# Tiger barb has Fin rot or not? (pics included)



## mrsejhouse (May 22, 2010)

hello, 
i have a tiger barb, which i had for at least 3 months in my 10 gallon tank. i also have 2 mickey mouse platys and 3 red minor tetras. i also had a giant danio which i returned because i was obviously too big for the crowded tank. also because i thought i was bullying my tiger barb (the barb was shimmy-ing). its fins all torn and damaged but the barb seems to swim just fine and i thought it was going to heal and regrow. but i dont see any improvements. (oh i returned the danio on tuesday 5/18 ) so now im thinking its fin rot....

and on top of that i exchanged the danio for a mickey mouse fish. i forgot to quarintine the mickey fish and now theres an ich outbreak. [[i put in 5 drops of quickcure for the ich. should i clean the tank now or tomorrow? i dont have a heater because the top fin heater makes the temperature irregular or according to my thermometer]]

what should i do if its fin rot?!!! please help! 

Tank info:
(i use Jungle Quick Dip)
current level (all are estimites ! ! ! ):
nitrate:20
nitrite: between 0-.5
total hardness: 150
total chlorine: 0
total alkalinity: 60-80
pH: 7.2
never put in salt so its completely freshwater
in total i have 6 fishes
current temp: 80 F
no plants
top fin brand filter
last water change was probably a 1 1/2 weeks ago 
food is mainly flakes, freeze dried mysis shrimp, and veggies like zucchini and peas


----------



## JouteiMike (Oct 7, 2006)

I wouldn't be surprised if it is being bullied. Tiger Barbs do best in groups of, I would suggest 6 or more. A 10 gallon tank is way too small for any tiger barbs, even 1 in my opinion. Any plans of getting a bigger tank in the future? I would suggest asking a fish store if they could take your tiger barb until you can get a significantly bigger tank to house a group of barbs, and to concentrate on your 10 gallon. The Tiger Barb may or may not last too long in the tank by itself. Make sure you keep on top of water changes, gravel vacuums and filter maintenance, as these also reflect the health of the fish. These are critical, ESPECIALLY in a tank as small as yours. Toxins build up quickly due to the less amount of water volume.

I think with quick cure, you are supposed to treat for 2 days, then do a 25% water change. But correct me if I am wrong, the directions on the bottle SHOULD say clear instructions. Also, I am wondering what filter you are running, and if you made sure you removed all your carbon from the filter - this will absorb some of the medication, making the dosage not sufficient.


----------



## mrsejhouse (May 22, 2010)

thanks for the help but sadly my tiger barb passed away on saturday. but now i know better the next time i get a tiger barb (when i get a bigger tank obviously)
my filters just came with my 10 gallon top fin set so im not quite sure. i unplug the filter anyways at night right before i add in quickcure then i plug back in the filter the next morning.


----------



## JouteiMike (Oct 7, 2006)

A couple of things I would like to mention regarding your filter and your water parameters. It puzzles me why you would shut off your filter at night. The filter is home to many bacterial colonies that are dependent upon having water and oxygen circulating through them continuously to stay moist. Shutting off the filter at night risks having this colonies to dry up and die off resulting in a tank crash, also risks depriving the water of oxygen because of the lessened water circulation. The filter should be always on and never shut off regardless of medicine. The only precaution would be to take out your activated carbon/charcoal, and also take notice if the medicine will affect your biological filtration (bacteria colonies). With knowing those precautions, it is evident why a separate hospital tank is recommended for medicine dosage, so the main tank is not effected.

This said, I am wondering if your water quality played a role in the demise of the barb.


----------

