My parrot fish (a type of fish) has fin rot. What effect does adding salt have on fin rot? How long should I put the fish in the salt water? Please help me. Thanks.
2007-05-19 00:16:06 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Fish
finrot is a symptom of another problem - it is actually caused by stress. the source of the stress could be bad water conditions, bacterial/fungal or parasite infections. salt on its own will not fix these problems once they are there.
check your water conditions (PH, temperature, ammonia/nitrite leved).... make sure they are perfect for parrot fish (what PH and temp is needed varies between species - look it up online).
if they are all right, and he still has finrot, then you need to see if you can see any other symptoms.... is he swimming funny? lethargic? bloated? can you see any furry stuff on him?
if you can see furry spots on him, treat for fungal infections, THEN treat for bacterial (because bacterial infections open up the tank to fungal infections).
if not, just treat for bacterial infections - get medication from your local petshop.
.
2007-05-19 00:31:47 · answer #1 · answered by raspberryswirrrl 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Fin rot is not caused by stress as I'm sure you are already aware. It is caused by a bacterial infection. A salt dip would have very limited impact on fin rot and would have to be preformed several times a day for over a week to effect a cure. It would be far better for you to remove the fish to a quarantine tank and treat with an antibiotic. Most commonly available antibiotics will treat fin rot with Tetracycline being an excellent choice.
Hope that helps.
MM
2007-05-19 00:39:03 · answer #2 · answered by magicman116 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The best way to cure fin rot is to hit the root of the problem. If not, antibiotics won't work as once treatment has stopped, the fin rot will just return. Check your water parameters and find out what's stressing out your fish. Fin rot is caused by bacteria present in the water attacking your stressed fish because his immunity is down.
After that, get rid of the current fin rot using some antibiotics. Tetracycline, Maracyn-1 and Maracyn-2 have been recommended although I've never tried them personally. My solution is: medicate with methylene blue (2 drops per 1.5 gallons, dissolved in warm water) and decrease feeding times by half. So far it has worked for me.
Actually I heard that Melafix, as a tea tree oil, coats the gills of a fish making it difficult for it to breathe. Furthermore, it doesn't cure the fin rot. However, it does promote growth of fin tissue so you may want to use it (in smaller doses than recommended) once the fin rot has cleared up.
2007-05-19 05:04:08 · answer #3 · answered by ninjaaa! 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Salt is not going to help your fish nor will salt dips. This will actually make matters worse since fin rot is caused by poor water conditions and sometimes a bacterial infection.
A water change would be the first step. Also, I agree with MM here but if you cannot remove the fish safely for treatment, treat the whole tank with Tetracycline. Be sure you have a test kit and keep an eye on the water quality in the tank.
If it has not gotten too far, your fish will recover nicely.
2007-05-19 04:53:35 · answer #4 · answered by danielle Z 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes i agree with Raspberr it's a bacterial problem .Melifix is what you need it will repair fin rot in a week or so but will make you protein skimmer foam like crazy and will need to do a water change when treatment is finished.
2007-05-19 02:11:08 · answer #5 · answered by raymbow 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Just go to pet store and get medication for fin rot. It clears it up easly..
2007-05-19 00:24:49 · answer #6 · answered by Dixie 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its best to get a special treatment for this. Go to a petstore. Salt wont help much with this.
2007-05-19 00:23:56 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