Fin rot: treatment in a community aquarium. How to disinfect an aquarium Treatment of aquarium fish with potassium permanganate

Disinfection of an aquarium is a necessary measure that aquarists have to take in order to protect pets and plants from death. The need to disinfect the water and elements in the aquarium arises after the manifestation of infectious viruses and microorganisms in the reservoir, as well as after the death of pets. However, not all owners of artificial reservoirs know how to disinfect an aquarium correctly so as not to harm the inhabitants of the aquarium.

Disinfection of an aquarium is carried out in two cases:

• During the initial launch of a new artificial reservoir.
• Disinfection of an existing reservoir with disinfectants when infectious diseases are detected.

When starting up the tank for the first time, disinfection is necessary in order to destroy possible contaminants, bacteria, microbes and other viruses, which can subsequently lead to dire consequences and even the death of pets, so it is necessary to treat the aquarium immediately after purchase. An existing aquarium is disinfected if contagious fish diseases or harmful algae have been identified, for example, with ichthyphothyrius, blackbeard or blue-green algae. In these cases, disinfecting the aquarium will not only destroy the remains of bacteria and viruses, but will also help the owner treat their pets.

Effective disinfection methods

The most effective and popular methods of treating an existing tank are:

• Disinfection with boiling water - when using this method, all harmful algae, bacterial colonies and infections are guaranteed to die. The temperature should be increased gradually so that the glass of the container does not crack. The method is only suitable for seamless reservoirs or with persistent glue, otherwise leaks and damage to the container are possible.
• Potent antibacterial agents are used in case of fish infection with dangerous infectious diseases - the tanks are disinfected with a powerful cleaning agent or chlorine-containing agent. You cannot use white in this case! After the tank has been treated, rinse the container with water several times.
• Hydrogen peroxide will help disinfect the pond as a preventive measure. The action of the product is not as strong and powerful as the previous method, but hydrogen peroxide is the most careful and safe to use. However, after using peroxide, the container should be rinsed.
• A mixture of table salt and thick water will also help disinfect the pond. After mixing salt and water, the resulting slurry is applied to the corners and seams of the tank, then the container is filled with liquid and left for two hours. After treatment, the liquid is drained and the tank is thoroughly washed, since salt is very dangerous for many phenotypes.
• Methylene blue is one of the most popular drugs. It is safe for fish, so when treating an aquarium with blue, pets do not need to be resettled from the reservoir. Blue is added to the liquid in a ratio of 2 mg/10 l. The disadvantage of using this method is that methylene blue turns the water blue.
• An ultraviolet lamp is another fish-safe way to disinfect a tank. A lamp with ultraviolet radiation can be used as an independent method, and in combination with the above methods.

Disinfecting an aquarium is a simple and effective way to ensure the destruction of dirt, bacterial colonies and algae that harm fish, plants and shellfish. When disinfecting the tank, you should follow the general rules and instructions on the packaging of antibacterial agents in order to upset the ecological balance and not harm your pets.

Video about disinfecting an aquarium

Suddenly the fish in the aquarium began to become covered with small white specks? And every day there are more and more of them?

Unfortunately, the fish became infected with an infectious disease called ichthyophthyriosis.

People call this disease “semolina” because the white bumps on the body of the fish resemble semolina. If you do not start timely and correct treatment, then the population in the aquarium doomed to death.

SYMPTOMS

The very first and main symptom of the disease is the appearance of small (semolina-sized or smaller) white grains on the body of the fish. The disease begins from one or two points and progresses day by day.

Ichthyophthyriosis is a disease caused by the ciliate Ichthyophthririus. When it enters the aquarium, the ciliate attaches to the fish, penetrates the skin, forming white tubercles similar to semolina or salt.

Often the color of a sick fish fades, and a barely noticeable coating appears on the body. Death of fish occurs due to oxygen starvation and extensive damage to the skin epithelium.

Semolina can affect absolutely all types of aquarium fish. Viviparous fish are considered more susceptible to this disease.

