Fish got stuck in castle... Is now injured

[Chels10117]

My poor fish Packy got stuck in a castle a few moments ago... I went to check up on my tank as another new fish I just got seemed lethargic. When I looked I did a count looking for all of my fish as I normally do... I finally realized after awhile that my fish was stuck! I didn't know what to do or how bad it was. I tried picking it up and gently shaking it. He frantically moved from side to side so I realized that wasn't a good idea. I had to pick it up, stick my hand (or finger because that's all that would fit in there) and kind of push the bottom of his body out of the castle... He finally got free, but with minor injuries.

He has a small red mark right before his dorsal fin and a kind of cut into his body like a half a cm big right before his anal fin. He is a glofish tetra (White skirt tetra).

He's pretty freaked out right now so I am letting him be till tomorrow morning. I shut the lights and bubbler off to not stress him out. Will he heal? I've never had a fish get injured before.

Should I temporarily move him to my little one gal and put some aquarium salt in there to help him heal?

I don't know what to do but im pretty pissed at the castle now... So much so that i'm thinking of taking it back as I worry that my other fish may end up getting stuck... I'm thinking my algae eater, who loves to live in there, may have scared him and caused him to try to swim up and out. But I really don't know.

How do I help heal my poor fish? I don't know what to do. I don't want him to die.

I will try to post some pictures along with a link to the castle I have... Just as a warning. The hole on the top left of the castle in the picture is what he was stuck in... I didn't think the entrance from the inside was even big enough for him to get through.

Here is the castle:

Top Fin® Domed Castle & Rock Aquarium Ornament | Ornaments | PetSmart

 

[Delapool]

With a bit of luck he should be fine. I'd aim to keep the tank stable, separate him if getting picked on, struggling, etc and extra water changes to keep the water very fresh.

Then keep an eye out for any change which may be fungal or bacterial.

If you have it, API stress coat may help.

http://www.petbarn.com.au/fish/aqua...s-treatments-supplements/api-stress-coat.html

 

[Chels10117]

Thank you for your advice!

 

[em1981ma]

If he is a healthy fish. He should heal over fairly quickly. Melafix is a good aid in the healing process and will help the injuries areas from becoming infected by bacteria. Fish heal remarkably quickly. I say don't move him as this will stress him more but as said above keep an eye to ensure no bullying takes place.

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[Delapool]

Good luck, keep us posted.

 

[yahooandgoogle]

I would remove the castle.


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[Chels10117]

I decided to move him to a hospital tank for just a week, fish were kinda bullying him. He is doing great and I've been treating him with a small amount of melafix every day like the bottle said and added some aquarium salt. Did a water change today. It's a 3 gallon and he has been in there for 3 days. Wounds are no longer red and the one on the top looks almost completely healed. He may end up being a bit disfigured once this is all over because the cut under him is pretty deep. But it is healing up and he is happy and swimming around fine and eating. I will put him back in the tank with his friends probably Sunday and look after him. Maybe add some stress coat. He's the biggest one in the tank right now lol. I decided to keep the castle. I stuck a piece of clean sponge up in the tower and it blocks the hole really well so the fish wont be able to swim through it anymore. So all is well! I'll post a picture of how he looks now.

 

[Chels10117]

Here is a picture of how he looks now. Also his bottom fins kinda got cut off... But I'm more worried about the cut then those they will grow back.

 

[Dallascowboys16]

Here is a picture of how he looks now. Also his bottom fins kinda got cut off... But I'm more worried about the cut then those they will grow back.

Awesome! He looks great.

 

[Delapool]

Good news! Probably no rush on putting him back as I'd say that is the worse I have seen.

Last week I sucked up a small rosy barb that got too close to the gravel vac. Just managed to stop it before he would have got really caught.

 

[Chels10117]

Yikes. Glad your fish is okay. Yeah i'm going to see how he does if it's not making progress by then I'll keep him in a bit longer.

 

[Chels10117]

UPDATE! Look at how good he looks! You can barely even see it now.

 

[Delapool]

Nice, very nice! Looking good.

 

[Chels10117]

Yeah I put him back in the tank and he is so happy. You can barely tell anything happend to him. I think he is really happy to be back!

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