Fish injured while cleaning tank

[bennybadoo]

I have a 2.5 gal Eclipse tank with a 1 yr. old male Betta and 1 Emerald Cory . While doing a water change and glass cleaning inside the tank I must have injured the Betta. Up until that point both fish were doing very well for the past year, active and eating well with varied foods. After cleaning the tank I noticed the Betta hiding in the log. When he finally did come out I noticed a small circular pink shaped wound about the size of his eye, on the side of his face. It was not there before. They are kept on the kitchen table and we see them all the time.

How do you recommend treating the wound? All water parameters are within normal limits: ph 7.0, ammonia and nitrites are zero, and nitrates 5-10. The tank temperature is maintained between 78-79(+/-) 1 degree. I have one small resin log with fake plants attached and a small gravel base. I have an air stone and an internal temperature monitor. They are fed blood worms, brine shrimp, shrimp pellets, carnivore pellets and I alternate different brands of Betta food for the Betta.

Thank you so much for your help.

 

[Hooked Newbie]

You'll probably need to treat the whole tank with Pimafix / Melafix to avoid or treat any infection. Hikari does have a product called Bio-bandage which is direct application, but I don't have any first-hand experience wth it.

 

[bennybadoo]

You'll probably need to treat the whole tank with Pimafix / Melafix to avoid or treat any infection. Hikari does have a product called Bio-bandage which is direct application, but I don't have any first-hand experience wth it.

Hi,
Thank you so much. I have both Pimafix/Melafix. I hope it will be alright for the Cory Cat.

 

[kj5kb]

Hi,
Thank you so much. I have both Pimafix/Melafix. I hope it will be alright for the Cory Cat.

I've used both at the normal dosages with corys in the tank, no problems...

 

[bennybadoo]

I've used both at the normal dosages with corys in the tank, no problems...

I just checked out the API website and they say it is okay to use both products at once as Pimafix has more antimicrobial properties than Melafix does. So you are exactly right.
Thanks!

 

[Mgamer20o0]

good luck with it.

 

[Cory Keeper]

you really need to remove that cory cat, that tank is too small for them and they need groups to be happy (6 or more)

 

[bennybadoo]

you really need to remove that cory cat, that tank is too small for them and they need groups to be happy (6 or more)

Thank you for mentioning that. Due to illness and losing my job I had to sell my condo, put things in storage and live with my mom. I went from 1400 sq. ft. condo to an 8x10 bedroom. I have a 30 gallon tank in storage, a Red Sea Max for eventually setting up a reef tank and a 14 gallon Oceanic tank Bio-cube.
I hate to set up a large tank now, only to have to dismantle it in a month with even more fish to move. I have a book on Catfish and I have learned about the Cory's preferring to be in schools of 6 or more. You can't rely on the Pet Shops to educate you on much of anything.
I planned to keep my two fish in the 3 gallon tank while the other larger tank is cycling.
Does this make sense to you?
I really do appreciate your concern and I understand completely. All advice is openly received.

 

[bennybadoo]

[FONT=Arial, helvetica, verdana, times new roman]Hi,
His injuries were worse than they first appeared. The swelling has gone down alot on the side of his face. He had some localized tissue damage below his eye. I think it has permanently effected his vision in that eye, possibly due to the swelling that had been on that side of his face.

I am using Maracyn Plus, a liquid Trimethoprin Sulfa medication that uses special technology to adhere to the body of the fish when added to the water. Tomorrow will be the 3rd and last dose of the first round of treatment. I will most likely do another round. One dose in tank on day 1, 3 and 5. With what appears to have been more tissue damage then first estimated, and possible eye involvement I feel it is important to do another round of medication. I keep the tank at 79-80 degrees. All water parameters are good. I will vacuum the tank again this weekend.

He mostly hangs out in the bottom corner, or in his log where he sleeps at night He has come up for food each day, but only eats one bite and goes back down. I am heartbroken for him. With daily improvement that he has had, I feel I have to give him a chance as opposed to putting him down. It takes time to mend. Wish us luck.[/FONT]

 

[msjinkzd]

good luck, you could try feeding sinking wafers that go to him to ease in his recovery. Also keep a close eye on your water parameters as anti-biotics can sometimes effect your biofilter.