Fin rot is common among fish in the tropics, mostly the ones that are displayed in freshwater aquarium. If your guppies are suffering from fin rot you will need to know how to treat it.
How To Treat Guppy Fin Rot? Guppy fish with rot have sharp and ebb fins. Almost all parts of their body are affected, though it usually occurs on the tail and spread through the dorsal, pectoral, anal, head and pelvic fins. Luckily, this adverse condition is noticeable to find because it doesn’t hide on the body of the fish. The fins of guppy fish are generally smooth with well-arranged edges.
If this fin rot is not treated or spotted urgently, then it can result to a symptom called dropsy which is swelling in the guppy fish belly due to the accumulation of excess fluids from the aquarium or untreated fin rot.
What Is Fin Rot In Guppies?
Fin rot in guppies is widespread bacterial diseases that affect most guppies kept in aquarium or tanks. Research shows that it is caused when a fish tank is dirty.
Alongside other features like poor treatment, or stocking a guppy fish in the same aquarium with other infected fish. Severe fish rot leads to fins that look shredded as if they are decaying.
You know guppies are colorful, but fin rot discolor their beautiful appearance, and they start becoming sluggish in the aquarium as the days go.
Moreover, perpetual destruction of the fin is observed whenever fish rot is not treated with urgency in guppies. The rot is contagious; this is one of the reason guppies care should be taken seriously so you don’t lose them.
Is Fin Rot Contagious to Other Fish?
Like we hinted in the last paragraph that fin rot is contagious. Healthy guppies are fantastic to behold, but they stench whenever they are infected by vibrio.
Vibrio is a gram-negative bacteria; other examples are Aeromonas and pseudomonas. Fish are infected with these bacteria whenever they get in contact with infected fish or polluted aquarium water.
Guppies love to peck the tails of others; they can contact fin rot through this.
Below Are Reasons Why Guppies Get Rot
i) Overcrowding: Aquarium with overcrowded fish are susceptible to fin rot.
ii) Poor water quality
iii) Fluctuating PH, cold aquarium water is one of the ways fin rot get to guppies.
iv) Increasing Nitrite and ammonia: Guppies excreta contains ammonia and nitrite if their water is not changed on time, then the accumulation of the waste can lead to fin rot.
v) Leaving leftover food floating for days can be devastating to guppies, bacteria act on the leftover when the aquarium is not neatly kept.
vi) Consistent stressing of fish causes fin rot: Aquarium in most places are meant for sightseeing, in some areas they give you the privilege to handle the fish to play with them.
Can Fin Rot Heal On Its Own?
This question cannot be answered with a straight forward yes or no. The bacteria that caused the fin rot need to be eliminated by treating the water and maintain the parameter of the water over time.
Then fin rot might heal naturally in guppies this way, provided the condition is not severe. Application of antibiotic is introduced to heal the wound if natural healing is not forthcoming.
How To avoid Fin Rot From Reoccurring
Avoidance of fin rot starts from the point of purchase. Ensure you observe the fins and tails with the utmost attention.
Learn how healthy guppies tails and fins look like so you can differentiate them from the unhealthy ones when you want to buy.
If you already have some guppies in your aquarium, you should be more attentive to the features of the new ones you are buying because if they already contacted bacterial disease, it can be disastrous to other guppies.
However, immediately you notice fin tweaking in some fishes then isolate them. Experience shows that the environment of a fish is the primary cause of fish rot, ensure a periodic change of water in your aquarium.
The number of time you change the water depends on the number of guppies and aquarium/tank size.
If you have a one-gallon capacity of water in your aquarium, it is recommended you change the water every three days.
while an aquarium/tank that contains 5 gallons of water should be replaced every seven days.Keeps live ferns and moss in your aquarium, a stable PH level is essential to healthy fish.
Then buy fish floating foods that can be eaten within seven weeks, so that the nutrients in the feed are still intact.
How To Treat Fin Rot In Guppies
Observation and Isolation are the first steps to take, be observant if you have guppies and whenever you noticed anything related to fin rot isolate immediately, so it doesn’t spread to others.
The fish should be kept in unchlorinated fresh water. Don’t make a mistake of sharing the same tool like fish-net with the infected fish and the healthy ones.
Use boiled water to disinfect sand and all decorations in your aquarium; it is advisable to use screen filter, so leftovers of food and other wastes are thoroughly cleansed from the aquarium screen.
Periodic application of clean water still one of the best treatment and apply a pinch of aquarium salt but if you guppies/aquarium fish are scaleless, do not use aquarium salt.
Ensure you soak the aquarium tools in hot water for ten minutes while you wash the crevices of the aquarium after you have drained the water and put the healthy fish in a different tank.
The guppies with fin rot can be gradually returned to the aquarium when the PH level is between 7-8 then apply anti-fungal drugs and antibiotics to the fin rot.
You should also check how to prevent constipation in fish.
Once a clean aquarium and medication are achieved, the fin rot begins to heal. Medicines like the combination of jungle eliminator with tetracycline works.
You can also see how to care for pregnant guppy.
I hope the information above will help you prevent or cure fin rot in guppies. Have in mind that poor management of the aquarium is a significant cause of fin rot.
This is so ensure the safety of your guppies at all time or employ only trained individuals when you are too busy to care for your guppies.
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