Injured Gouramis

Question
Hi Karen,

I have a 5 year old Gouramis with a torn dorsal fin. I am currently treated the
tank with antibiotic and wonder what else I can do to help her to heal?


Answer
Dear Donna,
Most mild fish injuries do not require any medication. Just good clean water and a good diet will insure they will heal up just fine. A torn dorsal fin can heal itself quite well with plenty of frequent water changes. Treating your tank with strong antibiotics can destroy your special beneficial bacteria colonies and the result will be ammonia spikes which is much more dangerous than the torn fin itself.

The most I'd do is add some Melafix, which is a much safer medication that generally wont disturb your biological filter and plenty of frequent water changes (and vacuuming gravel well). Melafix is an all-natural medication that helps heal fish wounds and prevents bacterial infections.

I really hope this helps!
Karen~