Fin rot? Fungus? Which one?

I apologize my info is all over the place but i need help. And my Brain is going a million miles a minute right now.

tonight i noticed the tail of one of my endlers looked weird. I saw what looked like fin rot Almost. But it looked rather stringy and it was white. This endler has a clear tail. I will be at a friend house this weekend so i might need advice fast. I have treated fin rot before and know what it looks like for the most part. His tail is slightly deformed looking. I am sorry i can not fill out emergency template most likely but will post parameters and picks soon. I would like to know if it is fungus or fin rot. It appears to have a strand of something hanging of the back which makes me think it isn’t fin rot?

Ten gallon
.25-?.4ish not quite .5-0-NA (had two endlers pass away and i never found bodies might be cause of ammonia.)
Only other inhabitants are a male betta who i might rehome two mystery snails and a couple of shrimp. My tank is cycled.

I am out of prime so i can’t do a water change. Unless i can find a few drops HOWEVER i am on well water and it stay rather clean as far as I know.

the fish in question is acting a little stressed but not terrible. He eats and is very active (little to active) begs for food and hangs out with his buddies.

Tank has been setup since the 27th.New arrivals were driftwood that i boiled for a few minutes and a plant out of my moms healthy tank.

I am leaning more towards fin rot because his tail looks smaller. Would finrot turn a clear tail white?

 

I’m sorry, it’s really hard for me to tell with that pic, anyway you could snap a better one?

Finrot can have white edges, yes. If his tail was at all nipped or torn prior, then with the parameters spiking I wouldn’t be surprised if a nip or tear had the chance to progress to rot.

 

Thank you as i will potentially be able to do a water change tomorrow. I am leaning towards fin rot and i think i will be able to manage it if that is the case. I only have an ipad to take pictures with and the fish never stop moving so i can’t really take a better pic sorry.i will add some extra beach leaves which add a few tannins and maybe some oak which are quite tannin rich as I understand it.

 

No worries about the picture. From what I can make out it looks just like there is a nick in it, which is making it appear to look stringy? Correct me if I’m seeing it wrong.

I have dealt with very stringy rot before, and was able to get the tail to fully regrow with just water changes and the ocassional aplication of MB. The leaves are a good idea; tannins can certainly help prevent further infection.

 

I am going to Up water changes. ALso my text kit is one month past expiration date if that matters much

I am going to bed it is midnight and i have to go to school tomorrow.

 

For the expiration date; it’s hard to say. I honestly forgot that they even expired (after checking it seems mine are well over due) but after doing a quick search, I got mixed results. Some say not to trust it after the expiration date, while others say there is a short amount of time after the expiration date where its still safe to use (like a month or two.) So, I really can’t clarify that for you. Maybe someone else knows for sure?

Sorry- the way you listed the parameters in the first post was a bit confusing to me, do you mind listing them all again?

 

Sorry i posted the parameters weird, They were .25-.50-0- didn’t Test.

I am very sure it is fin rot. But This morning when i turned my light on i saw all of my endler laying on the bottom not moving. A mystery snail tried to eat one. I am testing ammonia to see if it spiked over night. They are all swimming around now but they are hugging the surface and gasping everything i can think of it ammonia, I have school today so this is really bad timing.

Just tested ammonia. Same as last night. So weird. Were they just like “waking up” as fish? Acting normal now. Will test nitrite and nitrate soon

 

Your parameters are still confusing... could you list like
Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:

 

Sorry i posted the parameters weird, They were .25-.50-0- didn’t Test.

Wait, sorry if I am understanding this wrong but you are saying you have:

Ammonia: .25
Nitrite: .50
Nitrate: Haven't tested

Am I reading that correctly or nah?

I know my fish used to freak out when the lights turned on, hence why I adjust them to the room light beforehand now, but I don't recall any fish having a similar reaction.

 

sorry i am not good at posting parameters

ammonia: .25-.5
nitrite: didn't test this morning last night it was 0
Nitrate: 20ish

 

All good.

