# Tail \ Fin rot medications safe with shrimp?



## sleepswithdafishez (May 23, 2013)

I bought my peacock gudgeons with nipped tails from LFS.The fins are fine for now.
I also have shrimp in the tank ,are there any medications for preventing\treating fin rot ,that wouldn't kill shrimp?


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

Put new fish in a quarantine tank, never the main tank, and treat as needed until they are healthy enough to add to the main tank. 

I would start with just water changes and see if the fish heal from the injuries. Lowest possible nitrate from the livestock. Low dosing of fertilizer. I am not sure, but somehow it seems to me that when the NO3 is high from the livestock the livestock is less healthy, less able to fight off things like fin rot setting in on injured tissue. Maybe there are other wastes accumulating and we are measuring just the NO3? But when the NO3 is high because of fertilizer the livestock seem to handle it just fine. I dunno... 

I would not trust fish medicines with shrimp. 

The first line of prevention after really good water quality with plenty of water changes is Melafix and Pimafix types of products. They act only on the outside of fish, they do not enter the fishes' system. They will latch onto other organic matter in the tank, too, which is why treatment is better in a bare bottom quarantine tank. Anyway, thoroughly clean the tank, including a minor gravel vac (not to the point of uprooting the plants) then dose per label directions. 
The other 'first step after water quality' would be to run a UV sterilizer. This is shrimp safe, as long as the intake is well screened. While the organisms that might attack the fish are still in the water, the UV is a good way to control them, if you have good water circulation. 

If you want the next strongest medication, then you need to know what disease is attacking. 

Stronger measures:
Fin rot from fungi is a possibility when the tissue has been damaged. Fungi move in pretty easily when the water quality is poor and there is compromised tissue for them to eat. An antifungal medicine could help. 
Fin rot from bacteria can be caused by any of several organisms, both Gram negative and Gram positive, so a combination antibiotic would probably be best. 

What I would do:
Water changes, gravel vacs and UV as long as the fishes' fins are healing from the nips with no white edges showing up. If the healing does not happen quickly and cleanly then move the fish to a hospital tank and begin stronger measures based on symptoms. 
Bad signs: Fins getting worse. Fin tissue thinning, fraying. White edge where the fins were nipped. Fish showing signs of stress such as clamped fins, hiding, not eating and so on.


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## sleepswithdafishez (May 23, 2013)

Diana said:


> Put new fish in a quarantine tank, never the main tank, and treat as needed until they are healthy enough to add to the main tank.
> 
> I would start with just water changes and see if the fish heal from the injuries. Lowest possible nitrate from the livestock. Low dosing of fertilizer. I am not sure, but somehow it seems to me that when the NO3 is high from the livestock the livestock is less healthy, less able to fight off things like fin rot setting in on injured tissue. Maybe there are other wastes accumulating and we are measuring just the NO3? But when the NO3 is high because of fertilizer the livestock seem to handle it just fine. I dunno...
> 
> ...


The fish are in the main tank ,they don't look distressed ,they are eating plenty.I will start checking if they recover.The tails have no white edges ,but they lack color close to were they were nipped.Maybe they can recover by themselves ,I did 2 WC per week since I ve bought them 2-3 weeks ago.Maybe I'm just paranoid ,but gonna try some melafix ,and nothing more ,see how they do.Thanx


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

If the injuries happened over 2-3 weeks ago the fins should be showing signs of recovery. Extensively damaged fins would probably not be fully healed, but minor nips should just about be grown out. 
Fin tissue may be clear, but strong and healthy, even if the fish normally has colored fins. Sometimes the color recovers at a different rate. 
If the clear areas are also looking thin and weak, perhaps frayed, that could be bacterial fin rot.


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## sleepswithdafishez (May 23, 2013)

Diana said:


> If the injuries happened over 2-3 weeks ago the fins should be showing signs of recovery. Extensively damaged fins would probably not be fully healed, but minor nips should just about be grown out.
> Fin tissue may be clear, but strong and healthy, even if the fish normally has colored fins. Sometimes the color recovers at a different rate.
> If the clear areas are also looking thin and weak, perhaps frayed, that could be bacterial fin rot.


Thanx for your advice.I'll post some pics tomorrow ,when my crappy camera batteries will be recharged.


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