Ok so I just bought a firemouth cichlid and I think one of my fish attacked him and hes dying, hes missing his back fin and isnt doing well but is still alive, is there anyway to keep him alive or any good recommendations on euthanizing.
Firemouth cichlid dying!
- Thread starter fhawk362
- Start date
If the wound isn't too severe he will recover. Like Jacob said, you need to place him in another tank alone. He will heal better if he is not stressed by other fish. This happened to a friend's Oscar. He placed it in a small hospital tank and treated it with Melafix. The Oscar healed quickly and is very healthy and big today.
I have him in a 5 gallon tank, does melafix work well, hes pretty beat up 
his back tail is basically gone but hes alive.
his back tail is basically gone but hes alive.I have seen Melafix work many times, but it still depends on the severity of the wound and strength of your fish. There are other treatments out there, sometimes plain salt baths help. But for something like this I would try Melafix.
Remove him to another tank or return him to a fish store! Dont euthanizing him! Imagine someone decides to kill u when u are in your 20s when u have a recovering chance
He's probably not doing well because he cannot swim properly, but that doesn't necessarily mean he'll die. One of my male flag cichlids attacked his mate while I was out one day, and when I came home she was laying on the bottom of the tank with no fins. I put her in a bare-bottom hospital tank and kept the water really clean. She laid on the bottom for a few days, but eventually managed to hold herself upright and eat. After a month or so she was completely healed and she is still in my community tank.
Melafix works for some, but I'm a firm believer in clean water. I don't dump chemicals in my tank unless it's absolutely necessary. As long as the tank and water are clean, it should heal whether you add Melafix or not. JMO.
Melafix works for some, but I'm a firm believer in clean water. I don't dump chemicals in my tank unless it's absolutely necessary. As long as the tank and water are clean, it should heal whether you add Melafix or not. JMO.