View Full Version : HELP! my fish jumped out!!!!!
suziq
11-30-2002, 10:57 PM
Well my old blue dwarf gourami that has been through EVERYTHING bad that could happened to a tank just tried suicide! He seemed a bit constipated lately so i was moving him to my hospital tank for treatment. i had him in a tall tupperware bowl with original tank water and was drip aclimating him with a tube.
We left to go pick up food and came back to him on the carpet! He was nearly totally dried out, his fins and scales were crispy :eek: and his color was dark blue and he was not moving. I grabbed him up, tossed him into the water and was cupping him in my hand and moving him around trying to get water into his little dried up gills when he started breathing and as I plucked the carpet lint of of him, the little bugger began to swim on his own :D
He seems to be able to swim OK and is able to keep himself upright on the bottom and swim up to the surface to gulp air.
So now what should I do? his scales seem pale/dark in spots and I'm sure that his slime coat is damaged. Should I keep him in shallow water so the trip to the surface is shorter. Should I add stress coat? Melafix? I don't want to stress him any further . I can't believe he is still alive!
TheMightyQueenPixie
11-30-2002, 11:02 PM
Add melafix according to directions...Welcome to the world of Anabantoids!
quick061
12-01-2002, 1:17 AM
i had a fish jump out of the tank once, really scared me. i just put him back in and watched him for a while but he survived. i think luckily i decided to check on him shortly after it happened because he was still moist when i found it.
of course moving the dresser the tank was on to pull it out from behind it was not easy. stupid little thing just couldn't jump out the front of the tank of course.
When i say dried out, I mean crispy like a potato chip! He was so dried out that he had completely changed color, his fins were hard and stiff along with the entire side of his body that was face up. i studied his body for at least 1/2 a minute and was about ready to put him in the trash when I decided to try to 'reconstitute' him. He was probably there for at least 20 minutes.
I know that I need to just wait and see if he wil survive but I have the need to feel like I am doingsomething to help him. Is there anything else I should add like maybe salt or something? :(
GDominy
12-01-2002, 2:13 AM
Just keep him in very clean water, and add melafix as per directions. If he is that dry already, salt will irritate his skin quite a bit.
I've done this with my incredible leaping betta's a couple of times.
Yep, basically treat that fish the way you would if it got ICK... Clean Water, often changes, and effecient food. ;)
Serrateeth_2002
12-01-2002, 2:32 AM
I tot by then it would have died from inability to breath when it turned in to a potato crisp.
But apparently it is still a live by some miracal... Wait a minute, I don't beleive in Miricals! :D :D
Cichlid Woman
12-01-2002, 8:36 AM
Don't you guys think some Stress Coat (for the slime coat loss) would be a good idea?!
-- Pat
NJ Devils Fan
12-01-2002, 9:18 AM
Thats also what I was thinking, the stress coat.
suziq
12-01-2002, 10:26 AM
FYI He'still alive come this morning. last night when i finnaly removed from the acclimating bowl to the tank, I used my hand and I squirted a little stress coat down his back and then slowly added melafix to the Q tank.
He has splotches of light and dark gray on his sides. I am guessing he is going to lose some scales.
His behavior is the same as last night (post leap and rehydration :rolleyes:
I tried adding food to the tank and it floated right down in front of him and he didn't see/want it. This got me thinking, is there any way to force feed a fish?
He is so tame that I can cup him in my hand and bring him to the surface. Could I place some flake food and water in a eye dropper and maybe squirt some in front of his mouth? :eek: Whatya think?
He didn't eat yesterday due to that was the way I got him within catching distance when i removed him from the main tank. I'd be a shame to lose him from weakness during this time of stress!
Tempest
12-01-2002, 10:34 AM
I doubt he will lose strength all that fast. I don't think I'd even attempt to force the issue for a few days. I'd redo the melafix and do daily water changes per the melafix instructions for the five day recommendation and be careful not to foul the water trying to get him to eat. If you think he needs tempted to eat, see about getting some healthy guppy fry.
TheMightyQueenPixie
12-01-2002, 10:48 AM
Originally posted by Serrateeth_2002
I tot by then it would have died from inability to breath when it turned in to a potato crisp.
