It Is Days Like This I Hate Being A Malawi Keeper

[MikeO]

Is there any chance that this fish will survive do we think?

This is the second time she has been badly attacked, presumably for non-compliance. Pity I didnt see it happening or I could have stopped it, but think I got to her soon after. Also wish I had a hospital tank, just cant afford it at the moment, so having to make do with a netted nursery thing, which is far from ideal. Ive dosed with Melafix to try and help. Makes me really sad seeing injuries this horrific. Last time it was just her fins, but he has had a real go this time

 

[minnnt]

Oh mate that looks horrific! i would say not, but fingers crossed she will.

 

[micko]

She looks well and truly beat up. Fingers crossed she gets better.

 

[Littlemonkey]

My god, that is trully awfull. At least she is upright. Lots of waterchanges etc, will help her to recover. Just hope she won't go into delayed shock. Goodluck mate.

 

[MikeO]

Ive checked up on her and she is still alive, but I have doubts she will last the night now. There is a sort of white fluff growing over the wound, which appears to be back to the bone in the most part on her right hand side.

She is one of the original fish that went into my tank and one who colours up the nicest out of my 4 blue zebras, will be really sad if she goes

Going to see if I can find a small tank setup on freecycle to use as a hospital tank. Not likely but worth a shot.

 

[nurglespuss]

White fluffy stuff may be fungal... in which case she probably won't last (stress is getting to her I bet, as well as the injury). Definately need to set up that hospitaltank (or a sumptank that can be isolated) for the future. Good luck.

 

[MikeO]

Well she is still alive today, which I am amazed about, but the fluff has grown significantly.

Going to treat again today with Melafix and going to try and get a lift to P@H to buy a small tank. Its a nightmate because I am not allowed to drive at the moment as in recovery from an op and also cant do water changes on the tank because I cant lift the buckets, so really need to get a small tank today. Going to do everything I can to save her.

 

[seffieuk]

Why not buy a big plastic container type box, you know the sort they have in B&Q and the like, its what I always use

Good luck

Seffie x

 

[micko]

Glad she's still with us.

Glad she's still with us.

 

[elisew]

I really sympathise with you, one of my Mpanga females got really beaten about by a second female whilst in transit and she didn`t half look a mess when they got here. Her fins were completely shredded down to nothing more than stumps and she had a right nasty gash in her side. I, like you didn`t think she was going to make it but luckily she did and she`s happily swimming around in the main tank with the others and there`s no bother at all

Hang in there and carry on as you have been, do include lots of water changes when you get your QT and good luck, I sincerely hope she makes it

 

[marieukxx]

God the poor thing, he really had a go at her. Just wanted to say good luck and I hope she pulls through

 

[MikeO]

Well I have been out and got a 35L tank - My LFS was open and had one of these basic start up kits, 35L tank, 50w Heater, a Stingray filter and hood with T5 light for £60, which seemed decent enough to me, so have just been attempting a clone of the main tank.

Ive put in some of the substrate from the main tank, taken out the filter media from the stingray as some of it is carbon and replaced it all with a sponge from my U4, which is just about enough to fill it.

Tested the water and its showing about 2ppm amonia, but my main tank is 0. I used about 50/50 tank water and new water with prime, but I have added Melafix and Pimafix - Would these distort the ammonia readings?

I will test again in a couple of hours, but I dont know what the colonies are like in my U4 sponge since my main filtration is a FX5, so dont know how well colonised the U4 will be. Guess I just have to wait, but really want to get her out of the main tank today if I can.

 

[Bazza57]

Stick at it mate, that's the down side of keeping rifts. Keep her calm, & Maybe add a little aquarium salt to your hospital tank, salt seems to be a tonic as well as having great anti-fungal properties.
I went through this situation many times when I kept rifts, the worst event was when my breeding pair of H.Compressiceps freaked out & the female got really roughed up, unfortunately I lost her, but that didn't stop me trying to nurse her back to health.
It always pays to have an isolation tank handy - to use as a nursery tank ( I used to remove brooding females) & as a re-cuperation tank for damaged fish. try to match water conditions if possible.
best of luck with the fish

 

[MikeO]

Well I decided to empty the QT and refill fully with water from the main tank and she is in there now.

Still alive but she is nose down and doesnt seen to have an awful lot of control over what she is doing.

Will do a daily 25% water change and full dose of melafix and pimafix daily and see where we get to.

 

[leecasey]

I dunno how everyone else feels about things like this, but personally I would put her out of her suffering. That is a very substantial wound I'd be surprised if she survived. I know if I had a wound like that