Rescue Update.

[WaterPond]

Well, i went to the LFS today... and i saw this tiny little gold severum being kept with a kenyii cichlid...

I went to the owner and said, you might want to take that kenyii out, it really beat up the severum, the fins are all ragged.

he said "oh, i didnt even know that kenyii was in there"

i said "well arent you going to take it out"

he said "just let him finish that fish off, its half dead anyways"

me, having a soft spot in my heart for the underdog told him to bag up the fish for me, i'm taking it home.

He said, "suit yourself"

So he bagged up the fish... i pair the original price for it and everything.

I felt so bad for the little thing, i didn't care if he was dieing, my plan was just to get him home, and give him some love, and if he pulls though, thats great, but if not, well at least i tried.

Well, now it seems to be doing better... and i am SOOO happy about that. It is usuing all of its fins to swim now, not just the tail fin. It ate tonight

This thing is TINY... i'd say it is just under an inch. it is not getting picked on by anyone at all. and it is not paicking on anyone. It is actually schooling with my two angels.

Here are some pics of the fish i have named "Lucky Marshmallow Cod"......-LMAO, dont ask me how i came up with that one

any advice for bringing this fish back to health... no signs of disease or anything.. it was just really stressed. I think he should be ok.

So, what do you think?

 

[hsherman1986]

If anyone starts picking on him/her, take them out (the aggressor, not the sev), rearrange the decor, wait a week or so, and reintroduce the other fish.

THe sev will get to be around 9-10", do you have the tank space for that?

Dose the tank with Mela or Pima fix, that will help heal the fins.

What other fish are in the tank with the sev?

 

[SparKy697]

Can't offer advice for making im well. Just a kind word for trying to help! Good effort.

 

[WaterPond]

If anyone starts picking on him/her, take them out (the aggressor, not the sev), rearrange the decor, wait a week or so, and reintroduce the other fish.

THe sev will get to be around 9-10", do you have the tank space for that?

Dose the tank with Mela or Pima fix, that will help heal the fins.

What other fish are in the tank with the sev?

i have neons, SAEs, angels, GBRs, bolivian rams, boemani rainbowfish, just fish like that.

Its a 50gal tank.. so yeah, should be okay in there for a long while.

And, if i dose with melafix and pimafix, will my ADF s die? and will my plants die??

 

[hsherman1986]

the neons will become a late night snack for both the sev and your angels. And when the sev gets bigger, your GBRs and bolivians may not be safe either. I would plan on upgrading if you intend on keeping the sev. THe sev will outgrow that tank quickly, IMO.

I am sure your frogs will be fine, though I am not 100% sure. Your plants will be fine. I dosed my planted 55 with pima fix to help my sev heal. It has been a week, and her fins are almost completly grown back.

 

[WaterPond]

ok, i only have pimafix, and it wont be until next weekend i can get melafix... can i just use the pimafix??

And i figured the severum would outgrow the tank. Once it gets latger and heals i will most likely find a home for it elsewhere. Hopefully it doesnt grow too fast. From what i have been ready, they do not grow very rapidly. And i know the neons will become a snack... dont worrk, i have 8 other tanks i can move them to.

I love this fish. It is just the coolest thing ever.

I will keep a close eye on it. How long to do think it will tank to reach maximum size?

 

[hsherman1986]

Yea, just pima will be ok. That is all that i used (its all I got too).

Just wanted to make sure that you were aware of how big that fish can get. I don't know how fast they grow. Mine is about 3", but has noticable grown in the past 2 weeks that I have had her. (probably about 1/4-1/2")

I love my sev, she is an awesome fish. She is turquois, absolutly beautiful.

Thats good that you can move the neons. You will want to before your angel is full grown (assuming your angel is not full grown yet).

Good luck with the sev, I hope s/he pulls through. SO long as it is not getting picked on, it should recover quickly.

 

[guppy12]

Good for you!! Thats so good of you to save a lil fishy!

Anyways, how big is the sev? How big are the angels and how big are the angles?


The sev will get pretty big, but.... good for you!

 

[physicsdude]

His fins look chewed up, but his body seems to be in good shape. I did'nt see any wounds or scars in the pics. I hope he pulls through- he has some nice coloring even after that dogfight with the kenyii. Its strange they would put an african cichlid in with a peaceful south american- that seems to be a mysterious question in this issue.

 

[MyCatsDrool]

He has a cute face.

 

[7Enigma]

You have 8 other tanks but no QT tank?!? I would highly recommend converting 1 of them to a QT or getting another tank. I would be very cautious adding a wounded fish into an established tank.

Not only will you spend more money on meds, but you risk the rest of your fish in the process.

