What is fin rot and how to fight it?
It would seem - that there is that aquarium ... and how many diseases in it can live and amaze at the same time its inhabitants - well, not to consider. Fin fungus Is a very common disease amongAquarium fish, the causative agent of which is the stick Pseudomonas. It causes this rod of fish of all kinds and ages to suffer, young people are especially receptive to it, although adults also perish.
Fins rot usually does not occur without serious reasons. And can appear because of improper conditionsthe contents of the aquarium, too low water temperature, poor soil cleaning, contamination of the aquarium filter. Also, Pseudomonas stick can get into the aquarium with water, soil, aquatic plants and live food taken from natural reservoirs, as well as with new fish, affected by this disease and not quarantined.
How does this disease manifest itself? First on the fins of fish may appearunusual red stripes. Further in diseased aquarium fish on the fins appears a light blue band, which gradually spreads around. Later the surface of fins of fish begins to decrease, their edge becomes uneven, ragged, the faces become translucent or white - this part of the body decomposes. Then the ends of the fin rays begin to fall off and the edges of the fins become disheveled. In young fish, the caudal fin often disappears completely.
The last stage is when ulcers form on the bases of the ruined fins, the spine is bare, after which the fish dies. It's sad, is not it? Therefore, treatment should be dealt with immediately, when you saw the first signs of the disease. Until the bases of fins and musculature are affected, it is easy to cope with this infection.
Often happens it is sufficient to improve the conditions of the fish so that the further destruction of the fins ceases, and the disease went by itself. For this, first of all, in the aquarium it is necessary to increase the water temperature to the maximum value, which corresponds to a specific type of fish. By her own fin rot is treated with the help of trays of levomycetin or polymyxin (60 mg per 1 liter of water for 30 minutes for 5 days). Also, methylene blue (10 mg per 1 liter of water) and aquarol (1 g per 10 liters of water for 30 minutes every 3 days) can be used for this purpose. Remember that the temperature of any solution should coincide with the temperature of the water in the aquarium. The course of treatment is 2-3 weeks.
If you decide to treat fish in a common aquarium, thencan dissolve in it, 1.5 g of white streptocide per 10 liters of water. Good results in the fight against fin rot also give salt baths. For those fish that like salty water, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of salt for 5 liters of water, most fish need 3 tsp. 5 liters, and for sensitive - 2 tsp. for 5 liters. The bath time is 30 minutes.
For especially severe cases, almost all types of antibiotics are effective. If treatment is carried out in a separate container,The aquarium, where sick fish were kept, is sometimes recommended to be disinfected. Soil, catch tools and fish farming equipment can be decontaminated by boiling, and water vegetation - with a solution of bicillin-5.
It takes time to restore the fins. After the course of treatment, you should observe the condition of the fish for a while. If there is no improvement, then perhaps it makes sense to change the drug. Levometsetin, as a rule, copes well with this disease - 1 tablet (for adults) per 20 liters of water.
But in general, fin rot occurs after a lot of stress or in a crowded aquarium, with poor conditions of detention. Rotting of fins is the first signal for aquarium owners that the conditions of keeping pets are far from ideal. So watch out for your pets and try to provide them with everything you need to live in your aquarium.
