Their fish got fin rot for one of two reasons:
1. Chlorine still in the water from a city water system
2. Goldfish put out a lot of waste. If the proper bacteris has not grown in the water to take care of the ammonia/nitrites/nitrates cycle, then the fish will get sick.

So, first off, it is a case of an uninformed fish owner treating their new pet with ignorant cruelty. You wouldn’t make your new kitten dwell in it’s litterbox, would you?

The antibiotics only kept the fish alive and in pain while the tank slowly took weeks to remove the poison from the water. This fish will get sick again if they don’t take care to do regular water changes and remove the chlorine from the new water.

Ignorance made the fish sick and chemistry made it better.

Even when it does provide temporary relief, not unlike a placebo, it’s so sad to know prayer is the best hope in this story. It’s the only hope a lot of people have. When there is no cure… or they can’t afford proper health care… can you blame them for turning to God? It’s hard for me to criticize their beliefs when I don’t have better options to give them.

But it’s even more disturbing when many of the people who pray for “healing” don’t support the very research that might actually help others with their problems in the future.

I agree

I once had a fire in a wastebasket. I poured water on it and prayed that the fire would go out. And the prayer worked!

I once was constipated. I ate two prunes and prayed that the constipation would be cured. And the prayer worked!

I once had car trouble. I took it to a good mechanic and prayed that the car would work again. And the prayer worked!

Just goes to show you, as long as you have aspirin, water, prunes and a good mechanic, prayer works every time.