Cardinal on the way out..

[R3GG]

Hi, this morning i noticed one of my 6 cardinals in distress missing its tail I have a 39gallon tank containing 2 moonlight gouramis, 4 black widow tetra, 1 albino loach (not sure what it is), 6 cardinals (soon to be 5) and 2 corys. All of the fish seem to get on very well, the black widow tetra chase each other now and then but they dont bite each other. I am worried this is fin rot but could it have come on this quickly? The fish was fine yesterday. Recently did a P.H test which came out as 7 with no ammonia.
Thanks for any info

 

[impur]

Probably not finrot. I would lean toward the problem being other fish. If one of the fish in a school is the runt or smaller or even just a bit more stressed, the other might pick on it and kill it. I would suggest removing the fish to a QT tank and keeping a close eye on him.

 

[tstenback]

I will second impur's remarks. Once isolated it wouldnt hurt to add some melafix.

 

[R3GG]

i dont have another tank set up, i dont think this one is going to recover, he's looking pretty bad. I was kinda hoping it would have gone this morning but its still alive not able to swim properly. Would it be kinder to fish him out, wrap him up and wack him with a hammer? I dont like to see him sufering but then im not sure if he could recover. It seems that just the tale has gone.

 

[DJ Prem]

You can get a breeding tank and move in there, dontthink everyone will agree

 

[impur]

You could head to walmart and get a breeding net. Its a small box enclosed with netting for fry. Just hang it on the inside of the tank and put the fish in it. Try to put it in an area of low flow. Only cost a few bucks and are very handy for these situations. A small cost if it helps the fish to live IMO!!!

 

[schzaam]

hi,
as it is a cardnal their no hoper really because off it size they are small and fragile im surprised your cardinals get on with your widows widows are nippy to all fish normally

 

[R3GG]

I will be moving the tank soon and transfering all fish to another small tank whilst i reposition this one. The black widows are suprisingly well behaved and only seem to go for each other - could have been a scrap for food tho. i dont think i'll bump it off, can't really face it and it seems to be ok other than the tail missing which makes swimming difficult. I'd go to walmart if there was one in the u.k, if i come across any breeding nets i'll give it a shot.
thanks a lot for your help peeps

 

[R3GG]

He's finally popped his clogs I will be keeping a close eye on those black widows in future.
Thanks for the info

 

[Sassygrrl]

If you ever need to euthanize a fish, I really don't recommend the stress of putting them in a plastic bag and a good whack with a hammer. OUCH!

I use frozen vodka in a cup and put the fish in the cup. He falls asleep within 5 seconds and it doesn't appear to be painful in any way. No sudden jerking or fighting for its life. Maybe a bit inebriated though

What did his missing tail area look like? Was it frayed and slightly whitish? Or did it have black on the outer edges?

Sorry you lost your fish. Hopefully it's an anomoly.

 

[R3GG]

I doubt the fish would feel any pain if hit hard enough with a hammer, as long as the brain is destroyed. As for the plactic bag that was your idea not mine I decided i couldnt do that anyway. I have read about euthanasia and freezing is a big no no. Anesthetic looks like the way forward to me, vodka may act as one but you cant beat the real thing. My dad is a vet so i wont have trouble getting hold of any if needed. The missing area where the tail had been removed was clean, no freying or black. I expect this to be an anomaly, i watch my tank very carefully.
Thankyou for your concern.