Gravel cleaner accident

[bigfish]

hi i used my gravel cleaner and my fish thought it would be very good idea to swim up there and jam himself head first!!!! when i realeased him he seemed ok but on closer look his eye got damaged it's come away from the head and is half attached and half not, the eye is bloody looking and he is sat on the gravel breathing slowly, i tried removing him to a quantine tank but went mentle in there so i put him back.


I dont really know what to do!!!!

 

[jefwic]

Yikes! not good. My suggestion is to seperate him from other fish and get him on medication. Do you by any chance have a plastic breeding box to put him in? Try to keep him comfortable, but I'm not sie you could do much else. Medication is probably the best choice, unless he seems he may live without it.

 

[fishdude]

That must be terrible.

 

[bigfish]

It wasnt a very good start to the weekend i must admit, it happened yesterday afternoon, i tried putting him away from the others but he kept darting around like mad he was really stressed out so popped him back in.

Apart from the eye he is fine he must of gone up the cleaner at an angle for his eye to get damaged, his gills are unaffected. I'm just really worried about the eye, will it drop off as the wound heals? i dont think he can see out of it anymore but that could be due to the swelling and blood around the injury.

 

[Jamnog]

i hear about fish living to a ripe old age even with one eye missing. im not shure if medication is the key to something like this if the fish gets an infection then medicating would make a difference anything fin guard or something might stop an infection.

 

[Feline]

Oh my... hope ur fish's healing well! Getting in the gravel filter is better than getting pumped out of a long tube...

My hubby has once accidentally pumped a harlequin out to a bucket when doing the water change and only discovered it when he's pouring the water away down the toilet! Unluckily the fish seemed to be stoned from hitting the tube when returned back to the tank, just floating where the current went. It died the next day.

 

[Tanked]

sorry to hear that bigfish. I hope he pulls through.

 

[CFC]

I would treat the tank with a broad spectrum treatment like myxazin to prevent any infection,a large water change before adding any meds would also help.It would be better if you could transfer the fish to a quarintine tank so the other fish dont have to suffer the meds as well but if this is impossible then not to worry too much as myxazin is quite a gentle med anyway,i usually use it to sterilise my live foods.

 

[snotirl]

If i was u i would put the fish down (kill him) u cant treat an eye hanging out the fish is probaly in pain too so.....

 

[bigfish]

Dont think i could do something like that to him. I thought he deserved a chance of survival, he is swimming totally normal and eating like he usually does, he keeps out of the way of the other tank mates, im treating him with melafix at the mo as i have heard that it heals up open wounds really quick, a fishy friend of mine said that the eye will drop off once it heals underneath. Is this true?

 

[Tropicalfishfn]

I guess it will just be a one eyed fish. He proably only see's out of one of his eyes. from what yous aid he is acting normal the he will be fine. He will just be seeeing out of one eye.

 

[bigfish]

will the eye swelling slowly go away and the blood that has collected in the lens of the eye slowly drain away?

Some one suggested taking it to the vets!!!!! Is that possible for a fantail?

 

[Tanked]

I don't think there is anything a vet can do for a fish eye. I'd just let the natural course walk its path.

 

[amityv]

If he makes it through this and heals he will be just fine!
I have a calico fantail who is almost 2 now, that got caught in a shell i had in my tank and while he was trying to get out, it ripped his eye out. I used Melafix for 7 days, and it healed. He is healthy as an ox and is huge!
Having only one eye hasnt even impaired him at all. He does just fine!

 

[Jamnog]

as i said before i have heard of fish living to a ripe ol age with one eye and i know they feel pain but im glad they didtnt put me down when i broke my leg and i was fine for a day without painkillers i have to say a bit of pain is often better than death once the wound is healed and the pain gone i would thank you. tho im shure its a personal choise i dont want to get a uthanaisia debate going.