[FAMILYOFFISHLOVERS]

one eyed jack has apparently harmed himself.
i noticed that my dragon tank decor things in the tank was knocked over.
when i was taking his pictures for his update i noticed he has punctured his side on this dragon decoration.

what should i do. :-? should i wait it out? add meds? or what? :-?

also his fins have not yet opened up since i have gotten him. they still seem kinda clamped. wondering if that could be permanent damage from prior owner?
well here is the pic off the poke in his side.

the hole/poke is towards the top on the left. the spot to the right of the poke he lost a couple of scales as well.

here is one a little closer up

here is the fins that seemed clamped that i was referring to above.
could it be permanent? or a defect?

params are:
amonia : 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 30
ph: 7.5
temp: 79
thanks in advance! you rock! :thumb:

 

[cichlidaholic]

Hey, Renee! What are you doing to those fish??? :lol:

Is the decoration sharp enough to have done that? I hope that is what it was...Should be easy if that's what did it!

Those nitrates are creeping up on you a bit, so start out with the frequent water changes. Get them down to between 10 and 20 and keep them there. You can also add Melafix to aid in healing. Should you see any cottony or fuzzy looking substance around the wound, you might need antibiotics...But hold off on that for now. Daily water changes and Melafix should do the trick.

Now, the clamped fins...I think it's probably because he isn't very happy, and I know you didn't want to hear that! The tank is (as I've said before) on the small side for a JD, and he has no other fish to interact with. We're pretty sure he had a rough time of it before you got him - the fins don't seem to be healing as I had hoped they would, but they don't seem to be getting any worse, either.

Let's see if he perks up with the daily water changes and Melafix.

Kim

 

[FAMILYOFFISHLOVERS]

o.k. , yes i really do believe he whacked it good enough to do that. there are some pointy things that stick out the top. i have already removed it. so it does not happen again.

geeze if it ain't one thing its another!!
time for a day of water changes again!!

but it's worth it! to see them healthy and happy. i wish i could make one eyed jack happier but this is definitely better than what he had before.

he definitely is happier cause he swims alot and stalks down the pellets! look in the who am i! under unidentified section, i posted more pics and a short update on him!

 

[cichlidaholic]

I saw it! And I'm sure he's doing better in your care than he was before, no doubt!

I always have a hard time keeping a solitary fish in the tank. I always think he's lonesome, and usually if it's a male, I think he needs a female!

Truth is, alot of the larger cichlids have to be kept alone, so there's really not much you can do about that. I know of alot of people who keep two JD's in a 75G tank with a divider, so if you think of it that way, the 40G should be okay.

Bigger fish are messier fish. They produce more waste and they just tend to be "sloppy" eaters. Add that to the fact that this is an EBJD, and you're going to have to pay extra special attention to this guys water and health.

How about trying to find something large enough (and smooth enough that it won't hurt him) to make a cave out of for the big guy? Mine really seemed to enjoy having something to slip into. A flower pot or large vase turned on it's side would probably work, and you could position some plants in front of it to give him extra shelter. Changing up the tank decor so that it's more suitable for him might help him feel more relaxed.

Kim

 

[FAMILYOFFISHLOVERS]

update been changin water every other day 20%

params are back to normal, his wound is healing very nicely! actually its almost gone.

yippe,
thanks kim!!

 

[FAMILYOFFISHLOVERS]

also the clay pot idea is great, i am going out today to get one.

yes he is very messy so i have very little rock in the tank so its easier to clean. i think out of every pellet he eats 1/2 ends up on the floor!!

i am just wondering if i did the right thing? should i have just let the lfs put him to sleep or by buying him did i do him any justice? or am i just making him suffer more? i hope i did do the right thing!

 

[cichlidaholic]

If it's any consolation, I couldn't let an EBJD that size sit in a LFS for that price.

He probably wouldn't have survived there, unless they were very diligent in their tank and fish care. I doubt seriously that they would have given him any larger of a tank than your 40G. As long as you don't mind keeping him alone, and don't mind the extra care that he may require along the way, you did the right thing, IMO.

Kim

 

[FAMILYOFFISHLOVERS]

O.K. GOOD I FEEL BETTER!

i do not mind at all. he is my favorite fish!

 

[FAMILYOFFISHLOVERS]

oh no!!!!

the hole has healed and appeared to look like a scar, but when i checked him this evening close up i had noticed where i thought it was healed is now very swollen. the size of nickel!!!! and it is starting to get fuzzy!!

man!!!

parameters are as follows:

ph: 7.6
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 5
ammonia : 0
temp. 79

i have been doing 15g water change it is a 40g tank. every Saturday. still eating well, swimming a little funny, seems as if the swollen part is a little to heavy for him....?

what do i need to buy as far as meds tomorrow to add to the tank?

should i also lower the temp to 75 or 76 gradually? or no?

i added 2 tbl. salt to the tank, in the meantime. do i need to add more?

how many water changes for the infection should i do now?

oh man i am really upset. i really do not want to lose this guy after all i have done to keep him healthy..

by the way Kim, i did put a pot in there in the normal spot he hides at and he wont go in! he just sits on top it like its a rock! the little goof ball!

