Along with routine maintenance and care, there are several other aspects, which need to be focused in order to keep your fish and planted tank safe. There are a number of different diseases such as ICK found in fish and poor aquarium maintenance, and dirty water can greatly increase health risks which can ultimately lead to outbreaks of infection fish disease and other threatening bacteria as well. Like other problems which you may encounter when owning fish in a planted tank is 'Fin Rot.' Fin rot is a common bacterial disease which is reported to affect a wide range of fish species.
Being an infectious disease, it is usually caused due to poor maintenance and dirty tank water, which has high bacteria ratio. In case the problem is not treated completely, fin rot can result in permanent damage to the fins of your fish along with a high rate of disease transfer across the aquarium.
So, if you are determined to make your planted aquarium safer for fish to live in, this article features a few tips and methods to help keep your fish protected from Fin Rot.
Once the Fin Rot disease infects any of your fish, it will start to make visible changes and damages in no time. At the start, the fin edges tend to turn white along with fin fray problem for which you need to take precautionary measures and assess the severity of the situation first. Additionally, in some cases, the bases of fins will look inflamed leading into the rotting of the entire fin.
In the early stages of fin rot, edges tend to change color to white whereas some of them becoming discolored permanently. This change is mostly not visible in daylight until you are able to see the tail beginning to disappear clearly. As the infection spreads quickly, you will also be witnessing small pieces of fins falling off from the fishtail and other fin locations.
If by chance your fish has taken a beating and is badly damaged by the Fin rot infectious disease, the affected area begins to turn inflamed and red causing some bloody patches to become clearly visible, and this is a red flag and key indicator. This disease can also spread to damage other fish in your planted tank for which it is typically advised to remove any infected fish as soon as possible to prevent the disease from spreading further. Although secondary fungal infections can tend to develop and progressively spread over the raw edges of infected fins, this problem can also result due to sudden environmental changes in water chemistry or other additional stressors as well.
In order to ensure a safe living condition for your fish in your planted tank, you must focus on regular maintenance and a cleaning routine for your planted tank. To remove the disease permanently, we advise you to change tank water through a series of several water changes, and clean infected plants and rocks as soon as possible. Furthermore, there are different kinds of cleaning procedures and treatments available on the market which can make your fish absolutely safe and free of bacteria harmful bacteria, while keeping your environment intact. Through treatments of antibiotics, the root cause of the disease can be eliminated with ease, reducing additional tiring efforts and money.
There are different types and categories of antibiotics available for the treatment of fin rot. However, experts recommend finding the root cause or source before adding any chemicals as adding any additional chemicals can also have some negative effects on your planted tank. Water quality is a root cause of Fin Rot, but there are other factors such as adding outdated food, low temperatures, and poor CO2 supply can also result in the weakened health of your fish. To stay safe from fin rot and other issues, we recommend avoiding overfeeding, change water regularly and use high-quality fish food when possible and be sure to test water chemistry after dosing has had time to be absorbed to ensure proper levels.
This last part refers back to a severe case and will require a quarantine tank or two because washing and cleaning the tank is the best way to avoid infectious diseases. In order to thoroughly clean your tank to make it safe again, start with the washing procedure by draining out old diseases riddled water completely. Obviously, before starting this step, you would want to make sure your livestock were settled in temporary homes during this overhauling process.
Once drained, wash it with hot water and refrain from using any chemicals. Detergents and soaps can cause ginormous health hazards for your fish and plants that call your planted tank home. Properly wash the tank accessories, such as diffusers, filters, heaters, and others; soaking them in hot water if possible. Afterwards, wash the gravel and rocks in order to remove any contaminated debris completely.
Once you are done with washing and cleaning, it is time to start piecing your planted tank back together, which is a timely process. Remember that you will need to re-cycle your tank again if you choose to do this step. Make sure water temperatures do not exceed 26 to 27 degrees Celsius, as it is a general sweet spot for the prevention of bacteria growth as well. In the case, your planted tank features a water filter as most should, make sure you clean it properly or replace any overly used filters if they have become completely bogged down with dirt and debris. Using tap water should be avoided when cleaning filters as it can damage the performance and cleaning abilities of the filter, ultimately jeopardizing the products longevity.
At the end of the procedure, adding antibacterial fin rot treatment into your tank can add long-term benefits to prevent future outbreaks. Be sure to remove carbon filtering media before adding treatments. Freshwater treatment solutions can be procured from your nearest pet store or LFS and then added to the tank as directed. These medications are engineered to kill fungal infections and contagious disease for which you can remove toxins permanently, but some alter pH and other water parameters. So, if you are determined to make the fish in your planted tank free from fin rot and future outbreaks in order to keep them healthy and happy, it is recommended to remember the problems and solutions presented here.
Infectious diseases such as Fin rot, the infamous ICK and others can cause damage to the health of not only your fish, but also the plants in your tank, which can prove to be very harmful to beautifully mapped aquascapes.
Along with adding a permanent body damage to fish, the fin rot disease also transfers into nearby species also causing further damage. In order to make your planted tank safe and sustainable again, there are several factors that can be considered to stop, reduce, or reverse the effects immediately. For help and support, we suggest taking this brief article in mind and reaching out on the forum. Someone is always willing to provide a helping hand.
Furthermore, factors such as routine maintenance and regular water changing can greatly increase the environment of your planted tank, boosting its overall health. With a clean environment, correct Ph, suitable temperature and a proper diet, you can recover the damaged fish's health in no time. So, if you are battling fin rot and need to know a starting place and a couple tips, we are sure this will help provide you a base to start your fight against fin rot.
