How to Treat a Cichlid Fish With No Fins

Cichlids are naturally aggressive fish, and fighting in the aquarium can lead to bullied fish suffering from fin loss. Fish fins can re-generate without any intervention under perfect aquarium conditions. In extreme cases, fin rot may set in as an additional problem when fish are stressed. If a cichlid has no fins, the prognosis is not particularly good, but you can attempt to treat the fish in a quarantine tank. Use a commercial fin rot treatment with aquarium salt to kick-start the natural healing process. Fin rot medicines kill bacteria, but they also contain an additional tissue-healing ingredient, enabling you to treat an injury and prevent a fin rot infection with one preparation.

Things You'll Need

  • 5-gallon tank
  • Bucket
  • Water dechlorinator
  • Commercial fin rot solution
  • 1 tbsp. aquarium salt
  • Heater
  • Filter
  • Cup or small container
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Instructions

    • 1

      Prepare a bucket of water with dechlorinator, following the guidelines on the bottle.

    • 2

      Add a commercial fin rot medicine to the bucket of water. Different brands of fin rot treatment have different dosage quantities and methods, so dose the water according to the instructions on your chosen brand.

    • 3

      Stir 1 tbsp. of aquarium salt into the bucket of water and agitate the mixture to ensure the crystals disperse completely. Work to a ratio of 1 tbsp. of salt to every 5 gallons of water, so if your quarantine tank is bigger or smaller, adjust the salt levels accordingly.

    • 4

      Position the heater and filter in the quarantine tank, and fill the tank with prepared water from the bucket. Set the thermostat on the heater to match your aquarium's temperature and switch on the heater and filter. The water in the quarantine tank must be the same as the aquarium so your sick fish does not become shocked by a temperature difference.

    • 5

      Catch your cichlid in a cup or small container instead of a net to keep stress to a minimum, and transfer the fish to the quarantine tank.

    • 6

      Administer follow-up doses of fin rot treatment in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions until your cichlid's fins regenerate. Return your fish to the aquarium when it is completely cured.