Q&A for How to Treat Fin Rot

You want to scrub the glass, clean all of the gravel, do a water change, and clean any filter media you have.

Check your betta for cloudy eyes, white film on its skin, and torn fins. These can all be signs that something is wrong.

In some cases you can treat fin rot with salt but this remedy should only be used on salt-tolerant freshwater fish. You can use tonic salt, or sodium chloride, adding 1 ounce (28g) of salt per gallon (3.7 liters) of tank water. Some fish owners advise using it only when the fin rot is particularly aggressive. You can also add aquarium salt to the water after cleaning the tank (check it’s suitable for freshwater fish), so the water is healthy––this can be done after each cleaning.

Provided the fin did not rot down to the fish’s body (fin base) and the stressor that caused the fin rot in the first place has been removed or minimized, then in many cases the fin should grow back. It is a slow process though, so be patient and if you have any concerns, try to have a vet make a home visit or share photos of the problem on a fish forum for advice from fellow fish keepers. If the fin rot reached the fin base and therefore the body of the fish, even if the fish survives this, the fin is not likely to grow back.

Yes, fin rot can be fatal if it is not treated quickly and properly. The environment needs to be amended too, as dirty water conditions will hasten the fin rot and also the demise of the affected fish.

Yes, any fish can suffer from fin rot. Treatment options are generally the same between species since it's caused by the same issue: bacterial growth in a tank that has been contaminated/hasn't been cleaned often enough.

See if your fish's personality and activity improves over a few days. Take mental notes of where the tears are so you can notice when they are getting better.

Regular water changes, minimal stress, and a properly filtered tank. It may take awhile for the fin to grow back, but it is possible. I had a guppy who had its tail eaten off by another fish. After removing the aggressor into a different tank, it took 6-8weeks and the guppy had its tail completely mended.

With a clean and roomy environment, good high protein diet, correct pH and temperature and, if necessary, medication will have your fish on the road to recovery quickly.

Are there any sharp ornaments or plants in your tank? If so, that could be the cause of the fins tearing on your fish. Take out any sharp objects from your tank and watch your fish carefully. Usually, the fins will grow back when your fish becomes less stressed.

Receding webbing on the fins can be an indication of fin rot, but it could also be injuries caused by sharp objects in the tank. It doesn't hurt to do a thorough cleaning and perform more regular cleanings to try to treat fin rot if that's what it is.

You can add aquarium salt every time you change the water. You can use Bettafix instead of aquarium salt, but do not add both at the same time. Some Betta fish owners recommend using aquarium salt instead of Bettafix as Bettafix can be dangerous for your fish.

Betta Revive is one such medication, effective for various diseases including fin rot.

There are three ways to treat fin rot: anti-bacterial treatment, antibiotics, and fixing the environment. Fixing the environment is the most important element, because if the tank is in a bad way the fish will become reinfected with fin rot in the future. Do a couple of large, 20-50% water changes with clean, aged water, and try to suck up as much debris and detritus as you can. Check and clean all your filters, and give the gravel a good clean as well, especially if you’re using an undergravel filter. Look out for any tank bullies that are nipping or fighting

Because you should change the water more frequently when treating a fish with fin rot, it would be better to isolate the affected fish in a smaller quarantine tank to ensure you're giving it the cleanest environment to recover in. Some treatments for fin rot can stress a healthy fish, so it's better to nurse the affected fish back to health before returning it to the larger tank.

Try adding aquarium salt to the tank -- one teaspoon per gallon of water. Change the water daily. If you have a smaller tank, use it until the fin rot is gone. Never add salt more than once a day without changing the water. Be sure to use dechlorifier/conditioner if you're using tap water, which could also help with the healing process.

Your fish may not be getting enough oxygen in their tank. You may need to do a water change and make sure you change the water every three to five days. You may want to clean the tank before you add in fresh, conditioned water. Another option is to buy an air pump and put it in the tank so the goldfish get enough oxygen in the water.

Yes. If the tank has already been used, then you should make sure that it is thoroughly cleaned before your fish are introduced.

It is stressful and can dump out healthy bacteria. A 25% change weekly in a nice big tank (5 gal) with filter/heater is good.

Betta fish will develop rips and tears in their fins and tails. Some fins may also look partially transparent.

Try changing his water every other day and be sure to clean his tank. It is possibly caused from stress too, so give him a big tank with plenty of hiding spots.

No! You need at least a 50 gallon tank for 5 goldfish, and that's the bare minimum. You can keep one goldfish in a 5 gallon tank, but even that will be a pretty cramped environment and it's not recommended.

If you add tea tree oil (1 drop per gallon normally), it will grow back relatively quickly. My black moor had split his dorsal fin in half, and was losing parts of his fins. It only took about a week for it to fully repair itself.

The tail will probably not be exactly the same, but it will grow back. Like when a person gets a cut, the skin grows back but there might be a scar or discoloration, it is similar with fins or tails. The tissue wil regrow, but it will look a little different because it will be newer than the surrounding tissue.

No. Aquarium salt is specially made for fish use and is formulated with minerals that are needed. There may be additives in cooking salt that could harm your fish, or you may just make the water too salty for the fish to live in.

In most cases, if they are taken care of well, the fish will grow back their lost fins over time. If the rot has gotten to the base of the tail, though, it's most likely permanent.

Generally you want to stick to a "one in per one gallon" rule. If you buy a 10g tank, after adding gravel and other miscellaneous ornaments, assume your tank is now only holding about 8-9g of water. If you buy a fish look to see how long it grows. Add up the kinds of fish and the amount of inches you have. In this scenario, you want to keep the fish length preferably under 9 inches. So that means, for example, you could put 9 guppies in your tank because their maximum fully grown length is 1 inch (2.5cm).

I heard that fin rot can also be treated by putting 1 tablespoon of epsom salt in your tank for every 5 gallons of water.

Ich can be treated using a salt bath or using ich medication. Find out more information on how to address ich in goldish here: http://www.wikihow.com/Cure-Goldfish-Ich. Find out how to address ich in tropical fish here: http://www.wikihow.com/Treat-Tropical-Fish-With-White-Spot-Disease-(ich).

You can follow the instructions in the article above to try to cure the fin rot.