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I am minding some fish for a friend and a few showed up looking less than healthy.

I decided to try a fin treatment on 2 of them as nothing was working bath-wise.

I had used mercurochrome on my fish with brilliant results (i thought i was going to have to put them down, but they are all very healthy now! full tails and all) so i gave it a shot on these 2 boys.

Problem was, that as soon as i scooped the fish up, i got black on my hands. I thought it was ink (why? i dunno, i just did) so i went to rub it in and it turned shiny blue!
It was decaying tail tissue!

here is the pic.

there should NOT be any black on the tissue, just red.

Callatya attached this image:
[img]http://www.fishprofiles.net/attachments/396794.jpg"]

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

the fish AFTER i did his fins

I didnt take a before photo, but the fins looked similar except there were blobby melty bits on the ends.
Callatya attached this image:
[img]http://www.fishprofiles.net/attachments/396795.jpg"]

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

Hmm, mercurochrome . It contains 26% mercury and is a dye, but in the past has been used as a topical skin antiseptic for humans. Be careful with that stuff

Poor things, hope they come around. Were they treated with any broad spectrum antibiotics as well, like Maracyn plus or maracyn? Looks pretty gruesome, hope it works out.

Wow what a mess. I have heard of fins going "blobbie" from a high ph, but I don't think it would be this bad. Do you have some of the original water you can test?

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If at first you DO succeed, try not to look astonished.

WOW. I've never had that happen b4. I'd say just clean water every other day for awhile with no meds in it. If there was bacteria b4 it's GONE now.

This stuff is 2% mercury, but yes, all the same i am a bit more careful than if i was using iodine or dettol

Its just bizzare, i have never seen anything like it.

I'll get another piccie of him today.

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett