Well we were trying to use a net and put him in another tank and he kept running away. My bf got a but rough with him trying to catch him and it seems to have taken some scales off the top of his head. its fairly small but now hes acting a bit hurt... hes staying in one corner and not really swimming around... Will he be okay?
2007-03-03 18:15:48 · 4 answers · asked by Angelic_Lady 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
you probably stressed him out a lot, but they are pretty tough fish, and he should get over. Do a partial water change, that will help with the injuries (you don't want him getting a bacterial or funal infection) and leave the light off for a day (calming).
2007-03-03 18:22:14 · answer #1 · answered by Beverly 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No matter how "tough" a fish might be as far as size, bodily strength or aggression, an injury is an injury and, if not treated correctly, could turn into a serious infection that could, perhaps, kill the fish if allowed to progress. He's hiding in the corner because he is seriously stressed, and stress alone is enough to bring on an infection. Add that to the skin damage and you have two of three or four reasons fish contract diseases and die. Stress coat alone may be enough, but, that will only address any damage to the slime coat on the skin. If you tried some aquarium salt, that would also replenish the stress coat, but would also work to kill any possible secondary infections that might result. In the future, do try to come up with another, much less stressful way of netting your fish, as this method will not continue to work. Try two nets. One from behind, and one, gently, pushing him toward the net. If you don't net the fish the first time, instead of pushing the situation and getting rougher and trying harder, everybody back off. Let the fish and you cool down a little. Regroup. Go at it again. Slowly, calmly, non-aggressively. Find a way to make the fish not seem so threatened. Good luck.
2007-03-04 03:23:17 · answer #2 · answered by Venice Girl 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Red oscars are very durable. I had one live in a trash bag overnight while I moved.
Your fish is acting this way because he is severly stressed and possibly in shock due to the different tank and the water.
To properly transfer a fish, you shouldve transfered almost all of the water from your old tank to the new one so that there was only a few inches of water left in the old tank. You do this for many reasons; 1. You need the bacteria from your old tank transfered into your new one as its crucial for its survival. 2. Less water means that your fish is easier to net as there is less water for it to swim in. 3. Water temperature from your tap is different from the water in your tank and taking a fish from the old tank to a new one filled with new water will put it into shock.
The best thing right now is to heat the water with a heater and leave the lights off to drop his stress level. Also "stresscoat" and "melafix" are two additives that will speed up the recovery process.
Also, make sure you have a proper size net. A net too small, will make the fish kick like crazy and remove his coat and scales.
2007-03-04 04:39:11 · answer #3 · answered by Anxious8o8 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Beverly is right. Oscars are very durable. I would add some "Stresscoat" product to the tank to make sure his slime coat stays in tact and healthy. If it gets any worse, consider treatment with a broad spectrum antibiotic such as tetracycline.
2007-03-04 02:32:31 · answer #4 · answered by Annetheana 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