I really need some leaf fish help

[PatrickL]

ok, I have him in a 45 gallon, with about 14 tiger barbs, a red tail shark, a pictus, some cory cats. He was fine for the first month I had him, then got a chunk taken out of his side, near his gill. He proceeded to live behind my filter for about a week, and now he has come out again, healed over for the most part, but his fins that used to be on his back and belly(going all the way around) are gone. I went ahead and got some melafix, but should I put it into the 45 gallon tank with him, or move him elsewhere? I have a 2.5 gallon betta tank(with betta) in another room, but I already tried to put the leaf with him(hen he was still more wounded) and the betta whooped up on him(he was in the betta tank for about 5 minutes). The other tank I have has fancy goldfish and panda cories. Can I move the betta to one of the other tanks((45 with tiger barbs, or goldfish?) temporarily, or should I just treat the leaf fish in my main tank?

 

[treemanone2003]

I would suspect your barbs are the issue here. I would lose them first and then start with same large frequent WC's. I'm not one to introduce and dose chemicals as I believe they are far more expensive and more harmful in the long run than good husbandry and better proactive research in the beginning. As it is now, the leaf should be in at least a 50 and I think your bioload could be a bit heavy.

 

[PatrickL]

I dont think the tigers attacked it. I dont think one tiger would attack solo, and if they ganged up, I think the leaf would have been a lot worse off. Being as it had a chunk missing, I am inclined to think the red tail shark got it. As it stands, I put him in the 2.5 betta tank with melafix, and I have the betta elsewhere. I dont think the leaf is gonna pull threw tho. He is lounging towards the bottom, and looks like he is gulping.