How to treat stressed out fish?

[ThevinQ]

I've read the sticky regarding stressed out fishes, the treatment recommended emphasizes on prevention.

How would one treat his fishes after the damage has been done? (aka fins and tails broken off/rotted)

Also what is the difference between a viral infection and a bacterial infection?

[XnSdVd]

1) Once the damage has been done there isn't much you can do other than feed the fish well and make sure the water conditions are good. They'll recover over time in most cases. If the tank isn't planted you could give them less light. The safer the fish feels the quicker it recovers. Torn tails recover over the course of a few weeks so just be patient

2) Biologically, a virus is smaller than bacteria. For eg: A flu is a viral infection, which can cause a bacterial infection like a cough. But in the case of fish... i don't know of any viral infections. Things like ICH and slime are caused by bacteria/fungus growing on the fish. If it isn't too bad the fish's natural immunity can fight off the infection. I believe they'll also build up a resistance to it later on.

Hope that helped.

[benny]

When fishes are stressed, there are signs that you can look out for. These includes:

01. Stress coloration
02. Clamped fins
03. Erratic movements
04. No movement/hiding

Stress can come from several factors, including unsuitable environment (pH, water circulation etc), over crowding, predatory tankmates, etc, etc. You need to identify the cause of the stress in order to rectify the situation.

As for damaged fins and battle wounds, they will heal over time. Add a bit of salt will speed up the process. Melafix is a medication that really speeds up recovery in this aspect.

As for viral and bacterial infections, that's another topic altogether. Viral infection requires antibiotic treatments to be effective and this is quite impossible to get locally. Bacterial infections are usually internal too, but there are known signs such as bloated stomach, emanciation etc. There are specific medication to treat each of these infections.

However, you need to know what is the root cause in order to treat effectively. Often, hobbyist end up treating secondary infection without realising that the primary infection rages on and is killing the fish.

Cheers,

[Limbeh]

How about removing them, putting them in a isolated tank and add salt?

I've read the sticky regarding stressed out fishes, the treatment recommended emphasizes on prevention.

How would one treat his fishes after the damage has been done? (aka fins and tails broken off/rotted)

Also what is the difference between a viral infection and a bacterial infection?