# Help!!!!! My firemouth has finrot!!!



## Cichlidsrule102 (Mar 29, 2014)

Hey all, I am in need of some urgent advice. This morning I woke up to my fire mouth stuck between the heater and the glass of the tank, being pelted by bubbles from the air stone below. I moved the heater and he swam out, and I noticed that his tailfin was finely frayed. Now it has rapidly progressed further and looks much like finrot. My lfs is closed over the long weekend, and I have NO medications whatsoever, as I have rarely had to deal with fish illness and disease before. Is there some way I could treat it w/o medications? If I need to, Petbarn might still be open for me to get the correct medications. But to make things even more difficult, as my catfish has no scales, copper based medications are toxic to her, and I believe most, if not all medications are copper based. Cheers, and pls help!


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## Cichlidsrule102 (Mar 29, 2014)

bump


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## LittleBlueFishlets (Nov 10, 2012)

Can you post some photos of his fins? This will help people determine the extent of the damage and/or infection.

I would start by doing a series of four 25% water changes, waiting about 15 minutes between each. This will help remove any toxins or bacteria in the water. (Water changes never hurt, and frequently help!) 

Fin rot is usually caused by gram-negative bacteria. Copper-based medications are not needed for issues like fin rot.....

If you decide to treat him with something, I would start by putting him into a separate quarantine or hospital tank so that your catfish won't be subjected to any treatments or medications. 

From what I've read, Firemouth Cichlids can tolerate a small amount of Aquarium salt. Salt has some antimicrobial properties, so this may be a way to treat an infection holistically. (_Source: "Firemouth Cichlids can tolerate up a salinity of about 10% of a normal saltwater tank or with a specific gravity of less than 1.0002."_ Firemouth Cichlid, Thorichthys meeki Fish Guide, Cichlasoma meeki) 

If the fin rot has set in already from an infection that occurred this morning, however, this can indicate an aggressive infection. In this case, you may want to try using a true medication. (However, I'd like to see some photos before making any specific medication recommendations.) 

Again, I'd start with a series of partial water changes to help remove bacteria and toxins from the water. Then, post photos so that people can see exactly what's going on.


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## Cichlidsrule102 (Mar 29, 2014)

ok, thanks, will try and get some pics, might be a little difficult as he's hiding. I added some melafix to the water and will now dow a series of water changes.


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## Cichlidsrule102 (Mar 29, 2014)

I don't have a quarantine tank though


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## Cichlidsrule102 (Mar 29, 2014)

heres a couple of pics, not the best but as good as I could do.


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## Cichlidsrule102 (Mar 29, 2014)

It hasnt progressed any further than this morning, which is good, lets hope it heals quickly.


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## Cichlidsrule102 (Mar 29, 2014)

BTW it's only his tailfin that is affected for some reason.


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## LittleBlueFishlets (Nov 10, 2012)

Thank you for posting the photos. It's a little difficult to see small details in them, but I don't see signs of what I consider 'severe fin rot.'

I deal with Bettas more than other fish, but here's what I look for:
Fin rot - Look for dark, discolored and/or "smudged" fin tips. 
Fin tears - Look for clean rips or tears, without discoloration.

To me, it looks like his fins are torn, but I don't see signs of a severe infection or rot setting in. However, you can see him up close and in person. What do you think?

For now, I would just keep doing frequent water changes. This will keep bacterial levels low, and remove toxins or irritants. The Melafix that you're using has mild antimicrobial properties, so it should help prevent/treat minor infections, too.

I would give it a few days to heal. Keep us updated though. If it looks like anything is getting worse, post an update along with new photos (if possible).


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## Cichlidsrule102 (Mar 29, 2014)

Ok, thanks. I have lost fish to fin rot before, and I recognise this as the early stages of it. But I think I caught it in the early stages. So hopefully it will heal quickly. Yes, it wasnt severe, but I know that finrot progresses REALLY fast. I've had WC catfish that got fin rot and within a couple of days they had no fins left. thhanks for your help


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## LittleBlueFishlets (Nov 10, 2012)

Yes, it can progress quickly. Frequent water changes and the Melafix should help. You caught it quickly, which is good. 

Please keep us updated, and definitely post again if you notice that the damage isn't healing quickly.


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## rsskylight04 (Nov 9, 2013)

Agree with frequent waterchanges to keep bacteria concentration down as the best course of action. Medications can be very stressfull to fish so I would avoid any aggressive treatment unless your fish shows signs of getting worse.


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## Cichlidsrule102 (Mar 29, 2014)

I just did a 50% water change and added more melafix. It looks like it hasnt progressed much since yesterday so hopefully it will soon clear up.


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## Cichlidsrule102 (Mar 29, 2014)

Well, I think it has stopped. It no longer looks like fin rot, his tail fin is still a little rough around the edges and smaller than it should be, but it has cleared and has not progressed, so I think now its just a matter of waiting for the fin to grow back to its former glory. I changed the tank over to a higher stand today, so I had to empty out all the water, so that should lower the infection causing bacteria an little, lol! I also have stopped dosing melafix and am just adding a little bit of salt. My lfs owner gave me some salt for free when I told him about my fire mouth that he gave to me (I have a pretty good lfs, I get discounts on everything, they are the best lfs I've ever done business with.).


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## keepsmiling (May 19, 2013)

Are you sure this wasn't aggression /nip from another fish? Hence the hiding behavior and only one spot showing damage. Tankmates?


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## Cichlidsrule102 (Mar 29, 2014)

He has a very active and sometimes a little rambunctious eel-tailed catfish (tandanus tandanus) as a tank mate. But they get on great and when they aren't cruising around the tank or begging for food they rest side by side. The catfish is very active (and sometimes chases the firemouth while staying an inch or so behind it, I think the catfish just wants to play tag, lol), but Slinky (the catfish) is never aggressive and and never bites the firemouth. The firemouth has never had torn fins before, only after his heater episode, and the fin has now healed, so it was def not the catfish, which is his only tankmate, apart from a little mussel about a inch long. cheers, Jim


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