Alright. I adopted two more baby senegals (sorry, no pics!). I was just going to get the one, but then the second would have been all alone in the tank, so I got him too. The first is a typical adoption for me - it has issues that need fixed ASAP. I don't even know if I can save it. When it came to PetsMart, it had already had the injury done. Some idiot left a rubber band in the water and it got wrapped around its body. The fish grew before they got the rubber band off and it ... well... you know how your wrist looks when you leave a hair tie or a rubber band on it? It's just like that... but probably worse. The top fin is all messed up where the band was too. He's eating. Any recommendations on what to do to help him out?
Evil rubber band!
- Thread starter Keeper of the Ropes
- Start date
Stress Coat.... And Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Melafix. This should help in the healing process. Good Luck.
Stay On Top of the Water Changes.
Stay On Top of the Water Changes.
just keep it in stress free and clean environment, and feed it good quality foods. bichirs have pretty good healing capabilites like most fish do so it'll probably heal up in no time.
I have black construction paper taped to the outside of my hospital tank with windows I can lift up to check on the "patient". keeps stress to a minimum.
Thank you everyone! Unfortunately water changes might be very difficult for the time being. We're having a massive drought and a lot of the cities water supplies are very low - and the quality is HORRID. I'm paranoid - if the water tastes horrible in my coffee, in my tea, and my customers @ work return sodas because of the water in them... I'm real hesitant to add it to my tanks. And I'm broke - so I can't buy bottled at the moment. Crap. 
Alright he's still eating his weight in bloodworms. I'm not too worried about the fins - moreover his longterm health. The place the rubber band was around him is half the width of the rest of his body - and this includes his spine. He's not using his tail very much. What are the odds he suffered some sort of nerve damage?
Just an update - I ended up naming this particular fish Gumby, and the tankmate Pokey. Gumby has added about 1/2'' to his size, his fins have healed and the massive indentation from the rubber band is still there but no where near as bad. They've begun, even at their tiny size, to snag small rosies I keep in that tank while they await their death by the big boys. Anyway, he's doing great and the future looks good.
as for the not using the tale.. some poly's do not use there tail very much as is so I would not be worried about it something not mentioned as for far is watch the photo period just to make the fish comfortable don't turn the light on and of different times of the day and as for the water quality stress coat and ACE the water that will help but do not go over it. try boiling the water by your house see if that helps or put it through a water filter... ei britta or somethign like that