Finrot help please

[Chez_]

I've just put my fish back from their temporary tank to the new planted tank with the cycled filter. My poor Bristlenose, who spent most of his time in the temp tank hiding, is in a terrible state. He is out and about in the new tank, behaving as he usually does, chasing his colleagues away from food, generally being his usual self. None of the other fish in the community tank show symptoms.

What do I do? I have some aquarium salt and a 2 gallon tank I could isolate him in. But I'm worried that it's the moving around that has triggered this and that will stress him more. Should I treat the whole tank with Exit 2000? Is it safe for snails?

 

[tam]

It's hard to tell from the picture - his fins look ragged but they don't look to have any white/red marks?

I don't think Esha 2000 is snail safe. I would keep a close eye and keep the water very clean with regular changes (particularly as it's a new setup). You could also add some catappa leaves - they main stain your water brownish but that's anti-bactieral/fungal and he'll probably enjoy munching them too.

 

[hypnogogia]

It’s definitely not snail safe:

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[Bradders]

I agree with Tam - it's pretty hard to tell from that picture. If you manage to get a better one at some point, please post.

If it is fin rot, it could have been triggered by the stress, as you say or the environment. It is a bacterial disease, so it's hard to treat (effectively) without antibiotics. I would ....

1. Keep the water clean, perhaps by increasing water changes and oxygenation.
2. Don't clean the biomedia in the filter unless it slows down too much to ensure beneficial bacteria are not removed during recovery.
3. If you have mulm on the bottom that the fish swims through, syphon that off as a precaution. Just in case.

.....the idea is that you are improving the environment to give the fish one thing to focus on. Namely recovery.

I have had almost no observable success with commercial products when treating fin rot. So I will leave that to others who can offer some help in terms of medication.

 

[jaisol]

I agree with Tam, that does not look like clasic fin rot. He's at least 6 months old so its not a birth defect. do you have any aggressive fish? Two male bristlenoses will fight over females occasionally.
I'd hold back treating until someone more knowledgeable comes along

 

[Chez_]

Thanks, folks. He's about ten months to a year old, I think. I've got another couple of pics from different angles, attached. I have one other plec in the the tank, that I'm hoping is female -- she has a few very small bristles around her mouth, no big ones up the bridge of her nose. He seems to be quite territorial with her though, so potentially they're both male. I haven't observed them fighting and the other one"s fins are intact.

I have put a couple of catappa leaves in. They're both active and tolerating each other.

 

[Bradders]

I would say these areas show some of the issues in my eyes. That looks like fin rot on the right and something on the belly there.

 

[Chez_]

Thank you, Bradders. There's also a red mark on his mouth. I will remove the snails and treat, I think..

 

[Bradders]

Can you also kindly send a current full tank shot, please? The water look like it has a cloud to it, unless that is the picture?

 

[Chez_]

Yes, it's cloudy. It had cleared down, so I moved them in on Tuesday, moved the filter that had been on the old 250l tank back with them - they had all been in a temporary 180l with the filter, all the hardscape and epiphytes and floaters for a month -- and immediately the Coreys started digging and it clouded up. I did 2 50% water changes on Tuesday and one on Wednesday. I'm revving up to so a other rne this evening, but wanted to decide about treating first. My parameter seem fine.

The substrate is a mix of potting compost and peat moss, capped with the sand from the 250l. It was all mineralising in buckets of old tank water for a.month.

 

[Bradders]

Really surprised by the amount of clouding in the water column by the Corys! As long as you are sure its due to the sand and not some infusia / bacterial bloom then all should be good.

What filter are you running in that aquarium?

 

[Chez_]

Me too. Honestly, it was clear as a bell, and then I put everyone in and it was like a mud-storm!

I'm running a Fluval 307. I was running it on the 250 and this is a 380, so maybe slightly low? I broke it down on Tuesday when I did the last water change and rinsed all the mud out. I have got a pump and a 5l container stuffed full of filter floss that I was thinking I might run overnight and see if that helps get the final particles out.

I suppose it could be a bacterial bloom, too? How can I tell? Just try the fine filter media and see if it helps? Thanks, Bradders, everyone, I appreciate the help.

