I got this info from AROFANATICS ive never done this but it may work for your aro since its still in the early stage.
CURING GILL CURLS:
this method of curing gill curls with NO medication or operation should be credited to the shifu who has taught me this many years ago back in the US of A... he told me it was a well-guarded secret among pros. when clients bring in their aros (yes, the shifu was a LFS owner),this is the method the shifu would charge a fee for, in curing or straightening the afflicted gills. i had to bribe him w/ God knows how many HaiNan Chicken Rice before he let me in on the secret but you'll get it here for free!
i was very persistent in learning the secret method becoz many of my aros were afflicted with gill curls back then. this is due to poor water condition in the States; improper water management; using activated carbon and not changing them on time, etc. a more simple & responsible way of explanation is becoz i was inexperience and ignorant! so what causes gill curls? many factors but water quality is paramount reason. i won't go into too much on the cause of gill curls becoz this thread is about the 'solution' to curing gill curls. if however you keep your water parameter in check and consistent, you'll pretty much will never have to use the 'solution'!
prior to learning the method, i've done 2 or 3 operations of using X-acto knife & scissors to cut off the curled gill membranes. they grow back out but never like the original. using the following non-cutting method the gills will healed to almost a case of non-incidence. the method however will only work for aros with gill curl in the early stage. what's consider early stage? that's when the curl has only afflicted the soft membrane of the gill and has not yet gone to the hard plate portion of the gill. if it has gone to the hard plate, this solution may not be applicable.
Procedure
1. age new water (70-80% of tank's volume) this is the amount of old water you take out and need to be replaced after completing "operation". the new water is the means to correct the poor water condition which had caused the gill curls, but changes should not be drastic. i.e. old water temp 30 then new water temp should also be around 30, etc.
2. the water level now should be just high enough for the aro to swim in comfortably but not high enough for it to make a high leap. make sure you have clean hands and then put one hand in the water to let your aro feel comfortable about your presence.
3. gently, i stress GENTLY, but firmly chase after the aro with your hand to make it swim back & forth the length of the aquarium without scaring or frightening it.
4. continue the chasing process until the aro is completely exhausted. you will know this when it starts to swim unevenly, losing its equilibrium, allowing you to touch it without a fight. it may even lie on its side... don't fret, it's only temporary. it is now ready for the next step.
5. you may or may not need both hands for this part, depending on the size of your aro. grasp the aro firmly and start to massage the curled gill membrane with your thumb or whichever finger you feel comfortable.
6. keep on massaging the curled membrane until the soft part has begun to turn completely flimsy. no predetermined amt of time becoz size & condition of each aro is different, just have to observe carefully.
7. refill new water into tank. fill it slower if new water parameter is very different from the tank's water. keep an airstone with heavier than usual aeration until fish comes around to it.
8. add a powerhead if u don't already have one. the gill membrane in its healing phase look dark & almost deteriated, but it will grow back nicely.
This method may not work if what caused the gill curl in the 1st place has not been corrected. for me, i've sucessfully done 4 operations using this method. 2 on my aros and 2 for friends. i've also used step 3 & 4 above for other operations such as plucking a couple of bad scales, removing anchor worms, and trimming broken fins.
all info here are expressed for educational and discussion purposes. i do not recommend newbies or the faint-hearted to conduct the aforementioned.
cheers!
Is the one cure to cut of the curled part or is there any other way to sort it? Ive been searching here for gill curl and saw that some guy was talking about high flow rate on the water.. Does this help?? And what is high flow rate? I realy dont want to cut my fish unless there is no other way..
... college, who needs it?!