LIke Bettas, Gouramis are Anabantoids. This means that they have a "labyrinth organ"..Basiacally the labyrinth is an extra respiratory organ made of boney plates and covered in a vascular membrane. By gulping air, the oxygen will enter the blood stream via the membrane. This organ is totally internal, so as long as the fish can still open their mouth to gulp air they can survive for long periods of time out of water.
Rocketman
12-01-2002, 1:31 PM
I second Pixie. I was gonna say, that gourami should be fine as he can breathe the atmospheric air... wasn't it you, pixie, who had the questions about fish that can live in a power outagge a month or two back? Maybe not...
you'd be surprised as to how long a fish can survive outside of the tank. Not just labyrinth fish either. The whole reason I decided not to give up when i found him is because of my first fish keeping disaster :)
When i first got the tank and knew nothing, I was talked into a UGF. This same gour., another one and a pair of mollies were put into a stew pot while I tore down the tank and put in the ugf. When I went to add them back in there was only one molly. I searched like crazy for it until I realized that it may have jumped into the trash. I had to dig thru a full size, filled Glad bag untile I found him at the bottom. He wasn't dried out but had been out for at least 5 minutes. I picked the rotten food off of him and put him in the tank. He was fine immediately.
I think fish are alot tougher than some people think :D
suziq
12-03-2002, 11:41 AM
Just to let every one know, its been a few days now and he is still alive, but his state has declined.
He is pretty much disabled and unable to swim due to the fact that his tail is not gone. it turned balck and rotted off. Ditto for his dorsal, just not as completely as the tail.
Also, the side that was face up and the nost dried out is alittle fuzzy looking with white stuff.
Should I treat him with anything but melafix?
I have on hand :maracide, ichguard, penecillin tablets, and triple sulfa, should i try any of these?
FYI, it is possible to force feed a fish :) I put some flake food into a small amount of tank water and sucked this gooey mess up into a eye dropper. I cupped the little guy in my hand, brought him to the surface, and squirted it in front of his mouth. He loved it and actually nudged the end of the dropper. When he was done, he turned away.
Please help with my little guy rotting away, He is being such a trouper about this, I will actually be upset if I lose him!
Faramir
12-03-2002, 11:45 AM
Food's not really an issue.
It sounds like he's getting a fungal infection, so a fungus treatment would be in order. This is not exactly surprising with what's happened to him.
O-man21
12-03-2002, 12:22 PM
I would use the pinnacillin pills for the fungus and then just keep doing what your doing, I had a oscar jump out and his fins dried up and fell off, but they grew back in about a week and he was fine again in about 3 weeks:D :D :D
Faramir
12-04-2002, 6:53 AM
Penicillin is an antibiotic and not effective against fungus. However, there is probably an opportunistic bacterial infection as well, against which antibiotics will be effective.
:( My little guy died over the night. He was the first fish that I ever bought :( i didn't think I would be but i am actually depressed.
Oh well thanks for all the help. At least we tried.
Cuddlebug910
12-04-2002, 9:02 AM
suziq-
:( sorry for your loss. It's always rough to lose your first fish. And with all that you went through, I'm sure it was worse. At least you tried though, and I applaud you for that.
JamesBenjamin
12-04-2002, 9:14 AM
thats so sad! :(
mine just jumped out of my tank last night too... (see my thread)
Fishsmurf
12-04-2002, 9:36 AM
:( . Sorry to hear that. Have been following the whole saga and had fingers etc all crossed. Hope you feel better soon......
AikidoGuy
12-04-2002, 10:52 AM
while were on the subject of jumping fish,
my arowana is constantly trying to jump but hits the top of the tank instead, what would you use to heal a 3 1/2' fish if it jumped out and was all dried up??
FishmasteR2002
12-04-2002, 11:01 AM
Duct tape the hood down. That is a big fish to have out of water period. I would hate to try and put him back, it's not like he is a bass or something.
AikidoGuy
12-04-2002, 11:06 AM
he cant really get out i was just asking to see what people would do in that case.