Although fish keeping is a lot more accessible and convenient practice than adopting other pets like dogs, cats, etc., still, some problems can be pretty disturbing that deteriorate the health of your fish. Fin injury/rot affects the fishes like Cardinal tetras because they have long-flowing fins.
Fin injury/rot is an ailment that affects many Cardinal Tetras. It can occur due to poor water quality, overcrowding, or inadequate diet. This health issue is one of the most common reasons for fish death in aquariums. You can treat the fin injury with antibiotics and antifungals to heal the wound before it turns into fin rot.
This post will detail fin injury/rot Cardinal tetras, so you know how to treat them if they happen to get sick!
What Is Fin Injury/ Rot?
Fin injury or rot is an infection that causes the tissue around the fin to break down, become inflamed, and die off. It can make fish lose their fins or even die. Fin injury/ rot is a bacterial infection of the fins. It is a common health issue among aquarium fish.
The infection occurs due to the build-up of bacteria living in aquariums and objects (like gravel, decor, and even dead or dying fish). The good news is – no matter how bad your fin rot gets, you can treat this with proper medications.
Once an injury/rot infection is present, it can become a severe and life-threatening illness if not treated. This condition causes the fins to lose their color and will make them appear frayed or shredded.
In addition to losing their coloring, the fins will also look like they are disintegrating and can even fall out.
What Are The Symptoms Of Fin Injury/Rot In Cardinal Tetras?
Fin rot can be difficult to detect at first, especially when there is no external damage. Although this disease has several possible causes and symptoms, redness in more affected areas is the most common.
However, the common symptoms of fin rot or injury are as follows:
Frayed fins
The ends of the fish’s fins will appear ragged and damaged. You can even notice frayed, tarred, or torn edges of the Cardinal tetras fins. It might be due to the chewing of predators or the fin nipping habit of cardinal tetras.
Fish Losing Their Fins
A fish losing its fins can look very similar to one with fin rot. However, the difference is that the fish will not have any redness or damage to the fins. Instead, the finnage may come away quickly as though it is detaching itself from the fish, and there may be a noticeable amount of white flesh on the affected area.
Loss Of Appetite
As fin rot is a severe disease, the fish may stop eating as they feel unwell. In addition, if fin rot has caused nerve damage, this can also result in loss of appetite.
Color Fading
The color of the finnage may fade and appear pale despite no damage to it. For example, color fading in Cardinal tetras might be due to a lack of blood supply in that area, resulting in loss of the fins if not treated promptly.
Fish Losing Balance
Suppose areas or patches are missing from any one or more of your fish’s fins. In that case, it will be unable to maintain balance, and this can result in it constantly swimming at the water surface and may even lead to fish jumping out of the aquarium.
Immobility
As the disease worsens with more damage, your fish will become less mobile. They may be able to swim around about but not at average speed. Moreover, due to the pain your fish experience during fin rot, they mostly prefer to lay in a safer place than travel.
What Are The Causes Of Fin Injury/Rot Cardinal Tetras?
Fin rot is the most common disease in cardinal tetras. This infection occurs due to several factors, including poor water quality, injuries from other fish, and untreated wounds at an early stage of their development.
Some of the most common factors which contribute to fin rot in cardinal tetras are
Poor Water Quality:
Fin rot in cardinal tetras can also occur due to poor water quality. If the aquarium is not clean enough, then there are chances that it may have all sorts of harmful bacteria which attack your fish and cause fin rot in them.
Fish Attacks:
Cardinal tetra fish are tiny, and they need to be in a school of at least six members. If these fish come face to face with large, aggressive fish, then there is also the chance of fin nipping, and the bites may not heal properly. In addition, if one or more fishes start nipping at other ones’ fins, they can easily cause fin rot in cardinal tetras.
Untreated Wounds
If you do not treat minor injuries properly, then they can develop into fin rot. The injuries get worse and deteriorate your Cardinal’s health within a few days to weeks or months. Along with this, untreated wounds might be infectious and can also cause other tank members serious health issues.
How To Prevent Fin Injury/Rot Cardinal Tetras?