 

[Bradders]

I broke it down on Tuesday when I did the last water change and rinsed all the mud out.

Is there any correlation between the cleaning of the filter and the cloudiness appearing or increasing?

I'm running a Fluval 307. I was running it on the 250 and this is a 380, so maybe slightly low?

It's more about the aquarium's bioload than the water volume. I can see around 30 fish in there, so it's not heavily stocked. That being said, the 407 or FX series is more in line with that aquarium size. The 307 is only rated up to 330L, and looking at the technical specs I would be surprised if you are turning over the tank more than twice an hour.. For something that big, I would consider the FX series if you are looking to use an external canister filter.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

He seems to be quite territorial with her though, so potentially they're both male. I haven't observed them fighting and the other one"s fins are intact.

He seems healthy enough, other than the fins, so I wonder if they have been fighting and that accounts for the fin damage?

cheers Darrel

 

[Chez_]

He seems healthy enough, other than the fins, so I wonder if they have been fighting and that accounts for the fin damage?

I don't know who else would have beaten him up -- the only other Bristlenose leaves him well alone and there's nothing else looking ragged to imply fin-nipping. I've got some long-fin coreys and they're all fine. The biggest things in there apart from those are the rosy tetras 🙁.

@Bradders I may, possibly, on the back of your post, have gone out and procured an FX6. I've spent the last couple of days setting it up. I don't think the cloudiness did increase after I cleaned the filter, but I appreciate your maths! I've swapped over the loose filter media and the pre-filter sponge and I'm hoping a miracle will have occurred overnight.

I've been thinking -- I baked the old sand cap before reusing it to sterilise it. That would have broken down the organics it has absorbed, I guess? It's definitely fine particles.

 

[Bradders]

I may, possibly, on the back of your post, have gone out and procured an FX6. I've spent the last couple of days setting it up.

It's a really good filter for larger aquariums. Not only is the media capacity in the FX6 huge, but the working circulation specification is also more honest and accurate. Combining both of these features will (over time) allow for plenty of turnover through lots of bio-media.

I don't think the cloudiness did increase after I cleaned the filter, but I appreciate your maths! I've swapped over the loose filter media and the pre-filter sponge and I'm hoping a miracle will have occurred overnight.

Great that you have added whatever you had into the new filter. This will help it establish. I think set it up, make sure you get some good surface agitation for oxygen exchange (as @dw1305 says, dissolved oxygen is very important on many levels!) and let it mature. These filters can go a VERY LONG time without having to clean the biomedia. This means less maintenance is required, reducing the risk of over-cleaning and removing beneficial bacteria. I would just run it for a good long time and only go in there when the flow starts to slow. Keep an eye on your parameters for a little while while it is new.

 

[Aquarianer81]

It's hard to tell from the picture - his fins look ragged but they don't look to have any white/red marks?

I don't think Esha 2000 is snail safe. I would keep a close eye and keep the water very clean with regular changes (particularly as it's a new setup). You could also add some catappa leaves - they main stain your water brownish but that's anti-bactieral/fungal and he'll probably enjoy munching them too.

Esha 2000 wird schlecht von Wirbelosen wie Schnecken und Garnelen vertragen.
Sollte man nicht machen habe gerade eine ausführliche Gebrauchsanweisung zur Hand. Halte ehh nicht so viel von esha 2000 exit und Co alleine schon weil diese Medikamente das Wasser so eklig färben.
Es gibt in Hamburg einen tollen Laden, der Diskus Keller die haben einen super online Shop mit Versand und eine richtig gute Zierfisch Apotheke. Die Medikamente sind zwar teurer aber die schlagen auch direkt an. Es ist alles super beschrieben damit auch jeder findet was er bzw seine Fische gerade brauchen. Man kann sich auch professionell telefonisch dazu beraten lassen. Habe eine hohe Meinung von Maik Krause das ist der Inhaber vom Hamburger Diskus Keller und berät gern persönlich. Einfach Hamburg, Diskus Keller googleln fix anmelden und bestellen. Oder falls man irgendwo in der Nähe einfach hinfahren lohnt sich in jedem Fall. Mfg