Open wound on fish

[connor31556]

Hi guys I have a female swordtail in a fully cycled tank. The fish has been in there for about 2 years and has just sustained a pretty deep cut into its body during breeding (there are 2 females and 1 male all similar sizes and they're in a comunity tank not separated for breeding). This cut is not on her fin and this mades me beg the question if giving her a aq salt dip would help or just hurt her sorry about the picture it's the best I can do as she wont stop moving. which reminds me, she is acting perfectly normal and just slowed a little from the wound

 

[connor31556]

I have been looking at it closer and I'm beginning to think it might be a fungus infection? The picture is below and I'm not sure

 

[m.j.gomez]

Hi guys I have a female swordtail in a fully cycled tank. The fish has been in there for about 2 years and has just sustained a pretty deep cut into its body during breeding (there are 2 females and 1 male all similar sizes and they're in a comunity tank not separated for breeding). This cut is not on her fin and this mades me beg the question if giving her a aq salt dip would help or just hurt her sorry about the picture it's the best I can do as she wont stop moving. which reminds me, she is acting perfectly normal and just slowed a little from the woundView attachment 314550

Hello, whenever one of my fish sustain a open wound I usually separate to a 3gal qt tank(beverage dispenser). Then I use 1teaspoon aquarium salt per gal & add melafix(natural antiseptic) per directions. This even works on salt sensitive fish like loaches, Cory cats & plecos. I usually do 1/3 water change every 2 days. This has worked for me. Hope this helps!!!!!

 

[connor31556]

Thank you for responding but I dont have a extra tank. I just did a aq salt dip and fed him. While he was in the dip I looked closer and got these pictures and i now think it's cotton wool. Which leads to another question: should I get medicine for the tank or just repeat salt dips for a while (again I dont have a qt tank)? Below are the better pictures I got during the dip. Do you think my diagnosis is right?

 

[BBradbury]

Hello connor...

You don't need to move the fish. You simply treat the tank with a little standard aquarium salt. Add a teaspoon or a bit more to every five gallons of your water change water. The salt will calm a stressed fish, stimulate the healing process and discourage the growth of an infection. You can treat the tank this way indefinitely. Scaled fish like your Swordtail, will definitely benefit from a little standard aquarium salt.

B

 

[connor31556]

I was going to do that but I forgot about a couple new plants I have in the tank so I went out and got...pimafix? I forgot the name but I took out the carbon and I'm treating the tank with that for 7 days then a water change which is good timing cause it matches my usual water change schedule

 

[BBradbury]

Hello again connor...

Adding chemicals to the tank water is risky. Because, you don't know how the fish will react. The stuff you used is for fungal infections. Your fish just has an injury. The salt dose is really preferable.

B

 

[connor31556]

Its definitely cotton wool. It started growing a little but the fish is acting fine I've dosed it 2 times (2 days of pimafix) and have not seen any reduction of the infection but I have seen the fish start moving more. How long do you think it will take before I start seeing the infection fade?

 

[m.j.gomez]

Its definitely cotton wool. It started growing a little but the fish is acting fine I've dosed it 2 times (2 days of pimafix) and have not seen any reduction of the infection but I have seen the fish start moving more. How long do you think it will take before I start seeing the infection fade?View attachment 314572

Hello again, I've been researching this because I've never personally had to deal w/this type of problem but always interested. I've found a few sites that say by keeping water pristine(30%+ conditioned temp matched waterchange every 2 days), using aquarium salt & tea tree oil(melafix or essential oil) will slowly kill the fungus(info on fish keeping advice). Hope this helps you!!!!!