# fin rot? or just a flesh wound



## eelz212 (Dec 22, 2007)

hey guys,

so i've got two little fancy goldfish in a 55 gallon tank. it's been established for awhile. ph and nitrates are all in line.

i've just noticed that one of the fish seems to have some damage to its tailfin. one side is frayed and about a third of an inch seems to be missing, and a bit of the other side looks a little bent and torn as well.

it doesn't look as if there's any fungus or disease growing on the fish. she's been eating as hardily as ever and is still swimming around with ease.

so how can i tell if this is some sort of ailment or if the fish somehow damaged her fin in another way? more importantly, what steps should i take to make sure nothing else goes wrong? i want to get her healthy again.

sorry i can't provide pics at the moment. thanks for any tips


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## Flashygrrl (Jan 18, 2008)

Hmmmm, we need to know about the water quality and temps and stuff...fill out the form on this page: http://www.fishforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=882 and we'll try to help. BTW, we would love if you did water testing with a liquid kit (API Freshwater if you can). Test strips are just sooooo useless.


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## eelz212 (Dec 22, 2007)

. 55 Gallons
2. freshwater
3. 4 or 5 months
4. 1 black moor gold fish 1 fancy goldfish 
5. Are there live plants in the aquarium? = NO 
6. What temperature is the tank water currently? =72
7. What make/model filter are you using? = Aquaclear 110
8. Are you using a CO2 unit? =? No
9. Does your aquarium receive natural sunlight at any given part of the day? = Part of the tank does yes
10. When did you perform your last water exchange, and how much water was changed? =40%
11. How often do you perform water changes? twice a month
12. How often and what foods do you feed your fish? =wardley sinking goldfish crumbles and wardley flakes
13. What type of lighting are you using and how long is it kept on? =strip light/8 hours per day
14. What specific concerns bring you here at this time? =everything i mentioned before
15. What are your water parameters? Test your pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. = ph: dunno, ammonia 0ppm, nitrate:0ppm
16. What test kit are you using and is it liquid or test strips? api liquid 
17. When was the last time you bought a fish and how did they behave while in the pet store tank? =these were the original fish. they were unhealthy at first but have been fine for the last four months


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## Flashygrrl (Jan 18, 2008)

eelz212 said:


> . 55 Gallons
> 2. freshwater
> 3. 4 or 5 months
> 4. 1 black moor gold fish 1 fancy goldfish
> ...


I have answers in purple. I ask if you have gravel because if you don't and you change all the filter material out at the same time there's nowhere to establish a bio-bed which leads to a stressful situation for the fish (though I'd think your ammonia would be higher if there was nothing to process it yet). Plus, I'm not sure but it might be too warm in their tank since goldies are a coldwater fish.


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## eelz212 (Dec 22, 2007)

ok thanks. there is gravel, and i will take the temp down a few notches, but you haven't really given me any info regarding how to help rehabilitate the issue with my fish's tail.

any tips on that?


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

Have you noticed the other fish nipping at the injured fish's tail? Are there any sort of sharp ornaments that might rip the fins? If not, I'd say bacterial fin rot is a good candidate. I had a bad case of it with my guppies and cleaned it up with a regimen of pimafix and melafix.


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## eelz212 (Dec 22, 2007)

you know sometimes in the chaos of feeding i've noticed the slightly larger black moor getting a little rough. in terms of ornaments there are a few rough rocks and a couple of spiny plastic plants, but nothing she could get stuck in or torn up by.

i will look into getting some of those "fixes" just in case things aren't looking better by the end of the month. thanks for the tip


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

Well I'm sure your goldfish are hardier than my guppies, but I had one die just a few days after showing symptoms. Those medicines I mentioned aren't nearly as powerful as many other medications and won't do your fish any harm if they're used if the fish aren't sick. It's your call, but the paranoid part of me might treat them anyway. 

Usually it's better not to treat something until you have a good diagnosis, but like I said those medicines are pretty safe. I'm not sure the dosage for goldfish, but definitely don't overdo it with the Melafix because I've read that if you dump entirely too much in the tank, the oils in it will collect at the surface of the water and prevent oxygen exchange, which can suffocate your fish.


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## Flashygrrl (Jan 18, 2008)

Water quality will be crucial towards the fins healing, you water changes are very important at this stage and maybe go with about 30-40% since goldfish are so messy. I was just concerned about the nitrates because for the tank to be established there needs to be some (20 or less) and it's kind of weird than none showed up when you tested.


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## okiemavis (Nov 10, 2007)

You've got to shake the nitrate bottles like CRAZY- I was previously having the same readings and was confused.

It does sound like damage to me, especially if it doesn't have any white edging. Do you think you could get a photo?

Any fish with flowing ornamental fins are prone to damage. Also, do you have any plastic plants/sharp rocks in the tank? They are known to shred fins. Decorations will help if bullying is happening and you can also try feeding at both ends at the same time so they won't be fighting over food.


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

Part of the reason I suggested the medicines I did is that Melafix especially will help heal your fish's fins regardless of the source of the damage. You did mention having some rough rocks and spiny plastic plants, which I wouldn't rule out as damage-causers. It might be best to replace the sharp stuff, but the melafix is still good for any sort of torn fins. The pimafix, on the other hand, is purely antibactierial/antifungal and wouldn't be necessary if you think the torn fins are being caused by physical damage.


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