Need Help Fast

[ben1987]

Sounds promising. At least he is eating. Must have been very stressful and some fish can go days and days without taking food after somthing stresses them. So long as it takes food and builds it strength up then its fins will grow back. My clown ripped its tail the other week and that grew back within 4 days. Cant even tell now

 

[Alex Brown]

Wow, I didnt know they could grow parts back? I thought they healed up as much as what was left and got used to life with missing parts.

His eye has also gone down alot, its not "puffey" today.

How did your clown rip its tail?

 

[ben1987]

I dont know. Came down one morning and it was split quite badly. There isnt any other aggressive fish in the tank and shes the boss so im cluless. And the tail deffinatly healed up. Not sure on growing bits back but so long as its still got a fin there then it should heal up i reckon

 

[Jonny967]

Boxfish do struggle with powerheads as they are not the greatest swimmers in the world. I have two powerheads running in my tank but both have the intakes hidden between some live rock. A 2cm boxfish will really struggle with the currents but they do grow very quickly, mine is reaching 3.5" now and at this size powerheads are not an issue.
I am very surprised that it did not release its toxin when sucked in, continue to keep an eye on it though as just because it has not released its toxin yet doesn't mean that it won't

 

[Alex Brown]

on closer inspection, his fin is all there but is torn horizontally through the middle. he is using it to swim with all the time now, and his eye only has a tiny bit of swelling. im super happy he is ok

he is eating fine, and comes to the glass when i come close again. he isnt 100% the same as before, but im happy to say that he is alot better than when i first found him just over 24 hours ago.

thanks for your help everyone!

 

[ben1987]

How is he now?
by the sounds of it that fin will heal fine.

 

[Alex Brown]

he only comes out either when its dark, or when i go sit next to the tank! otherwise, he hides in caves. he is eating and swimming ok. the powerheads and skimmer are all back on, did a 17L water change this eve.

some of his black spots are scratched up, but other than that he is noticeably fine. the eye sweeling has reduced/non existant nearly.

thanks for the help ben.

 

[Alex Brown]

i just watched him completely stop a couple of times, no movement atall and rested on the substrate, is that him calling it a day?

he has been very imobile for a day or two now, hovering just mm above the sand.

i scooped him up and put him in a bucket just incase he nukes my tank. there is waterflow in there, it has one piece of live rock and a heater. its about 17L.

if he does die (i hope not ) will all the stuff in the bucket be poisoned?

He is swimming since i moved him, not how he used to though, his fins are intermitant.

cheers.

 

[Alex Brown]

well he is actually swimming about now. im confused. i dont want him to wipe my tank out if i put him back in.

 

[Alex Brown]

He stopped moving this evening, I just switched the quarentine tanks plugs off. Can anyone advise me on what to do with the live rock and equiptment. How can I clean this just incase it has been intoxicated?

RIP little guy.

 

[SkiFletch]

Sorry about your loss, that's never fun

Washing/rinsing the equipment in vinegar (and then rinsing it with freshwater) should take care of it. As for the rock, I'd mix up a new batch of saltwater and put the rock in that for say a day. If you have a filter that you can run carbon with in this rock/water bucket, do that as carbon should remove the toxin. If it were me I'd do 3 full waterchanges with the rock before using it and then wait a week. Just my oppinon

 

[ben1987]

Sorry to hear about that. They are fun fish to watch

 

[Alex Brown]

More importantly than the rock, I had a kitchen siv that my powerhead was inside, to stop him getting sucked in. Is this safe to prepare food with again?! Or should I replace it. It was a cheap plastic one.

There really cool fish, I recomend anyone who is thinking about one, to defently go for it if they have the right equiptment. I really want another one, but first I will make my tank powerheads "boxfish safe" buy routing the intakes somehow somewhere safe. I also feel bad replacing him! He had a freind in the LFS tank, the same size and everything, he is still there.

Thanks guys for your input. Do any of you keep boxfish?

Cheers.

 

[ben1987]

replace the sive imo. I wouldnt cook with it again

 

[Alex Brown]

Cheers bud.