Fin Rot

It's just one thing after another...

It appears Bruce the fish has Fin Rot.

It does figure really, when he had the Whitespot he behaved very similarly to a cat with fleas, scratching himself on everything vaguely sharp in his little tank. Now the whitespot has thoroughly cleared up and his fins have splayed out again as he's no longer sick, the rot is quite clear. What I initially thought was new growth, isn't. Where he had been quite "closed" and had kept his fins close to him, it wasn't really visible for what it was. What I believe has happened is the scratching has caused him to tear his fins and the poor water quality whilst I was away has allowed the fin rot to take hold. On a brighter note, he seems very alert and well, so it's clearly not bothering him too much, however it still needs treating before it does start to bother him!

However, all this means he's not really up to the job of being a daddy... So, I'm off this evening to meet a local breeder and consider a different fish for the job. My female is spot on, showing all the correct signs and looking very healthy so there hopefully won't be any problems there. Once Bruce does recover, I of course have the option of trying to breed with him then, however I need to look into how high the risk is of him developing fin rot again when she bites him!