hi i have an 80 gallon tank and i noticed one of my fish had a white spot on his rear fin area. i put him in a separate tank and tried medicine that treats ick velvet .well this also didnt work and i noticed his fin fell off. he lost color and now his rear fin is completely gone and and looks like a chunk of meat. he seems ok now and is active in the quarentine tank.i have had other fish in the tank do something similar but there sides looked eatin away and they died . i dont know what to do about this i had my water checked and they said my ph level was a little low and my nitrates were at 300 i have tried water changes and nitrate decrease but cant seem to lower it. any info on what my fish has and the water problem would be greatly appreciated thanks
i am new and need help please
- Thread starter isaachope
- Start date
Sounds like your tanks aren't completely cycled. You can post in the freshwater section for more responses. Welcome to AC 
The pH shouldnt be a problem, but can you get an exact amount? It sounds to me like fin rot. You should try to do daily 40% water changes and get plants both of which will help to lower nitrates. For fish severely affected with fin rot I would use a treatment such as Tetracyclene or Mracyn 1/2. The best thing you can do right now is water changes and lots of them.
On top of water changes, i would take this time to also maintenance your filter. Dismantle it, and clean the gunk out with dechlorinated water. Swish your filters around in original tank water (water taken from the tank during a water change). Do not concern yourself with getting the filters spotlessly clean, you want to try to keep as much beneficial bacteria as possible.
White spot? Fin fall off?
Well, I have never seen a fin fall off; however are you familiar with Columnaris? Google and "google images" may help you determine if the "white spot" might have been it, it can cause bad cases of "Jungle Rot" in fish ...
Regards,
TA
