Black Moor Attacked, Help!

[silverrabbit]

Hi, my black moor was attacked by one of his tankmates this afternoon - I found him hiding in a plant when I came home about 30mins ago, fins all shredded really badly and the fish floating to one side. Immediately I moved him to my only other spare tank (my quarantine tank has 2 panda goldfish in it still under observations from when I bought them a couple weeks ago). I put a dose of Melafix in as I didn't know what to do. Had to switch the filter off because the poor little thing couldnt keep himself upright with it going, even thugh it's a mini one.

So here we go:

Tank size: 200L
pH: 8.0
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 5
kH: don't know
gH: don't know
tank temp: 21 C

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):
Was completely fine before this incident. Now, the fish has had his fins pretty much ripped to shreds. Found him in corner of tank in a plant, rapid breathing and gill movement. Some scales look damaged too - silver instead of his normal black. Cannot stay upright - he is floating around the top of the tank on one side.

Volume and Frequency of water changes:30-40% weekly

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: Nutrafin Aqua Plus, dosed with Cycle every water change.

Tank inhabitants: This black moor, a black ranchu and a common goldfish. Oh, and a couple of snails who have appeared in my tank - probs on the plants I bought I guess.

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): Amazon sword x2, small piece of bogwood

Exposure to chemicals: No, but now dosed with Melafix

I don't know what else I can do - if there's anything I can buy to help him, my LFS is literally 10mins away so I can get there soon enough.

Please help

ETA info for water changes. i'm an idiot when i'm in a panic.

 

[WILDER]

You need some aeration in the tank if you added the melafix as med reduce 02 in the water.
is the fish bloated.
If a fish has attacked him and he's leaning on his side he might of damaged his swim bladder.
Turn tanks lights out and leave his to settle.
Salt helps with stress.

 

[silverrabbit]

Ok, thanks - gonna turn the pump so that it is facing the side of the tank if I can so i can give him some aeration.

No bloating, but he's completely on his side now so he's getting worse

Will leave him be for the moment - it's probably not helping that i keep fussing over his tank.

If his swimbladder is damaged, will it get better?

 

[WILDER]

it depends not really sure.
He might of just gulped some air when he was being attacked.
Time will tell.
I would add some salt for the stress, how many gallons is the tank he's in.

 

[silverrabbit]

The tank is tiny - my ususal hospital one has residents on quarantine in it.

I think this one is 5 UK gallons.

He's put himself upright now, but he's at the bottom of the tank just sort of sitting there

 

[WILDER]

For now just add half a table spoon of salt,
Get a jug of tank water and just mix the salt till it disolves in the water.
table salt fine.

 

[silverrabbit]

Thanks! Will add the salt and i have to go get a smaller air pump, cos the bubbles are too strong for him I think - he just keeps rolling around and around and around

 

[WILDER]

Is there any other fish in the hospital tank.

 

[aquila]

You've done everything right so far.

He just needs time to chill out, in the dark, in clean water with a gentle current. He'll still be in shock right now which is probably not helping the swim bladder issue, and he might have been forced repeatedly to the surface in the attack and taken in too much air, or otherwise been pinned down and injured his swim bladder. If that is going to heal, it will begin to show in the next few days. His fins will grow back with time and clean water that won't encourage infection.

One of my fancies went through a similar ordeal a couple of years ago - he somehow got himself wedged behind the filter intake pipe and while he was stuck there overnight either some oto's or some shrimp munched off his fins and stripped his slime coat off. He looked in very bad shape, totally unable to keep himself upright, but within a few days he'd flipped over and it was just a case of keeping the edges of his fins free from rot. Three years on he is my biggest, fattest, longest-finned fish and you'd never guess what had happened.

 

[silverrabbit]

Thanks guys, you've helped me soo much, I was so scared for Boris (not sure he's a boy, but that's his name, hehe)

He seems to be a lil better now i'm back home, and he's enjoying the more gentle bubbles with this smaller pump - he even seems to be a bit more upright.

I am really praying that he makes it through ok - he is my fave goldie and he's just so so friendly. I think maybe I should get a tank divider tomorrow - I don't want my ranchu to get attacked too.

Wilder: He's the only one in this tank. I think the salt has chilled him out a bit at least

 

[WILDER]

I've kept goldfish and they turned out to be one of my favourite fish.
I had trouble with my goldfish as tweety would nip the fins of the other goldfish, I seperated them for a while, but they could
still see each other. After so many weeks I put the other goldfish back in with tweety and they got along fine after that.

 

[silverrabbit]

Well, i'm not sure how my little guy is progressing tbh... he's got his appetite back and he's now upright and swimming a little more than before, but his tail and fins are vanishing before my eyes i'm still dosing with Melafix daily, though not sure if it'll help seeing as this isn't finrot? I don't know what else I can do for my poor little chap. I'm making sure his water is very clean and he's still on his own in his hospital tank.

 

[WILDER]

Melafix is only good once fish are healing.
I would do a water change and run some black carbon to get the melafix out.
Treat with myxazin by waterlife or anti internal bacteria med by interpet.

 

[silverrabbit]

Thanks for that Wilder - but will those be any good now, because this morning he's come out of his little hiding cave with white fluffy stuff all over his tail

Seeing as he's in a really little isolation tank I've been ding 50% WC's daily - to get the Melafix out quicker can I just change all his water? I've put some carbon into his filter, but how long does it take to clear the meds?

*is worried* white fluffy stuff is BAD right my poor poor Boris.

 

[silverrabbit]

I don't think he's gonna make it through the night he's just sat in his little cave looking terribly depressed and sore. I've put in the pimafix - the guy at Maidenhead Aquatics (im hoping their advice is a bit more reliable than normal pet shops) said I could put both the Melafix and Pimafix in together because they are natural based remedies - I hope he's right. But then, I think if I left it any later to add it, Boris wouldn't survive anyway

Fingers crossed that he'll start to get better, I love this little guy so much and seeing him liek this is breaking my heart.