injured fish

I have an angel that somehow got stuck on the filter intake. It has what
looks like small cuts near the tail fin. These cuts appear to be from the
fish swimming backwards on the intake trying to get its self free (scales
peeled backwards?) I would like to know if there are any meds that should
be used to help this heal and/or prevent any secondary infections from the
open wound.

Thanks
Ryld


.....It is currently out of the main tank - put in a 10g QT

Ryld wrote in
1:

I have an angel that somehow got stuck on the filter intake. It has
what looks like small cuts near the tail fin. These cuts appear to be
from the fish swimming backwards on the intake trying to get its self
free (scales peeled backwards?) I would like to know if there are any
meds that should be used to help this heal and/or prevent any
secondary infections from the open wound.

Melafix should help provided an infection has not already taken hold. It
is a worthy preventative. Unless you see signs of other problems
developing it is a good mild medication to start with. Stronger
medications should be avoided unless you see signs of a spreading infection
(e.g. white stringy slime or continued necrosis of the wound).

The addition of a small amount of aquarium salt will help to relieve the
changes in osmotic pressure caused by the open wound. For angelfish
perhaps try something as mild as 1 round tbsp for every 5 - 10 gallons.
Salt in itself is also a mild preventative against things like secondary
fungal infections.

Angelfish are normally strong enough to avoid getting inhaled by filter
intakes. Was your angel showing signs of weakness to begin with, or is
this just an extremely ornate veil angel?

dc wrote in
:

Ryld wrote in
1:

I have an angel that somehow got stuck on the filter intake. It has
what looks like small cuts near the tail fin. These cuts appear to
be from the fish swimming backwards on the intake trying to get its
self free (scales peeled backwards?) I would like to know if there
are any meds that should be used to help this heal and/or prevent any
secondary infections from the open wound.

Melafix should help provided an infection has not already taken hold.
It is a worthy preventative. Unless you see signs of other problems
developing it is a good mild medication to start with. Stronger
medications should be avoided unless you see signs of a spreading
infection (e.g. white stringy slime or continued necrosis of the
wound).

The addition of a small amount of aquarium salt will help to relieve
the changes in osmotic pressure caused by the open wound. For
angelfish perhaps try something as mild as 1 round tbsp for every 5 -
10 gallons. Salt in itself is also a mild preventative against things
like secondary fungal infections.

Angelfish are normally strong enough to avoid getting inhaled by
filter intakes. Was your angel showing signs of weakness to begin
with, or is this just an extremely ornate veil angel?




Will look to pick some of that up in the morning - as for salt i have
always used just a hint of it in my tanks so I should be good there.
The fish looked to be ok before this. Normal interaction with the other
fish and plants...casually swimming around just like all the others.
only difference now being in the qt it does not want to eat - just looks
at it and turns away

Ryld wrote in news:Xns97F0EA75D20B9nonehotmailcom@
198.186.190.161:

Will look to pick some of that up in the morning - as for salt i have
always used just a hint of it in my tanks so I should be good there.
The fish looked to be ok before this. Normal interaction with the other
fish and plants...casually swimming around just like all the others.
only difference now being in the qt it does not want to eat - just looks
at it and turns away

Adding salt in times of stress or injury is an attempt to balance off the
difference in osmotic pressure between the water and the fluids inside the
fish. Cuts and wounds allow water an easier route to pass into the body
than skin pores and so the fish's body has to work harder excrete extra
water through its urine and gills when injured.

Adding a prescribed amount of salt to an aquarium increases the ionic
concentration of water and so decreases the pressure differential between
the water and the fish fluids to lessen the amount of water rushing into
the fish's body, and likewise the amount of stress on the fish's organs
while trying to rid itself of this extra water. Adding more than just a
hint of it may help your fish's situation in the QT tank (say 1 tbsp for
every 5 to 10 gallons).

The less metabolic activity wasted on excreting water the harder the immune
system can work on fighting off infection and healing open wounds.

"Ryld" wrote in message
1...
I have an angel that somehow got stuck on the filter intake. It has what
looks like small cuts near the tail fin. These cuts appear to be from the
fish swimming backwards on the intake trying to get its self free (scales
peeled backwards?) I would like to know if there are any meds that should
be used to help this heal and/or prevent any secondary infections from the
open wound.
======================
Your question has been answered by dc. I would suggest you buy an aquarium
safe sponge such as those made for Aquaclear filters, cut a hole in it about
2 to 3" deep and pull it over the end of your filter intake. This prevents
weaker or smaller fish from being sucked onto and stuck to the intakes. It
also keeps larger particles from entering your filter/impeller well. Good
luck with your fish.
--
KL....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
Aquariums since 1952.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
*Note: There are two "Koi-Lo's"
on the pond and aquaria groups.
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö ~~~~ }((((({*

**** an injured fish, flush it and be done with it.
On Thu, 29 Jun 2006 10:15:20 -0500, "Koi-Lo" ¤?¤@ö½.Õ..Õ¢ wrote:


"Ryld" wrote in message
61...
I have an angel that somehow got stuck on the filter intake. It has what
looks like small cuts near the tail fin. These cuts appear to be from the
fish swimming backwards on the intake trying to get its self free (scales
peeled backwards?) I would like to know if there are any meds that should
be used to help this heal and/or prevent any secondary infections from the
open wound.
======================
Your question has been answered by dc. I would suggest you buy an aquarium
safe sponge such as those made for Aquaclear filters, cut a hole in it about
2 to 3" deep and pull it over the end of your filter intake. This prevents
weaker or smaller fish from being sucked onto and stuck to the intakes. It
also keeps larger particles from entering your filter/impeller well. Good
luck with your fish.


--
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