Cardinal tetras are very susceptible to fin rot because they have long-flowing fins. Waterborne organisms such as bacteria or fungus love breeding in the wounds that the fish produces on its fins. So, it is crucial to be cautious about this hazard before it occurs.
Moreover, some of the ways to prevent fin rot or injury in Cardinal tetras are:
A Healthy Environment
It is the essential thing that every fish-keeper has to keep in mind. Fish tanks with clean and clear water, free of poisonous chemicals such as chlorine or heavy metals like copper, are best for maintaining a healthy environment for cardinal tetras.
Moreover, having a well-planted aquarium can also work very effectively towards this cause. Plants help in providing natural shelter and proper hiding places for the cardinal tetras.
Proper Temperature
The constant fluctuation in their living surrounding and lack of proper water conditions make them more susceptible to diseases like fin rot. So, keeping your Cardinal tetras at the appropriate temperature is also very important. It keeps your fish safe from any fin rot or injuries caused due to an unhealthy environment.
For example, if one keeps their aquarium water at a temperature above 25 degrees Celsius, the tank is more likely to breed bacteria and fungus that may lead to fin rot.
Enough Space
Cardinal tetras are very active and social fish. Thus they do need enough space to play around. If the tank is small in size with limited hiding places for cardinal tetras, it may lead to fin rot or injuries because of lack of proper movement.
So, one should always keep this factor in mind while setting up their aquariums because these fish are very active and love to play around.
Regular Water Changes
It is also crucial that you take care of a few things every time one does water changes. They should never use tap water because the chlorine in tap water can kill off healthy bacteria present in the aquarium filter system, leading to fin rot or injuries.
Instead of using regular tap water, one should use water dechlorinated with chemicals. It will ensure that no chlorine or heavy metals are present in the tank to damage the filter system and thus keep it healthy.
Adequate And Balanced Diet
Feeding your fish with enough amounts of proteins and vitamins is also very important to keep them healthy. But, overfeeding the cardinal tetras can cause fin rot or injuries. Also, if they cannot eat all the food within a short period, this extra uneaten food settles at the bottom of the tank, which can cause infections.
So, it is always better to feed your fish only the amount of food they can consume within a few minutes.
All these ways prevent fin rot from occurring in cardinal tetras. But it is essential to make sure you treat all wounds properly before moving forward with their fin regrowth. These types of injuries can lead to more problems if they do not heal fully.
How To Treat Fin Injury/Rot Cardinal Tetras?
Fin rot is a health problem that causes your fish’s fins to turn white and gradually transparent. It is a disease that can be fatal. But if spotted early enough, you can treat it with medication.
The treatment process includes:
Proper Diagnosis
Treatment of fin requires some patients and continuous observation. The first step is to find out the reason for your fish’s illness. You can do this by observing their behavior, or you can ask an expert. Once you have found out about the disease, it will be easier to treat them as they become more comfortable with medication.
Use of Medication
You can also treat Fin Rot by using medication in your fish tank like antibiotics, usually, the one that is effective against gram-negative bacteria. It will make it easier since you won’t have to inject them every single day.
However, if you choose this method, you must remember that certain medications are highly toxic for some fish. Hence, it is essential to check the ingredients of your medication before buying/using them.
Alteration In Diet
Further, using dates in diet can also help a lot in treating fin rot. Dates have anti-inflammatory properties. They will not only treat the fins of your fish. But it is also very healthy since dates contain various nutrients that can be beneficial to increase immunity too.
Clean Environment
Last but not least, you should never forget to clean your tank regularly. It will help a lot in preventing diseases and parasites that can be very dangerous for your fish.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Cardinal tetras are beautiful and hardy fish that can be wonderful pets for the right person. They are not the best choice for beginners but will do well in a peaceful community aquarium.
These fish are hardy, but fin rot can be fatal if not treated quickly, so you must act fast in the event of an outbreak. A healthy diet rich in variety will also help your Cardinal tetras fight off diseases like Fin Rot.
Don’t forget to check out our other posts on fish diseases.