One of my pond koi got attacked by a turtle today. I don't know where the turtle came from, but he got him good. I managed to get the little guy out of his mouth, but I want to know if he's beyond saving or not. The turtle got him by the tail, and he's torn open slightly at the top of the lateral line and behind the dorsal fin. Luckily the turtle didn't manage to get any 'chunks' of him, just torn open a bit. The tail fin is pretty torn up, but he is still able to move his back fin, so I know there can't be too much damage. Missing a lot of scales, but aside from that, he looks pretty good. Been breathing really heavy though.
This happened a little over an hour ago, and the koi is still alive. He's mostly just floating around in the quarantine tank I put him in, but he can still swim if you give him a nudge. Is it beyond saving? Should I humanely euthanize it? Or can I treat it somehow?
2007-10-02 17:48:31 · 5 answers · asked by Kadan 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
I agree with Copperhead. In addition to what he said about watching water quality, keeping an eye out for any "fuzz," and adding salt, I'd increase aeration (add an airstone) and, if the wounds are *really* bad, swab an anti-biotic ointment like Neosporin on the wounds. You can either gently net the fish and hurry and swab him (this is generally a two person job - one to hold the net steady, the other to do the swabbing) or apply just a few drops of oil of clove as an anesthetic to get him to hold still while you doctor him up (roughly four drops per gallon - just enough to get him to slow down so you can treat him without him freaking out).
Hope this helps - good luck!
2007-10-03 09:45:21 · answer #1 · answered by Poopy 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It sounds as though he might recover. Your main problems are going to be water quality (especially as far as ammonia and nitrite if your quarantine tank is small and not cycled) and fungal infection. Keep the water as clean as possible, and add a little non-iodized salt to the water (1 tablespoon per 5 gallons, or 1/2 teaspoon per gallon) Just jeep an eye on it for "fuzz" around the wounds, and don't overfeed. Keep lights off over the tank and dim around it (it will cause him to be less active) and keep him in a place without a lot of activity.
2007-10-02 18:10:21 · answer #2 · answered by copperhead 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Aw guy, what did you living house it with? Cories are extraordinarily passive - they're armored fishes so as that they might face up to a splash abuse, yet they should not be housed with super aggressive fish. My suggestion first suggestion is truthfully to purpose and discover a fish vet. My 2nd suggestion in case you have none interior reach is to isolate the undesirable bugger in a breeder seize and take care of him with stable antibiotics interior the period in-between. determine you maintain feeding him. interior the period in-between, set up a 20 gallon and enable it start up cycling. After some weeks, get him a minimum of three greater marble corycats as companions. Cories cats are fish that would desire to be with different cories, ideally of their own species. in case you will get him by way of this, he can stay a greater or much less regular existence, minus the attention.
2016-12-14 06:16:35 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Give it back to the turtle, his injuries are probably putting him in shock anyway.
2007-10-02 18:01:57 · answer #4 · answered by steve s 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
isolate the fish and put one fistful of rocksalt on the tank..
2007-10-02 19:33:56 · answer #5 · answered by e. 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