A wounded animal is much more susceptible to disease/parasites, and can be a carrier into your established tank.

I understand not everyone can have a QT tank (I recently just got my second tank, a 10 gallon QT), but for those with MTS it should be mandatory. Here's hoping everyone will be fine.

And I would have serious thoughts about going back to that LFS after his response....and charging you FULL PRICE!

 

[Burks]

He has a cute face.

I thought the same thing. Cute little thing.

 

[Mosaic]

I love severums. That little guy is cute! Hope he recovers.

I also agree with all the serious things everyone else said.

 

[WaterPond]

You have 8 other tanks but no QT tank?!? I would highly recommend converting 1 of them to a QT or getting another tank. I would be very cautious adding a wounded fish into an established tank.

Not only will you spend more money on meds, but you risk the rest of your fish in the process.

A wounded animal is much more susceptible to disease/parasites, and can be a carrier into your established tank.

I understand not everyone can have a QT tank (I recently just got my second tank, a 10 gallon QT), but for those with MTS it should be mandatory. Here's hoping everyone will be fine.

And I would have serious thoughts about going back to that LFS after his response....and charging you FULL PRICE!

LMAO... i can't beleive i dont have a QT either... LOL...I have a 10gal with just feeder guppies which i will be putting into my pond next summer... This tank has crushed coral mixed with the substrate though, because i was planning on shell dwelling cichlids... anyways... i do need a QT.

and, i wouldent have bought the fish if it had any signs of disease... this one just look picked at...

I don't really want to complaina bout this guy either, because he is the former president of my aquarium society... and he seems to be more into making money off the fish, not just the fish themselves...

And i didn't actually pay full price.. the fish was regular 15 bucks, but i told him i had a ten on me, and thats it... he said just give me ten for it. But it would have worked out to about ten bucks anyways with my discount because i am in the aquarium society...

Lucky Marshmallow Cod is doing well. Seems to be happy.. i am treating the tank with pimafix... should be back to full glory soon

thanks for the tips everyone, i will keep you all updated. 8)

 

[Musket]

Glad to hear the little guy is doing well. I love the little goldies as well. They, in my experience with them, do not grow all that fast. I had a 1" for 3 years and when he passed on was about 4" diameter. The last 4 I had were even smaller than yours when I got them. In comparison the my original *years ago* they did grow a bit faster. But they were also the only ones in the tank for a long time. My lone angel, schooled with the 4 of them until I got another angel for her. It was very sweet. They all played together.
IMO, I would get some Melafix as soon as possible. I had an angel with a torn fin and used Melafix and it was healed in 2 days. Completely healed in 4 days. I swear by the stuff now. And no, in normal doses it will not hurt your Dwarf african frog. *neither product* I am currently treating a male betta and a new DAF with both products and maracyn II with no ill effects.
Good luck, keep us posted.

 

[courtnee]

What a cute little thing. The face on that fish would be hard to not feel sorry for. It kind of has fishy eyes (cant say puppy eyes LOL) and just begs to be cared for and loved.

Great deed and what a wonderful home for it to be rescued too!

 

[WaterPond]

uuuughhhh, ICK!! just after i got done treating my tbar cichlids for it. Up goes the heat i guess

Still doind well, is a shy little thing though.

 

[severum mama]

I bought my severum at about an inch TL, and I can tell you that juvies grow very quickly! Mine tripled in size the first few months, and continued with rapid growth until reaching the 6 inch mark about 15-18 months later. Then his growth slowed noticeably, but did not stop. I've had him for about 3 years now, and have grown him out to about 8 inches TL. I'm sure he is probably still growing, but like I said it is slow enough so that it is difficult to notice.

I'm going to disagree here and say that you could probably keep this fish in a 50 gallon if you had to, but a 55 gallon would be preferable due to the extra length. Mine has lived in a 66 gallon since I bought him. Also, as always, personalities vary widely from one fish to the next, but I've kept mine with Bolivian rams in the past with no issues. As long as you have ample hiding spots it MAY work. The GBRs are probably a different story though, as has already been said. Bolivians IME are hardier, scrappier, larger, and less prone to stress than GBRs.

 

[WaterPond]

this morning he was looking rather bad.. turned almost red in colour... i dont think that is a good thing. I made him a little QT tank out of a rubbermaid bin... that is still floating in the main tank... it has a air driven filter in it.

I don't think at this point the fish can live... i am getting some melafix tonight... hopefully that helps.

 

[hc8719]

frozen or live foods always boost a fish's health, note that pimafix has been known to be a carcinogen (cancer causing)

turn up the heat, and good luck (that guy at the LFS was an idiot, kenyii are african cichlids, and severums are south american