I recently introduced some potted plants into the tank, and one of the fish managed to get stuck in the pot (the pot has bars on it, sort of like a grill). I managed to free it, but it's tail looks ragged, and it's side fins are torn. The left one is torn quite short. It's also scraped on the back. It's swimming quite erratically, but managing to swim... what should I do? Is it in pain? How can I help it? Do i need to separate it from the other fish? I don't want it to die!
2007-02-05 13:43:19 · 16 answers · asked by GabbyL 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
It's sort of just sitting at the bottom of the tank and not really moving. Does the blue water (for fin rot) help these sorts of injuries or prevent bacteria from causing infection? Should i separate him? I isolated my dwarf fish cause he seemed to be attacking all of the other fish.
2007-02-05 14:38:12 · update #1
He's been injured from being stuck and I'm sure he's very traumatized right now. I don't think you need to separate him at this point from the other fish because he hasn't developed any contagious disease and if you do a little preemptive care, he shouldn't get worse. Salt is a great cure-all for wounds and diseases and, in small amounts, does not harm freshwater fish, in fact, it is quite beneficial. Add a .3% salt solution to the water, which translates to a scant 1tsp of salt per 1 gallon of water. I say scant because, in this case, more is not better. Too much salt can kill freshwater fish. Also, don't use table salt. Get some aquarium salt from the pet store. Mix it in water before adding it to the tank. Add it slowly and make sure to distribute it evenly throughout the water. This should heal his wounds, prevent any disease from setting in and reduce stress. Remember that salt does not evaporate like the water, so you may not need to add more salt when you do your 25% water changes, but consult the directions on the box to confirm how you should proceed with this. Treatment could take a while, so be patient and diligent. Don't give up or get discouraged. Keep an eye on the fish. The salt should do the job, but if the wounds worsen and they begin to show signs of disease, you will need to remove him to another tank and begin medications. Fungus would be the usual disease that would set in at that point. You would need to get medication such as Jungle Fungus Eliminator to treat. Salt, in addition to killing bad bacteria, also kills the beneficial bacteria that lives in your substrate and filter, so once treatment is over, you will need to add some Bio-Spira to get the bacteria going again in your tank. Because this is live bacteria, it has to be refrigerated, so it won't be on your pet store shelves. You will need to ask for it. Good luck to you and your little fishy!!!
2007-02-05 14:35:18 · answer #1 · answered by Venice Girl 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
=) The 'blue water' you're referring to is an ich treatment,usually. This won't do anything unless your little guy gets ich from this... which IS possible.
I would remove those potted plants immediately,so this doesn't happen again.
Don't do anything to your fish... right now. Watch him,very closely,over the next few days. If the fins start to shorten (rot) go get some Jungle brand fish meds (read the back-there's on in particular for fin rot and a few other things) or some Maracyn (or Maracyn II,I can't remember which one is fin rot. Once again,read the back). Follow the directions for those carefully.
Medicating fish is -always- a delicate procedure. However,it's doable,and you seem to be very dedicated to your fish. =) I hope for the best. The little guy should be alright as long as you're cautious.
2007-02-05 15:23:42 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dont Touch It ( With Your Hands ) This Causes Its Scales To Infect ... But Try Putting It In A Small Tank On Its Own And It Should Soon Heal
2007-02-06 06:03:11 · answer #3 · answered by megan i 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Put him in a seperate tank and pour some 'Stress Coat' into the water. You can buy this from any good pet shop. It is used to help repair damaged tissue and replace slime coating. Add 2tsp (10ml) pet 10 u.s gallons (38 L) of water.
When we first got our 2 silver dollars, one of them jumped out of the bucket as we where transferring him into the aquarium. He fell from quite a hight onto the floor and flapped under a cabinate! He was out of the water for at least 3 minutes. Luckily we managed to get him and put him back in the bucket where he turned upside down and i thought he really was a gonner.
But he was still alive so we put him in the tank and added the stress coat and he was back to normal in no time. Now he's doing fine so I really recommend this.
Good luck.
2007-02-07 04:26:13 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
as long as he can swim away from danger, and is eating occasionally, he will heal. Extra care should be taken to provide a clean stress free environment for him. Most injured fish benefit from increased temperature, melaflix and additional aquarium salt. You didn't say what species of fish you have, so its difficult to give a good reccommendation. All medicines carry a caveat for some species of fish. For instance the melaflix that I reccommended earlier makes my loaches sick for a week when it comes in contact with their water.
If he starts to develop a white fuzz or yellow / green discoloration around the wound, then he has an infection. If his condition deteriorates in a day or two, then its time to euthanize him with clove oil emulsafied in tank water & vodka. Don't be surprised if he's a bit shy while healing.
2007-02-05 13:55:42 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
I agree with Chris leave it rest some times they do recover
Last summer we left the lid up on the tank on a warm night
A Gourami jumped out in the night we found it on the carpet it looked dead i put it in a basin with tank water after a while it looked ok
it lived for months after so its best just to leave it
2007-02-05 21:02:24 · answer #6 · answered by Black Orchid 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you have a tank you can put him in by himself it would be best. What you want to do is go to your local Pet Smart or pet store and get some medicine for ripped fins. Treat him by himself and once he is better return him to the tank.
2007-02-05 13:47:40 · answer #7 · answered by x0xsimplyirresistiblexox 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you are supposed to take the plant out of the pot and remove the wool stuff too. I would add some antibacterial meds to the water. Ask at your local fish shop.
2007-02-05 23:39:36 · answer #8 · answered by fenlandfowl 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
that has happened to my fish before i put him in another tank changed his water a lot and his fins grow back even when i had gotten silver dollars they kept eating his fins but he got better and iv had him at least 3 years.
2007-02-05 15:44:02 · answer #9 · answered by Manuel R 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
leave it alone. if it is in pain or shock moving it could be far more traumatic than anthing else
2007-02-05 13:48:21 · answer #10 · answered by Chris W 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