Helping my fish recover from fin rot

[dawnie]

I think the fin rot might be caused by something in the tank. Daily water changes can stress him out, and if there's a decoration ripping his fins, that could be the culprit. Even though you've got fabric plants, are there any plastic parts on them that could be causing the issue? How much water are you changing each day? I'm thinking it might be a combo of stress from the water changes and something in the tank. Can you post a pic of the whole tank, so we can take a look?

Really, what medication would you suggest? I'm not sure I'm comfortable with medicating him yet.

To answer your questions, the tank is 5 gallons, and it's got a filter, but I'm not sure how strong the current is. It's cycled, and I've been changing the water daily, about a gallon at a time. I do vacuum the substrate when I change the water. I use a dechlorinator, and I've got a water test kit. The readings are 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and between 10 and 20 nitrates. When I clean the tank, I just siphon out the old water and add new, dechlorinated water.

As for food, I feed him a varied diet, but I'm not sure how much or how often is too much. I just try to give him what I think he needs.

I see what you mean about the plastic Christmas tree and Santa, I'll remove them to be safe. And I'll hold off on adding the aquarium salt for now.

I've answered your questions above. I'll take out the Christmas decorations. I'm still unsure why Lincoln's nipping, but it seems to have led to fin rot. Daily water changes haven't improved the situation.