Video: fish diseases

Causes

There may be several factors that provoke the disease:

• Soil contamination. It should be remembered that the aquarium must be cleaned regularly, the soil must be thoroughly siphoned off, the filter must be washed, and plaque must be removed from the walls.
• Buying sick fish. When purchasing, you should carefully examine the fish for the absence of mucus, tubercles, etc. on its body. Many aquarists prefer to quarantine new fish. A container of 3 liters or more, without soil, with good aeration, lighting and artificial plants, is suitable as a quarantine aquarium. Isolation of fish passes from two to four weeks. If signs of disease are detected, appropriate treatment is carried out.
• Water too cold. Temperature changes can cause illness.
• Getting contaminated food or water into the aquarium, plants or other objects. It is important to treat objects placed in the aquarium to prevent infection carriers from entering the water.
• Severe stress. This condition can occur in fish during active cleaning of the aquarium or when moving.

TREATMENT

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You can treat fish both in a general aquarium and in a separate one. If there are no fish in the aquarium, the spreaders of the disease die within 2-3 days. Therefore, when treating fish in a separate place, they can be safely returned to their permanent habitat within a week - the source of the disease will no longer be present.

Treatment for fever

Salt treatment

For 30 liters of water, take one heaped tablespoon of salt. The temperature in the aquarium rises to +30-32 C. Aeration should work around the clock at full capacity. Thanks to these actions, the oxygen content in the water decreases, and the high temperature prevents ciliates from developing. The course of treatment is two weeks. Then, for a month, one third of the water is changed every week.

Treatment with furatsilin

Furacilin is an antimicrobial agent, sold in any pharmacy in the form of tablets and ointments. To treat semolina, one tablet of 0.02 grams is diluted in 30-40 liters of water. The tablet should be soaked for 15 minutes in warm water to dissolve. Every other day you need to change 20% of the water volume and add half the dose again. This treatment brings positive results in 4-6 days.

Treatment with hydrogen peroxide

A pharmacy 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide can also help in the fight against this fish disease. 1 ml of the drug is poured into 10 liters of water twice a day. Peroxide saturates the water with oxygen and makes it easier for fish to breathe. But you can’t pour the medicine straight into the aquarium - you can burn your fins passing fish.

Treatment with Antipar

The composition contains the substance “malachite green” and formaldehyde.

The drug is added to the aquarium at the rate of 1 ml per 50 liters of water every other day with a mandatory 30% water change.

Treatment with iodine

Two drops of iodine are added to 10 liters of water, but this treatment is especially effective in total with other medications (furacilin, Antipar).

Video: treatment

Treatment with potassium permanganate

Potassium permanganate or simply potassium permanganate gives good results for the treatment of semolina. Crystals of the drug are dissolved in a separate container at the rate of 5 g per 10 liters of water. The fish are treated every 12 hours for 15-20 minutes. A solution of potassium permanganate is an ideal remedy for aquarium disinfection, algae and soil. But we must remember that many fish are very sensitive to this drug.

Fish that have been infected with semolina become immune to this disease for up to six months.

Every aquarium fish lover can encounter the disease ichthyophthiriasis or semolina. Don’t panic; the most important thing is to start quick, effective treatment. And which method is suitable for this - everyone decides for himself. The most important thing is that the fish are alive and healthy!

The answer to this question also contains the answer to why, in each individual case, aquarists are looking for a new method of treatment, rather than using an already proven scheme. So, what is it? Treatment of this disease is complicated by the fact that it is only one component of a systemic bacterial infection. That is, it is not possible to identify a single pathogen. Several different species of bacteria are involved in the pathogenesis. In particular, experiments have shown that different fish with the same symptoms (fin rot) should receive different treatments. That is why a remedy that helped some turns out to be useless for others.

Main pathogens and symptoms of the disease

Aeromonas hydrophila and all its subspecies are one of the pathogens. It is a gram-negative anaerobic bacillus that is widely distributed in the environment, in fresh and salt water. The second large group of pathogens is Pseudomonas. It is an obligate aerobe, most often found in soil and spoiled food. It is these two groups of microorganisms that cause a disease called “fin rot”. Treatment requires a quick and accurate diagnosis, which usually does not cause problems. The symptoms are obvious enough that even a beginner can recognize them.

