DarkRevoultions

Hello, I have a tropical tank with angels, and gouramis, and another tank with african cichlids. I kept the acara cichlid in there, but it is dying, the tail fins are completely ripped out, and I can't find anything that can possibly help heal it.

I put in some fin repairing medicine, but my acara is dying.

HELP!

Lucy

I'm really sorry to hear about your fish. I don't know anything about them, but it would be a good idea to move him into a Q tank so he's not stressed or picked at by the other fish.

I deleted your other thread. It will be easier for you the members who can help if the replies are in one place.

Good luck, I really hope he recovers.

capekate

Hi DR,
Not sure which tank you had the Acara cichlid in? with the Angel and Gourami? Or the African Cichlid tank? If it was in the African cichlid tank I can see why you would have aggression. You really should not mix African and South American Cichlids together. They will fight and it looks like that is what has happened with your Acara. They can be pretty mean in their own right as well.
If the injury is really bad as it sounds, there is not much you can do but make the fish comfortable and keep him away from all the other fish that will try and attack it now that it is weakened and injured. Do you have a divider you can use to keep the fish separated?

DarkRevoultions

What do you mean I never posted another thread last time until now, about my angels.

Shawnie

dark I think you need to invest in an API liquid master test kit...with all the issues you are having with your fish babies, it might be something you really need to get on the right track

lew2000

I don't know how people will react to this - there is alot of discussion on many web sites about fish euthanasia (not to mention wether fish feel pain (which i think they do since that is an organism's way of letting the brain know that something isn't right), - and i use the following method when i have had a dying fish or injured/sick fish that i wasn't able to help and did not want to let suffer any longer (also discussed amongst fish keepers - do fish suffer). "An aquarist hopes that they will never have to perform this duty. I think it's better to know that there's a humane way, and never need the information, than to need the information and do something cruel to your fish because you didn't know". (exerpted)

Clove oil (also known as eugenol) is sold in most drugstores as a toothache remedy, and has the remarkable quality of putting fish to sleep. Using clove oil to anaesthetize your ailing fish first will make almost any method of euthanasia more humane, but the quickest and cleanest way is to add a clear grain alcohol like vodka to the water inhaled by the sleeping fish.

For small fish, under three inches long:

1) Fill a measuring cup with tank water, noting the volume, and pour it into a separate container (opaque sides will minimize fish stress). Place the fish in the container.

2) Fill a small jar ? full with water from your tank, add one drop of clove oil, put the lid on, and shake thoroughly until the water turns a cloudy white.

3) Pour about a quarter of the white liquid into your container, and allow it to sit for about ten minutes. The fish will begin listing and then sink to the bottom, but the gills will still move every few seconds. If the fish is still moving after ten minutes, shake up the jar again and add another quarter of its contents to the container.

4) When the fish has stopped moving completely except for the gills, add vodka or a similar clear grain alcohol to the water. You'll need to use about a quarter of the original container's volume in vodka: if you put 12 ounces of water in the container, you'll need 3 ounces of vodka (25% of 12 oz) to make the process quick and effective.

5) Check the fish after twenty minutes; if there is no gill movement after sixty seconds, the process is complete; if you do see any movement, add another dose of clove oil, and then another dose of vodka.
For larger fish you'll need proportionally more clove oil: about 10 drops per gallon of water in the container; and you may need to wait longer before it takes effect. Once the fish is asleep, use the same 25% dose of alcohol to ease them on their way.

pinkfloydpuffer

Lew:
When I had to euthanize a fish I used a similar method, but used stuff I had around the house. We had cloves in our spice cabinet, and so I boiled those in some water to extract the oil. Then I added the cooled mixture to the container with the fish in it. After he was asleep (which was really within no more than 2 minutes) I added rubbing alcohol, and he was gone in less than 5 minutes. It was very efficient, and I think it was peaceful for him.

Beeker

I did the clove oil/vodka method. It was very peaceful. They just go to sleep and it is over. It is sad, but worse to watch them suffer.

04_si

im really sorry anyone has to do that. It seems like such a hard decision to make, but Its got to be just as hard watching your fish suffer...