I have several goldfish different sizes and they get along pretty good, but yesterday when i came back home i found 2 of them (the smallest) with their tails and fins injured. One has it´tail bitten and shreded but it can swim up, down and forward, (kinda funny but ok). The other one worries me since it´s dorsal fin and tail are completly gone, only a small (hard) part of the tail close to the body is left. What worries me most is that when it´s static it floats with it´s head heading down, almost upside down. When it moves it can manage to stay straight and has to make a lot of effort to swim forward, but as soon as he stops moving it´s butt goes to the surface. It still eats, but hides in shallow parts of the tank (so does the other injured one) and has not changed it´s color. The injurie on the tail looks white. Please help me I really don´t want it to die since I really love that fish, it even lets me pet him. Thanks.
2007-05-01 05:42:06 · 5 answers · asked by valeriaikido 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
I know if the tail doesn´t grow back it will just have to adjust to his new way of swimming, but you think it being in such a weird position (facing the bottom) too much time can hurt him?
2007-05-01 06:09:46 · update #1
If the damage actually is into the flesh of the fish then odds are very high that the fins will not grow back or if they do they will be highly deformed. The fish may be able to adjust and still live a decent life even with large amounts of fin missing, so I would suggest you wait and see what happens as far as regrowth is concerned.
You mention the injured area looks white. As you mention, your goldfish get along just fine and since goldfish very, very rarely fight and cause this type of damage, you may well have a case of fin rot. If that is the case you need to treat asap with Maracyn TC or Maracyn 2 before the damage gets any worse.
Hope this helps
MM
2007-05-02 03:44:39 · answer #1 · answered by magicman116 7 · 7⤊ 5⤋
I have to agree with magicman here. I had a bullhead catfish that had it's mate eat the tail down to the bone. The fin never grew back, and it swam kind of wobbly for the rest of it's life (which was about a decade after the injury). If the damage is not to the base of the tail, they will grow back.
Your fish will eventually learn to use it other fins (in ways it hasn't had to in the past) to swim in a more horizontal position if the tail is lost permanently. You might be able to help it a little by reducing the flow in your filter (there should be an adjustment on the top of the uptake tube).
I'd also worry that he might have a swim bladder disorder from the head-down position. Make sure his water is top quality for a while (also to prevent infection) and feed him some cooked peas with the shell removed. The additional fiber in the diet will help, if this is his problem.
http://www.geocities.com/swimbladderhelp/index.html
http://www.goldfishinfo.com/ailment1.htm#bladder
The white on the injured area may be nothing if the injury was caused physically (by another fish or something in the tank), or it could be an infection. If the white area begins to look "fuzzy" at all, compare with photos in this link: http://www.fishpalace.org/Disease.html it could be fin rot, fin "fungus", or Columnaris developing. There are treatments for these given within the link. If you aren't able to distinguish if it's a fungal or bacterial infection, I would recommend using Binox - it will treat both.
2007-05-02 11:04:12 · answer #2 · answered by copperhead 7 · 1⤊ 3⤋
Any wound, no matter if stitched or not, heals extra efficient and quicker even as it really is roofed with a sterile bandage. opposite to regular concept, leaving it uncovered to the air does not help. really, it will enhance the opportunity of micro organism getting into contact with the wound, that can only delay healing.
2016-12-05 04:18:59 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
if its tail and fins are gone.. im sorry to say this but it wont grow back. if its just injured, than u dont have to worry.. try separating the injured fishes. it might get into another fight. i pray for the best. good luck.
2007-05-01 05:49:08 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 2⤋
The tail will grow back even if it seems unbelievable now, dont you worry. If possible, shift the injured goldfishes to a seperate tank, raise the temperature to at-least 28 degree C, and treat with Melafix.
Visit this link for more details:
http://www.atlantisaquatics.co.uk/acatalog/melafixpimafix.html
2007-05-01 06:25:08 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 5⤋