First of all, systemic infection leads to the destruction of the body and internal organs. Hemorrhages and necrosis, sepsis, and grayish ulcers on the surface of the body are noted. The fish loses color, fins stick together and erode, and scales become ruffled.

Disease prevention

The later you notice changes, the more damage fin rot can cause. Treatment in a community aquarium is much more effective if it begins at the very first stages of the disease. In any case, the disease is much easier to prevent than to treat. This is a consequence of poor fish immunity in this case decreases, and the concentration of pathogenic microflora becomes higher and higher, which ultimately leads to an outbreak of infection. Prevention is compliance with sanitary standards and requirements for keeping fish. Make sure that there is no excess food in the aquarium, which will rot. There is no vaccine against this disease, but antibiotic therapy is very effective.

Treatment

There are actually two options available. These are medicinal baths where sick fish are placed, as well as the addition of medicine to the general water area. Which method is more effective to completely forget about a disease such as fin rot? Treatment in a community aquarium is considered more effective, since you simultaneously disinfect the soil, plants, and all other contents of the tank, which can become a source of re-propagation of the infection. Therefore, today we will talk about these types of treatment methods.

When did you notice the first symptoms?

The result will be much more effective if you have already noticed the first symptoms of a terrible disease called “fin rot”. Treatment in a community aquarium with salt can only help now. If you neglect the situation, more serious means will be required.

First of all, do a good water change, at least 30%, and set the maximum temperature acceptable for the breed of fish that live in your aquarium. If there are individual individuals that cannot tolerate such changes, they are placed in a separate container. An effective remedy at first is to add regular, non-iodized salt to the water. The norm for sensitive fish is two teaspoons per 10 liters of water, and if the fish can easily tolerate salt, you can add 3 teaspoons to the same amount of water. Keep an eye on your pets. If after a few days the situation has not improved, do a 50-80% water change and begin drug treatment.

Ordinary potassium permanganate will help you

Potassium permanganate is used to disinfect water areas in the treatment of many bacterial infections, including fin rot. Treatment in a general aquarium (the photo of water colored with potassium permanganate looks quite original) is only possible with a subsequent change of water. In this case, it would be much better to place the fish in a separate vessel, where you add 0.5 g per 10 liters of water. The fish are placed in the solution every two hours for 20 minutes. While treatment is ongoing, it is very good to add potassium permanganate to the general aquarium in order to destroy the causative agent of the disease on plants and soil.

Malachite green is the optimal solution for the most difficult cases

Malachite green oxalate is toxic, but helps to effectively cope with this disease. Perfect for treating viviparous, labyrinth fish, neons and barbs, and various ornamental crucians. But for other fish it is used with caution, so consult a professional who knows well what fin rot is. Treatment in a general aquarium takes place at a temperature of +24...+28 degrees. During the entire course it is necessary to aerate the water well. 10 mg/100 l is added to the water. Doses are repeated after 7 days. The treatment itself can last more than a month.

Familiar antibiotics

Simple and inexpensive remedies can help you cope with ailments such as fin rot. Treatment with chloramphenicol in a community aquarium is recommended not only by amateur aquarists, but also by veterinarians. This drug is almost always in your home medicine cabinet. The tablets do not dissolve well in water, so you need to put them in a glass and stir well, and then add them to the aquarium. Dosage - 200 mg per liter. The solution is poured and left for 5 days. When this period ends, it is necessary to begin a partial water change.

Specialized drugs from veterinary pharmacy

What is the most famous product that every aquarist should have? Here's a hint: with its help, you can instantly get rid of a bacterial disease called fin rot. Anti-steam treatment is the most modern way to protect all inhabitants of the water area. It is noteworthy that it can be used for prevention. If you bought new live food, soak it in a weak solution for a few minutes before feeding. Also, for preventive purposes, therapeutic baths are carried out. - 1 ml per 10 liters of water, exposure time 3 hours. In such a bath you can keep new residents who came to you from the store, algae and soil.