 

[cichlidaholic]

It sounds like he's developed either a fungal or bacterial infection from the wound. It's hard to know which direction to take.

Are his fins looking any better?

I would probably go the antibiotic route, with Maracyn and Maracyn II, just in case this is something like Columnaris. Treat for a minimum of 7 days, preferably 10. I'd do a good size (50%) water change prior to initiating the medication regimen.

Kim

 

[FAMILYOFFISHLOVERS]

o.k. so i treated with the Maracyn II for the first three days along with the Maracyn for the first three day. the i stopped using the Maracyn II and just used the Maracyn for an additional 5 days. for the last 5 days i also added melfix.

for a total of : Maracyn for 8 days Maracyn II for 3 days. and melafix for 5 days.

the spot is no longer swollen, no longer any fuzziness. no redness.

he still has his appetite.

however! ........

the spot is white, smooth, the size of a dime & slightly on the shiny side, kinda looks like ( sorry for the phrase but..) cooked fish?

the spot is not getting any smaller than the size stated above, wich was like for the past 3 days, but does look better than originally.

what should i do for him now? continue with Maracyn, switch meds ( after a huge water change of course) , continue with melafix?

by the way.... he is now using the pot to hide in!! i guess he just had to get used to it!

 

[FAMILYOFFISHLOVERS]

oh, and i almost forgot, he has been flashing for the past 2-3 days more than usual.

 

[cichlidaholic]

Have you been keeping up the water changes?

Big fish tend to put out alot of waste, so it's going to be important to stay on top of water quality with him.

After the round of antibiotics, I would guess that the white area just needs time to finish healing. As long as the cottony growths are gone, I wouldn't be overly concerned about that. Is he flashing on the side with the wound? If so, it may be itchy because it is healing.

Kim

 

[mark102]

start diggen a hole out back or use melafix

 

[FAMILYOFFISHLOVERS]

Have you been keeping up the water changes?

i did the big water change before the meds. about 50%
then i did the meds, no water changes cause the bottle said not to.
but i did do another 50% water change after the meds and am still continuing to use melafix.
and because of his many problems he is starting to get used to his water being changed and i upped it to 40-50% weekly.

Is he flashing on the side with the wound? If so, it may be itchy because it is healing.

yes he appears to be trying to scratch that area, so yep i guess it could be that then. alright i guess i will just continue the melafix daily. but for how long. i dont want to overdue it, or under do it.

start diggen a hole out back or use melafix

HEY i aint given up on him. and i have been using the melafix as stated above. just wasnt sure if i still needed to continue and for how long.

for a total of : Maracyn for 8 days Maracyn II for 3 days. and melafix for 5 days.

see i said it...

he been through alot before i even got him. and his body was probably already broken down from before and more suseptible to lots of things. i dont know how people can mistreat any animal like they treated him. it's beyond me. makes me sick.

i know i made a mistake and put that stupid decoration in there, but i have learned my lesson on that one.

instead we have a nice and safe smooth pot.

well thanks all and have a blessed evening.
sincerely,
the annoying one, lol
renee

 

[cichlidaholic]

Sorry, Renee...I've had computer problems this week!

I would use the Melafix for a couple of weeks, and then just watch him closely.

The thing with EBJD's is that they can seem to have constant health issues under the best of circumstances.

Kim

 

[FAMILYOFFISHLOVERS]

THATS O.K., I HAVE BEEN CONTINUING TO THE MELAFIX ANYWAY, THE AREA LOOKS MUCH BETTER IT'S STARTING TO GET SMALLER, HE ISN'T FLASHING AS MUCH, BUT HE DOES SWIM LEANING TOWARDS THAT SIDE. NOT CONSTANT BUT QUITE OFTEN ALMOST LIKE HE WANTS TO SCRATCH IT BUT CHANGES HIS MIND???

THE TOP FIN ALSO LOOKS MUCH BETTER AND STARTING TO FILL IN MORE.
HE IS STILL EATING LIKE A PIG. HE LOVES THE CICHLID GOLD LARGE FLOATING PELLETS THE BEST SO THATS WHAT I HAVE DECIDED TO FEED HIM PERMANENTLY.

THANKS FOR EVERYTHING,
SINCERELY,
RENEE