Rainbow cichlid - pretty bad injury

[Deadeye]

Definitely worth a try. It is possible to rehabilitate it to a degree, really just keep the water clean. Fish, especially cichlids have amazing healing ability, so if you do it right he can be doing good in no time.
I’ve had some pretty bad injuries on fish in the past, sometimes it works out sometimes it doesn’t (of course I never removed the injured party from the tank ). As long as he is separated from everyone else that should give him the best chance. Fingers crossed.
P.s. Rename him one-eyed Willy... or twoface.

 

[Rocksor]

Unfortunately, it will need its own tank with fish that eat slower than it does. Maybe upper jaw smaller bichirs (senegal, delhezi, etc.) come to mind.

 

[Kelly_Aquatics]

dont doubt oscars I had 1 rake the whole forehead off of another O in a clean flap it was not super deep so he did heal

 

[Deadeye]

May be good with spiny eels, generally timid around cichlids, also some cories in its own tank. Was the Oscar the only one with it or was there anyone else with teeth?

 

[biguebs]

May be good with spiny eels, generally timid around cichlids, also some cories in its own tank. Was the Oscar the only one with it or was there anyone else with teeth?

Only other fish in there at the time were 2 Firemouth (who were quite aggressive tbh) and i immediately removed.
I wish I would have taken a picture of the initial injury, the way it was all hanging off made me think he may have gotten himself stuck in the decor and tore himself up getting out. Just doesn’t match with the oscars mouth to me, but I would be foolish to eliminate as a suspect here.

 

[biguebs]

For the time being, the divider is up and he has about 20% of the tank to himself. I have a couple spare tanks but really don’t know if I want to set up something new. If it comes to that I will, going to make sure he keeps eating for now and keep water pristine. Thanks for suggestions on potential tank mates... I haven’t had the bichir bug yet but maybe this will be the excuse lol.

 

[Deadeye]

They’ve got the teeth for it.
Stuck in decor is an option, but it seems way to brutal of an injury. Anything’s possible though.

 

[biguebs]

View attachment 1440695
They’ve got the teeth for it.
Stuck in decor is an option, but it seems way to brutal of an injury. Anything’s possible though.

Dang, that’s a good picture. Definitely a little more shearing ability than I was giving credit for but I am so used to just seeing oscars try and swallow everything whole that I’m having trouble visualizing how the Oscar, whose mouth is much bigger than the wound, did that.

But maybe I’m just seeing what I want to see... “oscars gonna oscar” I suppose. This guy may have just been small enough for the O to try but too big to swallow up.

 

[Deadeye]

Dang, that’s a good picture. Definitely a little more shearing ability than I was giving credit for but I am so used to just seeing oscars try and swallow everything whole that I’m having trouble visualizing how the Oscar, whose mouth is much bigger than the wound, did that.

But maybe I’m just seeing what I want to see... “oscars gonna oscar” I suppose. This guy may have just been small enough for the O to try but too big to swallow up.

Thanks, but not my picture. I wish I was that good, or that I had an oscar. Anything’s possible for how it got hurt, but Oscars be oscars. Rainbow may have even attempted to lip lock, and lost its face. Had that happen to a Texas who lip locked a RBP, not nearly as gruesome (somehow), but you get the idea.

 

[FJB]

No idea how the injury may have happened. Good that the fish continues to eat, and act reasonably well. I would guess it has a good chance of full recovery, to become a legendary one-eye, one-faceside icon of lore and tales. Challenge is to keep secondary infections out of the open wound for the time being. Good luck!