If signs of the disease are already present, everything can be corrected. In this case, all lighting devices and filters are turned off. The temperature is maintained at 24-26 degrees. The working solution is added every four days. Therapeutic concentration for long-term baths is 1 ml per 50 liters of water. Decontaminate the solution by passing it through This is an indispensable tool that will help in almost any case. So if you buy an aquarium, stock up on this universal medicine, just in case. Judging by the reviews, it can help out in cases where the symptoms of the disease develop rapidly and time is against you.

You will need

• Disinfectant;
• Ultraviolet lamp (if available);
• A saucepan for boiling soil (if necessary).

Instructions

The easiest way is hot, ideally boiling water. In this case, everything and microorganisms will die. Be careful: the water temperature must be increased gradually so that the glass does not crack. But this method is only suitable for seamless aquariums and structures with hard glue - it looks like ceramics. If the glass is sealed with soft silicone sealant, hot water will make it soft and the aquarium may begin to leak, and the glued container may even fall apart.

Another effective way is a strong disinfectant. You can treat your aquarium with a powerful liquid cleaner or a chlorine solution. But after treatment, the aquarium must be thoroughly rinsed, since even small residues of the cleaning agent can kill the fish. Ideally, the aquarium should be thoroughly rinsed several times, then filled with water, allowed to stand for a day and then rinsed again.

You can also use hydrogen peroxide to disinfect your aquarium. It is weaker than previous options, but safer. Of course, the aquarium will have to be washed with water, but not so intensively.

To treat the aquarium, you can use ordinary table salt. First, make a paste of salt and water and use a soft sponge to treat the glass and seams. Then fill the aquarium with water, add salt at the rate of 1 teaspoon per liter of water and leave for a couple of hours. Then drain the water and rinse the aquarium thoroughly - salt is harmful to many fish, and fatal to some.

Another disinfection method that can be applied even to aquarium plants without the risk of destroying them is potassium permanganate. Make a medium pink solution and rinse the aquarium, wiping with a soft sponge. Then wash the aquarium with water. Plants for disinfection should be placed in a solution of potassium permanganate for 10-15 minutes. Do not overdo the concentration - there is a risk of burning the plants and staining the glass with a brown coating.

Regular table salt is rightfully considered a folk remedy for treating aquarium fish. You can treat with salt directly in the aquarium (slightly adding salt to the water), or you can bathe the fish in a separate container in a relatively strong salt solution. Scientifically speaking, treat using long-term and short-term salt baths.

Photo 1. Table salt from a regular grocery store is a universal treatment for aquarium fish. It is best to use non-iodized coarse salt, ideally rock salt. But you can also have another one - finely ground, “Extra” type.

2 - the Sumatran barb and all its varieties, for example, the “mutant” (also known as the “mossy barb”), really do not like prolonged treatment with salt.
3 - cannot be treated with salt.
4 - young labyrinth fish should be treated with salt with caution. As a rule, they do not tolerate short-term baths with a salt concentration of more than 2%. In no case should it be exceeded for these fish. It is optimal to use a table salt concentration of 1.5%. A lower concentration for short-term bathing of fish is no longer effective. Some breeders add a little salt (1-2 teaspoons per 10 liters) to the juveniles right in the nursery aquarium. This results in a long-term therapeutic salt bath. The fish gradually get used to the increased salinity, and they actually get sick less, but the problem is, they then get sick in fresh water.
5 - you should not use salt in decorative aquariums with plants. Higher aquatic vegetation for the most part does not tolerate high concentrations of sodium and chlorine ions, but they do not prevent algae, which so maliciously spoil the entire aqua design, from multiplying without measure (for more details, see the article " ").
6 - you cannot add table salt to the water of an aquarium with, this will only worsen the condition of the fish.
7 - and, finally, there is no need to use table salt to treat ichthyophthyriosis (at least just salt alone). Without the use of proprietary products or the method described in the article " “Salt will not bring success in the fight against semolina.

What diseases can be treated for aquarium fish with salt?

For what symptoms is it advisable to treat fish with salt?

• if fish start touching the ground and leaves of plants;
• whitish or gray-blue mucus becomes noticeable on their body (sometimes only at a certain position of the fish in relation to the observer);
• the body and/or fins are sprinkled with fine grayish or golden sand;
• the fins of fish are constantly compressed, they do not straighten them even when they try to swim quickly, with compressed fins this turns out very clumsily;
• fish stay near the surface of the water near the air spray;
• viviparous fish make characteristic oscillatory movements with their entire body from side to side, and labyrinthine fish - back and forth.

