fin rot, using Maracyn

Question
hey David. I have a 26 gallon tank. i use the eclipse filter system. i have in it: 2 angel fish, 1 clown loach, 1 red tailed shark, 2 black neons, 1 algae eater. for the longelst time i've noticed they constantly spit out their food when they feed them. I generally use the boring old Tetar flakes. Ive tried some variety (the tetra crisps, freeze dried crab, blood worms). Ive asked some others about this and they've said sometimes the fish need to just bust up the food a bit. my pH always seems to be pretty decent, ive never had a pet sotre test it for me. anyway, i've noticed fin rot on most of the fish. i went out and bought some Jungle tablets that were recommended but decided not to use them after i saw the can cause cancer warning on the back of the box. So i went with maracyn. Can you sort of give me a step by step guide to using this? the directions seem a little too generic to me (drop in a packet for 5 days then do 25% water change). I do regular 50% water changes and gravel vacumming at least every other week and always noticed a lot of "stuff" in the gravel (could my tank need a 2nd filter?). I obviously wanna cure the fin rot problem but am also concerned about the fish always spitting out their food.
thanks.
steve

Answer
Hi Steve:  Fin Rot... is not always caused by a disease... sometimes it is caused by bad water quality.  Hungry fish will eat whatever is available so I know that even though they are spitting out food... they are not starving so I doubt that the fin rot is caused by a dietary issue.  Diet can sometimes cause the immune system in fish to drop.  Regarding the medication.... I would not medicate at this point... I would 1) get the water tested, 2) do water changes every week that range in volume between 10-25%, 3) gravel vacuum your gravel so that it is clean... having to much "stuff" in the gravel will lead to bad water quality and even a toxic tank.  Take a sample of water to the local fish store and have them test it... this is usually a free service.  4) add aquarium salt to your tank at 1/2 dose or one tablespoon for each ten gallons of water... you have some scaleless fish in your tank and they are more sensitive to medication and water chemistry.  Keep me posted... dave