Does your ammonia normally read like that? Sounds kinda like a false reading to me, although I normally don't hear of false readings above .25. If they did spike from the missing fish like you said than water changes is really all you can do.

As for the reaction of the fish, here is my .02. IME I had fish who rested on or near the bottom when sleeping (or just huddle in a corner), and then when I turned on lights they would immediately freak out and bolt to the surface, take gulps of air, and then would be fine within the next 10 minutes. I suppose that sounds similar to what you said. If is not a water quality issue, try turning the room light on a few minutes before the aquarium light to see if that was what shocked them.

 

When people ask the question "Is this fin rot or fungus?" the most appropriate answer is usually "Yes!".

Infections of fins often start out as bacterial infections aka fin rot. Fungus is an opportunistic secondary infection that sets in once tissue has been damaged. Thus, fin rot infections often morph into fungal infections. Thus, it is best to treat for both types of infections.

 

Okay, thank you. i had to bump one of my fish with something. it didn't seem to be alive at first. They are acting normal now. Weird things. Caused me to be half an hour late to school. It is fin rot right now. I can handle that easily Hopefully. Is pimafix useful for fungus or is it really just bad in general? I was thinking it fungus comes after the fin rot i could do a small dose (to a degree safe for betta) unless there is a better way to do it? Pimafix bath?

 

Okay, thank you. i had to bump one of my fish with something. it didn't seem to be alive at first. They are acting normal now. Weird things. Caused me to be half an hour late to school. It is fin rot right now. I can handle that easily Hopefully. Is pimafix useful for fungus or is it really just bad in general? I was thinking it fungus comes after the fin rot i could do a small dose (to a degree safe for betta) unless there is a better way to do it? Pimafix bath?

Pimafix is a solution of pimenta racemosa essential oil. It is sometimes called Carribean bay tree oil. It is the scent used in Bay Rum aftershaves. This is different from the bay leaves found in the cooking spice section of the grocery store. That bay is from the bay laurel tree. API claims that pimafix is effective against some fungal infections.

Melafix is a solution of melaleuca alternifolia oil that is usually sold as tea tree oil as the tree is often called the Australian tea tree. The tea tree or bush used to produce real tea for drinking is camelia sinensis. It also contains lots of compounds with medicinal properties. Tea tree oil is said to have both antibacterial and antifungal properties.

API claims that Pimafix and Melafix can be used in combination when you are not quite sure whether you have a bacterial or fungal infection.

The problem with using these medications is that any fish with a labyrinth organ such as bettas and gourami are adversely affected by volatile essential oils. Thus, if you have these fish, you have to use a reduced dosage. Obviously, reducing the dosage can also reduce the effectiveness.

 

The problem with using these medications is that any fish with a labyrinth organ such as bettas and gourami are adversely affected by volatile essential oils. Thus, if you have these fish, you have to use a reduced dosage. Obviously, reducing the dosage can also reduce the effectiveness.

Yes i was thinking of using it as a slight preventative at a much reduced dose so as to not hurt my betta as i wouldn’t want to hurt him. But WC’s and tannins would be better most likely

 

I had a endler disappear. I might have mentioned that earlier that two passed away. Well today another one went missing. Only one apreaed I’ll when gone missingl he seems to be a runt or have parasites very bad. I am freaking out as I don’t know what is happening to my fish and I am scared they might all do this. Can someone help. I will fill out template soon

he died. I found the body looking slightly beat up. I lulled him out as soon as I saw crushed his head just in case he was still hanging on (he was definely not gonna make it).

My fish all look a little bloated although I don’t think they’ve had food in two days, they still eat.

the food that they eat (aquatic arts flakes) have two silica gel packets inside the container. Could that be a problem? Any ideas Would be great. I had a parasite out break a while ago. I am really concerned they will all die like this. Vanishing then staying lost or just showing up their with no life in them.
I am in a really bad mood. I am sad I lost the fish. Terrified for The living ones. And feeling guilty because I’m thinking about what I could put in there. And angry fir not knowing what to do and why my fish are dying.