One fish at top, fins look ratty

[traco1]

Yesterday I moved the kois, lyres and reds swords to the 55 gallon. So theoretically, they are still in QT, just a bigger tank. This tank is planted with both floating and substrate plants.

One of the female lyres is at the top staying by the floating plants, her side fins one is looking ratty, fungus? Tail is a bit the same. She is not swimming with the others, just at the top looking kind of gasping when breathing. All other fish in the tank are fine, eat well, swim all over.

Should I pull her? I have no other tanks left except a 29 gallon. No filtration is prepared. What should I do? Need to buy another small tank? Should my whole tank be treated? And treat with what (remember I have live plants so a high salt salinity will not be good)?

I have to head back out for work in a 1/2 hour so hope to get some guidance before leaving if I need to buy anything. If I have to pull her, what do I do about filtration? Would "Stability" by Seachem be a good thing to use? They say it can cycle a tank in 7 days while fish are in there also.

Poor little thing.:(

[Melody]

Have you tested the parameters?

I'd pull her. Did she recently give birth by any chance?

Ratty fins are nothing to be concerned about when they come that way from stores - they can take a beating and keep on ticking. I wouldn't treat without knowing what it is, at least to a point of knowing if its bacterial, parasites or fungus.

Fin problems can also be a secondary thing - more of a symptom of an unhealthy fish for one reason or another. For example, I've seen ratty fins on fish with internal parasites - they're not getting the proper nutrition. She may have something bacterial... sorry, could be anything at this point. I'd start with testing and good ol' waterchanges with salt.

[traco1]

Water params are ammonia and nitrite 0, nitrates 10. So better to pull anyone ill as salt and live plants don't mix too well?

[Melody]

Can't help you there - plants are not my forte'.:no: Try a post in the plant section. I keep a few basic species and that's about it.

[jordonsmum]

Barb, you've seen my tanks. All planted to some degree. The more salt in the tank , the worse off the plants do.