should still be treated in a separate vessel. In this case, the aquarium itself will subsequently need to be disinfected separately. To do this, all fish and snails are removed from it, and then the soil and plants are removed and thoroughly washed in a solution of bicillin-5. Plastic and ceramic decorations for disinfection can simply be boiled.

The benefits and principle of action of peroxide

Fin rot in goldfish, labyrinth fish, livebearers, etc. can be cured fairly quickly with this remedy. The principle of operation of peroxide is simple. Firstly, it saturates the water with oxygen (which is useful for fish anyway), and secondly,well oxidizes organics, which make up the components of the cells of the disease-causing bacterium.

Fin rot: community tank treatment with hydrogen peroxide

Apply H₂O_{2, of course, should be correct. For the treatment of fish from fin rot, a 3% solution of this substance is used. It is this peroxide that is sold in pharmacies in liquid form. If necessary, you can make a 3% solution from tablets. For a glass of water, you need 6 pcs. For the treatment of fin rot, you need 2-2.5 ml of the product per 10 liters of water.}

Of course, you cannot pour a pharmaceutical or tablet-made solution directly from a glass or bottle into an aquarium. After all, at the same time, you can accidentally get a jet on some fish and burn it. The same goes for plants. It is better to dilute the required amount of peroxide with water in a half-liter jar and carefully pour everything into the filter jet. Add H₂O_{2 when treating a disease such as fin rot, to the aquarium should be 1-2 times a day until the fish recovers (7-14 days).}

Since a lot of dead organic matter appears in the aquarium after using this product, at least 30% of the water should be changed daily during the treatment. Otherwise, rotting remains can cause poisoning in fish.

Tip

Peroxide is a cheap and quite effective remedy. When it enters the aquarium, an active reaction begins to occur. Whereinthe substance decomposes into two harmless components - oxygen and water. But despite this, it is worth using peroxide only if rot of the fins of veiltails, barbs, livebearers, etc. is found in severe form. At the initial stage, it is better to treat the fish with some more gentle purchased product. In any case, you need to add peroxide to the aquarium in an amount of no more than 2.5 ml per 10 liters of water. Otherwise, aquatic plants will be damaged. In particular, they do not like wallisnerium peroxide, various kinds of mosses, camboba and hornwort. Adding 4 ml of this substance per 10 liters to the aquarium will already be dangerous for the fish themselves. Fortunately, peroxide does not have any special effect on the bacteria of the biofilter.

How to treat rot with s alt

This is another cheap and quite effective remedy. A very good solution can be its use in identifying a disease such as fin rot in goldfish. S alt treatment for some other types of fish, unfortunately, is contraindicated. They do not tolerate its presence in the water, for example, barbs and all labyrinths. Livebearers, on the contrary, love her very much. Therefore, fin rot can be treated with s alt not only in veiltails and ordinary goldfish, but also in guppies, swordtails and mollies. The correct dosage in this case would be 1 tbsp per 10 liters.

Treatment with streptocide and chloramphenicol

Both of these products can be purchased at a pharmacy without a prescription and at a low cost. Levomycetin can have a negative effecton the microflora of biofilters. Therefore, for treatment in a community aquarium, it should be used as carefully as possible. The required dose of chloramphenicol is 500 mg per 10 liters. This remedy has a beneficial effect on the fins of fish within 48 hours. Then you will need to change as much water as possible. Next, add 500 mg of the product to the aquarium again (and so on up to four times).

Antibiotics are generally a very good remedy for a disease such as fin rot in goldfish. Treatment with streptocide, for example, can also be carried out both in a separate container and in a common aquarium. Of course, this drug can be a good solution for any other species of fish. The required dose of streptocide in the detection of rot is 10-20 g per 10 liters. This amount of the drug should be added to the aquarium every 8 days for a month. And of course, in this case, it is also worth doing a water change in the aquarium more often.

How to prevent the development of the disease

Infected with fin rot is usually only fish with a weakened immune system. Therefore, the prevention of infection with Pseudomonas fluorescens lies primarily in the good care of aquarium inhabitants. To prevent infection, it is also necessary to disinfect the new soil before laying it. Do not plant in an aquarium and no plants taken from ponds, lakes or rivers. To provoke the development of fin rot in fish, among other things, can be too lowwater temperature. Therefore, it is imperative to monitor the correct operation of the thermostat.