[josh26757]

[/IMG]please help me determin what disease i am dealing with.i treated the fish for ich but didnt help.i started looking through the internet and the closest thing i found was fin rot.i woke up this morning and a piece of his fin was missing.im new to the forum but ill try to post a pic. my ph is a little low so i know thats not the prob.

thanx for the help,
josh

[leebca]

Josh,

I would need a clearer and closeup photo of the fish to be sure. However, it could be fin rot (bacterial infection), a fungal, or a viral infection. I might be able to eliminate one or the other possibility with a much better photo.

If fungal, then it most likely came about from a bacterial infection beginning. If bacterial infection (which is the basis of fin rot) then there is a problem with the fish's environment (water quality, excessive organics, detritus build up, poor maintenance routine, tankmates, etc.) or the food (insufficient nutrients), or any combo of these.

If viral, then it isn't much that can be done.

The fish should be moved to a quarantine tank and since two out of the three are bacterial oriented I would obtain and begin the use of Maracyn Two for Saltwater fishes. Begin with twice or double the recommended first dosage of this medication on the fish in the quarantine tank.

If you provide a better photo and much more info, I may be able to make further suggestions. If you having difficulty in trying to figure out what may be going on or less-than-perfect in your marine system, then much more info is needed, such as:
How old is your tank? When did it originally cycle?
What is the size (dimensions and gallonage) of your aquarium? Does the gallonage include the volume from the sump and any refugium?
Do you use carbon, skimmer, mechanical or other chemical filtration?.
List all specimens & sizes in the tank (fish, inverts, corals, clams, snails, crabs, shrimp, etc.).
Do you use a quarantine tank and procedure?
Foods you use and feeding schedules.
How long have you had this fish? If the fish was recently acquired (6 weeks or less), two more questions: Did you treat it or give it a dip before it went into the aquarium? How did you acclimate it – what procedure?
Do you use any vitamins? Fat additives? Any elemental or other additives? Please list all.
Chemistries – you gave some. Do you test for Phosphate, alkalinity, calcium and magnesium? Please give actual current numbers for everything. Have these numbers been changing lately?
Water parameters – please give actual numbers (pH and your pH range, salinity or sp. gr. & range, temperature range)
Do you see any of the following in your system: hair algae; micro algae; cyanobacteria growths (red slime algae); dinoflagellate (zooxanthellae) growths; brown algae; diatom growth; slimes; off-colored patches on rock or substrate that are not coralline; etc.?
Water changes (how much and how often).
What is your source water? (Tap water, RO water, DI water, RO/DI, distilled, etc.)
List what you added or taken out of your aquarium system (living, decorations, and equipment) during the past 6 weeks.
Maintenance schedule. What have you done lately?