Yellow Bullhead Rescue

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just3542

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jan 14, 2011
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North Haledon, New Jersey
I found a juvenile Yellow Bullhead yesterday while fishing. He was near the shore, just floating near the surface. So, I took my net and got him, just to find out that his tail was entirely bitten off. I took him home, and he's currently doing pretty well. He's about 1" long. Can anyone tell me how to force feed fish correctly? Because he barely has any energy, and is unable to move around much.


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Wow, nice rescue man! I would use some Stress Coat or Aquarium Salt (1 Tablespoon Per 5 Gallons Of Water) and then try feeding him again in a couple hours. If that doesn't work....

(I got the following off of a website.)


"For badly stressed fish we prepare a mixture consisting of crushed pellets (the usual pellets we feed them) mixed with a few drops of a vitamin liquid, suitable for aquaria (Esha Optima is our favourite) and a couple of grains of aquarium salt. We stir the mixture well until it becomes a slightly runny pulp. The constitution of the pulp is important; if it is too creamy (like a paste) you will be unable to discharge it with the syringe. We then take a clean 20 cc syringe (without the needle) and place its front opening in the pulp.The plunger of the syringe at this stage is pushed down fully."

"To fill the syringe
, hold the barrel firmly and pull the plunger upwards (towards you). Do not put too much food in; we find that 1cc is more than sufficient for one feeding of a fish 10-20 cm TL. After placing the pulp in the syringe always press the plunger back in to expel any air which got in the syringe accidentally. When a little bit of pulp is expelled from the front end of the syringe it is ready to use. At this stage attach, to the front opening of the syringe, a small piece of soft (silicone) airline, about 4 cm long."

"Gently net the fish from the tank and place it on a wet, soft, non fluffy towel. It is important to ensure the towel is wet so as the skin of the fish is not damaged. If the fish is already in its own tank and weak enough to move around you may just hold it in your hand and keep it firm against the aquarium glass. With your other hand gently insert the airline attached to the front of the syringe with the food in the fish's mouth and press it as far back as it will go. It is always easier if the mouth of the fish is turned upwards (to face you) or is out of the water, though this is not always necessary."

"If you are doing this for the first time it may be difficult to get to the fish's oesophagus and you may need another person to help you. Gently moving the airline around will indicate where the oesophagus is (the airline will go deeper into the fish's mouth while the fish will open its mouth wider). Be very gentle with your movements or you may hurt the fish. Once you are confident the tip of the airline is correctly placed press on the plunger quickly to discharge some of the food. Repeat until the syringe is empty. You may then release the fish back in the tank."

"Things to look for: if all or most of the food comes out of the fish's gills it means either that the quantity of food discharged is too big or that the airline is not inserted properly.Try administering less food at a single push or relocating the airline. Again, if the food is simply placed in the fish's mouth it may just spit it out."

"Depending on the condition of the fish it is up to the aquarist to determine how many feeds a day they will offer. If the fish is in really poor condition (stressed) it may be preferable to offer less feeds and more peace and quiet. If the aquarist is concerned more about the loss of weight and less about stress then more feeds would be recommended. No matter what do not try more than 3 feeds daily."

"In some cases it may be necessary to mix some medication or salts in the food offered to improve the general condition of the fish. Aquarium salt (2-3 grains) or Epsom salts can be easily mixed with the food."


"You can also force feed fish using a pill discharger, such as the ones used by the vets to give pills to cats and dogs. There are different types of these implements, some of which have a particularly long curved end. These are used by vets to give pills to fish. We have occasionally used a regular pill discharger and we found it quite handy for large size pellets."
 
I believe that this fish will make a comeback to your surprise. My brown bullhead didn't eat for a month, I thought it would die. My yellow bullhead had all the skin over it's body stripped off down to the filet showing over it's entire body, whiskers and fins were shredded to. Both fish made complete recoveries. In both cases the fish were lucky the 2 fisherman gave them to me. Keep the fish away from other fish and keep the tank lighting low.
 
It looks like his chin barbells are black, which means he is not a yellow bullhead, as their chin barbs are white to yellow etc... not that it matters, just thought u would want to know.
 
Your bullhead doesn't look malnourished. I wouldn't mess with forcefeeding unless he doesn't eat for a week or more. Focus on preventing fungus and bacterial infections and I bet he will bounce back. Be careful with meds, since many scaleless fish can be particularly sensitive.
 
You don't need to worry about feeding him yet. I would add salt like someone previously mentioned. It will help heel the wound and keep it clean. If he doesnt eat in a week or more than start worrying about it.
 
Ok, thanks guys. I'm sad to say that he passed away a few days ago, I was away from home and he got caught in the filter intake holes and couldn't free himself. I'm sure he would still be alive if he didnt get caught.
 
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