Fin Rot: What Is It and How Can I Treat It?

By: Roberts, Jason

Fish diseases can be a nightmare for beginner aquarists. I
f you go too long without water changes or let a fin nipping tank mate have their way, fin rot can arise in healthy fish.

While the infection usually starts off small, if left untreated it can progress all the way to the body. Affected fish will eventually die if things don't improve.
In this article, I'll explain what Fin Rot is and how to best treat this common fish disease.
Disclaimer: I do want to say that I am not a licensed veterinarian and this content is purely based on my personal experience.

Fin Rot is caused by one of two groups of microorganisms: bacteria or fungi. Pseudomonas, Aeromonas, or Vibrio are the gram-negative bacteria that cause the disease. Any number of aquatic fungi can infect fish fins.
Knowing which organism is causing the infection is important because they don't respond to the same medicines. Bacterial fin rot can be identified by inflamed blood vessels within the infected fins.

Symptoms of Fin Rot
The main symptoms of fin rot in aquarium fish include visibly decaying fins. The rotting edge will be inflamed red or a pale, dead white, but usually has little material buildup. Frayed fin rays are sometimes left intact however the webbing is eaten away by the infection.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0BRLW115C
• ISBN13: 9798372523722
• Release Date: January 2023
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 0.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"