# poor guy got beat up and torn apart, need help, pic attached



## al7601 (May 10, 2011)

I have a 4" newly aquired male taiwan reef that was getting picked on mainly by my 3 1/2" male super red empress last Friday in my 75 gallon. the result was some nipped fins mostly on the tail. I noticed this Saturday morning and quickly took him out and placed in a 40 gallon while I prep my 5.5 gallon hospital tank.

Once moving a seeded filter, filled half tank water and half fresh water I added prime and plugged in the heater. I go to grab him out and I can't find him. Turns out he logged himself into a fake rock decoration that I had from petsmart. It's not intended for fish to swim into but he did and he's too big to turn around in it. Once I realized he had to be in there without a visual confirmation I panicked knowing he couldn't get out and only scraping him self trying to get free. I filled up the bath tub with a few inches of water, added prime and put the fake rock deco in the tub and began carfully destroying it until I can see his tail.

Once seeing his tail I noticed he was still alive but badly hurt. He's missing most of his dorsal fin, his pec fins are mostly gone and some abrasions on his sides. After getting him free, I placed in the hospital tank and he immediatly went into shock, swimming upside down and sideways and I thought he was a gone. I immediatly added a dose of Melafix and a tablespoon of aquarium salt. after about 15 minutes he began to stay up right. since Saturday thankfully he's still alive. I've repeated Melafix dose Sunday and today and kept it dark at 80 degrees.

what else can I expect? will he fully recover? anything else I should be doing? What should I do with him after recovery? :-?

this is a pic about 30 hours after being placed into hospital tank.

sorry being so winded but just trying to provide helpful information and thanks for any advice.


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## Sub-Mariner (Dec 7, 2011)

Man what an ordeal, I hope he recovers. :thumb:


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## DanniGirl (Jan 25, 2007)

It sounds like you're doing everything that you can. Clean water but I'd hold off on that for now. The temperature change could be enough to send him into shock again and he may not recover. I wouldn't suggest the use of any meds as it may be too much for him.

If he does recover, trade him in. Chances are the same thing will happen if you re-introduce him in the tank. But if you really want to keep him, you'll have to remove the Red Empress.


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## al7601 (May 10, 2011)

thank you both for your help. was hoping to hear from some one with a little experience with this situation. anyone???


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## Nodalizer (Nov 7, 2011)

To be honest it sounds like your doing everything right so far. And apart from the obvious damage he looks healthy (nothing that looks like infection or fungus). Keep your eyes out for redness or swelling, you might need an antibiotic to keep infections under control if you notice signs.

Regular water changes will help more then anything else. He could get better, its a hard call with so much missing, but I think he has a good chance.


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## al7601 (May 10, 2011)

What about feeding? Should I wait until he's a little more active and healed before trying?


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## Nodalizer (Nov 7, 2011)

If he will eat thats great, if he won't then yeah you just have to wait.

Do not try a lot of food thou, just a little and see if he will take it.


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## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

From my experience both with my own fish and in dealing with countless fish here on this forum: you can't know for certain whether the fish will make it or not but as others have said: you've done everything correct. Melafix, aquarium salt and good water conditions are just what the fish needs as your main concern is infection. On that note: keep the water temp at 76-78'-- to help prevent a bacterial infection. 
If the fish has internal injuries: nothing you can do about that. So hang in there. From the pictures he doesn't look too bad.

that must have been some day. :thumb:

Robin

Just a few months ago I was turning off the light on my 90 gallon, dead tired and ready for bed, when I noticed only two of my three LARGE clown loaches. Not unusual since one or more of them will frequently hang out in the rock formations--but something made me curious. Long story short: the missing clown had wedged himself under a huge granite boulder. I thought he was dead but when I touched his tail: a slight wiggle. So instead of trudging up to bed I was suddenly in the midst of a major fish rescue, had to remove most of the water and then the hood so I could position myself directly over the boulder--I knew if it shifted even slightly I'd squash my loach. 
It was tense!!!
But I managed to move the rock just right and out he swam--amazingly unscathed. *** no doubt he would have been dead by morning.


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## al7601 (May 10, 2011)

thanks for the assurance that I've done everything I can so far.

Robin I'm glad to hear that everything was ok with your loach!


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## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

keep us posted


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## Sparrk (Oct 11, 2010)

you are doing everything exactly the way it should be done, something like that happened to me, went to turn the light on in my main tank and one of my smallest fish had no more tail and his dorsal was badly damaged. His fins were more damaged than your fish fins but his body was fine. I panicked, put him in a quarantine tank, put melafix, salt and waited. Making small water changes not even 10%at first but little bigger eventually, everyday, so I wouldn change the water temp or chemistry too much at first... Well he made it, it has been a little more than a year now, he is still a little smaller than his brother and sis from the same batch, it took time but all his fins have grown back. Melafix is not too hardcore, natural and will defintely help prevent infection.
Im pretty sure and hope your fish will make it 

But as Dannygirl says, if he makes it(he will) , you will have to remove the red empress if you want it to work, cause when I reintroduced my fish to the main tank I observed my tank a lot trying to find out who was guilty cause I didnt know. And I did find it! was a male red zebra, so I put all my red zebra in an other tank, and the male was still agressive as **** with a new victim this time, so I got rid of him before he could make any major damage. Cant do anything about a psycho fish :roll: ...


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## al7601 (May 10, 2011)

I'm sorry to say that when I came home from work today I found him dead, 

He was making great progress and even started eating a little bit. I kept following melafix instructions and did my water change on the 7th day which was this past Saturday.

One odd thing I found was that I found a new open gash/sore on his stomach on one side.

Water was fine but checked ammonia and it came in at .25 which was likely caused by him staying in there all day.

Poor thing was fine this morning. I don't get it! :-?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Columnaris I'll bet. Same thing happened to a fish of mine after a severe beating. I thought he was a goner...even floated upside down for several days. But he recovered, started eating and looked fine only to develop the patches. I tried three or four different meds...several treatment cycles for each. He would get better but as soon as the meds were stopped, the patches came back. Finally had to let him go. 

So...it wasn't anything you did...it was the injuries.

PS I don't find melafix does much.


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## Sparrk (Oct 11, 2010)

awww im sorry for your lost


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## Sub-Mariner (Dec 7, 2011)

al7601 said:


> I'm sorry to say that when I came home from work today I found him dead,


Aw too bad, he was a good looking Taiwan Reef.


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