If you notice these symptoms, then it is best to first make sure that the conditions in the aquarium are quite acceptable for the life of fish (the article " will help you understand the basics of aquarium hydrochemistry " and). And if it turns out that it is quite possible to live in your aquarium, but for some reason the fish feel bad, then they are most likely sick and you should start treating them.
A short-term salt bath in this case may well be the best choice. How to do it is described in detail below, but first of allI want to draw the attention of readers to the need to accurately select the concentration of the saline solution.

How long should the fish be bathed and what should the concentration of the saline solution be?

A 4-5% solution is guaranteed and quickly kills pathogens, but a rare aquarium fish will last in it for even 5 minutes, not to mention the minimum required for a short-term salt bath - ten. However, a 2.0% solution also has a significant therapeutic effect. Almost all aquarium freshwater fish can tolerate this concentration of salt within 10-15 minutes. If there is an urgent need, you can bathe catfish in a salt solution of this concentration. With experience comes an intuitive understanding of what strength of solution will benefit the fish, but for now there is little experience, at first carry out the bathing procedure with one or two of the least valuable fish,and if they can withstand a 15-minute bath, then you can safely bathe the rest, and the salt concentration can even be slightly increased (in principle, solutions with a strength of up to 4% can be used for aquarium fish).As a rule, a 2.0 - 2.5% solution turns out to be optimal (bathing time is 10 minutes, and if the fish are in good health - up to 15 minutes). During the salt bath, watch the fish very carefully. If they begin to be pushed out of the water, they lie on the surface on their side and cannot go down, or too much mucus begins to separate from them, then it is necessary to urgently stop the bathing procedure.

Photo 2. A teaspoon with ten grams of table salt. In order for a spoon to hold 10 g, the slide must be quite decent. I even sprinkled some while I was positioning the spoon on the scale. The weight of the spoon is compensated, the display shows the weight of the salt. Before you start treating your fish with salt, check yourself again to see if you have correctly calculated the concentration and measured the right amount of salt.

So, the most universal and cheapest way to treat aquarium fish is short-term salt baths. Here is the method for carrying them out:

The method of short-term therapeutic salt baths is good because it allows you to do without adding medications (antibiotics and dyes) to the aquarium water, which disrupt, killing beneficial and. In addition, many antibiotics inhibit plant growth and can even lead to their death. Therefore, if you have valuable plants in your aquarium, or plants are always more valuable to you than fish, the only acceptable treatment method will be short-term medicinal baths, in particular the short-term salt baths described here.

Long-term (long-term) salt baths for treating fish: how and why to carry them out?

Long therapeutic salt baths can be carried out in quarantine tanks, nursery aquariums and in aquariums where there are no living plants. In this case, it is more correct to use natural rock salt, but it is acceptable to use any table salt. Long-term treatment of fish with salt is used to combat the same pathogenic organisms that are already listed at the beginning of this article and to relieve symptoms. As a rule, concentrations not exceeding 1.5 g/l are used, and in case of nitrite poisoning - significantly lower.Viviparous fish tolerate long-term salt baths well; this treatment method can also be applied to goldfish, cichlids, spawning cyprinids and some other types of aquarium fish.
The duration of long-term salt baths is from several days to two weeks. At this time, during water changes, water with the same salt concentration as in the aquarium is poured into the aquarium. I would not recommend keeping fish in water with high salinity for more than two weeks, so that they do not develop disorders of their osmoregulation mechanisms. As soon as the fish are freed from pathogens (their symptoms of poor health disappear), you should begin to reduce the salt concentration using fractional water changes (10 - 15% of the aquarium volume daily).

If you have a need to treat fish with salt, but you are not sure whether salt can be used for certain species and you find it difficult to choose the concentration and/or duration of treatment (short-term or long-term baths), then ask about it at, where a special subject: .

More materials about treating aquarium fish using short-term therapeutic baths: " ".

V. Kovalev 04/29/2015

Updated 02/19/2019