A discussion on healing

[lumino]

I'm pretty sure Mario's on the mend now, the fin damage is healing up nicely after that tetra fungus guard treatment - the white fuzzy stuff was gone by the next day. He's super active, eating like normal.

This morning, I caught him flashing a bit - he was trying to get at the top of his body, turning sideways and all. Made me wonder, do fish get itchy like us when they're healing?

Also, I've got a question about the brown stuff on his body - is that just bruising or something?

Here's a before and after pic of the fin damage.

[SeaBidder]

I'm thinking that's exposed flesh, so I'd recommend stepping up the water changes to daily 50% for the next 10 days. Also, add 1 tablespoon of aquarium salt per 5 gallons - just make sure to dissolve it in some tank water first, or it'll cause more harm than good. After the first day, you can cut the salt back to 1/2 tablespoon per 5 gallons with each water change. This should help him heal up without needing to continue with the meds. Keep us updated on his progress.

[lumino]

I've taken a closer look and I'm pretty sure it's not his flesh showing, I can see the scales. I'm thinking of doing a water change to get the meds out, they've really stained my anubias. It's been 4 days with the meds and a week with the salt. To be honest, I've never really noticed a difference when using salt. Mario's still dealing with that fin rot on the end of his tail, it seems like it's just not going away.

[SeaBidder]

I think you're on the right track with the water changes, keep that up for another week.

[lumino]

I removed the meds last night and this morning I'm already seeing that white fuzzy stuff back on his hurt fin.

[SeaBidder]

Daily water changes at 75% with salt would be a good idea for the next 10 days, I'd keep that up. You can also try using Methylene blue with a Q-Tip to dab the area each day, that might help as well.

[lumino]

Thanks for the advice, and just to clarify on the salt, would I use 4 heaping tablespoons for my 10-gallon tank?