HELP! my fish jumped out!!!!!

[suziq]

update

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
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? 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]

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]

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]

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...

 

[suziq]

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

 

[suziq]

update

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]

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]

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

 

[Faramir]

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.

 

[suziq]

last update

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.