Urgent Helps.. My Payara/vampire Fish Lost One Eye

[BamBeckham]

Hi guys,
 
Need helps..  Just now My Payara tragically lost one of his eye after a food tussle with my Albino Bichir. Actually My Vampire already bites the small live fish in his mouth, but suddenly when my Bichir swimming near to the Vampire, he try to catch the food from the Vampire & do not know who get the fish. It was happen too fast. I just realize my Vampire missing his eye.
 
What should I do?
 
 

 

[Chad]

Honestly there isn't much help to be had. This happens sometimes and most often the fish will live through the ordeal but will be blind on that side. To help prevent infection make sure the water is clean. Some people will treat the water with medication just to be on the safe side. Something with coating and antibacterial properties. What exactly depends on what's available to you and your budget. I generally let the fish heal on its own though.
 
The other thing to do is to assess why this happened. Figure out if the fish are compatible, can something be changed in the environment to make it less likely to happen in the future, or can you feed in such a way as to keep the fish apart while they are trying to get at the food.
 
Fish are interesting in that each will behave differently in response to such an injury. I've had fish that become timid after being blinded on one side and others that become much more aggressive as a result and still others that don't seem to be concerned about it at all. So just be aware that there could be a change in behavior that might require some action on your part. For example if the fish becomes more timid it might not compete well for food and starve which would require you to make sure it's getting it's fair share of the fare.