Greengirl87
- #1
I really need your help guys! I'm super worried about a guppies tail!
So I'm fostering my friend's 2 guppy males in a 20 gallon planted tank over the summer. Things were fine, but this morning when I went to feed them and the one's tail was stuck in the intake tube of the filter! I shut it off and he got out. But he is struggling to swim. His fin isn't torn or anything, but the edge of it looks dark, like I'm pretty sure there was some tissue damage. Idk how long he was stuck, just that he wasn't when I shut the blue light off at about 11 last night.
I didn't have time to do much about it, because I had to unlock work this morning and could not be late. But I did put some melafix, pimafix, slime coat/conditioner, and accurel body rx in to hopefully help his fin heal. I know there is some debate about whether melafix and pimafix actually do anything, but I'm so worried. I've been using them with all my other tanks for years and haven't noticed any bad effects. I even use them half strength with my betta and that has been fine. And bettas are the ones people seem to have the most trouble using mela and pimafix with. Mostly at this point they are just a thing I use here and there just in case, and they make the water smell nice. Anyway, I figure every little thing I can do that will possibly help, I should do. If he still looks super rough when I get home, assuming he's alive, I'll probably give him a salt bath.
I left the filter off so it wouldn't happen again. And when I get home I'm going to put filter foam around the intake tube so it never happens again. And there is a bubble bar going, so there should still be enough oxygenation of the water. Plus there are live plants.
I feel guilty, because I noticed pieces of plants had got sucked to the intake tube, and I thought to myself, maybe I should put some prefilter foam on there. But I didn't get around to it this weekend because I deep cleaned and redecorated my 10, 20, and 37. As well as helping my bf clean and redecorate our 2 crested gecko tanks.
I'm so mad at myself for not putting that foam on, because now one of these guppies might die! But I couldn't have known this would happen. And my friend has had them in this tank with this filter for quite awhile and didn't say anything about this ever happening before. I did ask her if this had happened before, and explained the situation, but she hasn't responded yet. Still, I knew it was a risk, I've seen my betta's flowy fins get stuck to the filter intake before. And guppy fins are just as flowy. I should have done something about that intake.
Has this happened to anyone else? Does anyone have suggestions about anything else I can do for the poor little guy? I'm freaking out because he isn't my fish, though I've been loving and caring for them as if they are. I haven't even had them a week, but have really been enjoying them. Omg I hope he makes it, I feel terrible!
Fyi, I have the temp set at about 78 right now. Should I raise it?
So I'm fostering my friend's 2 guppy males in a 20 gallon planted tank over the summer. Things were fine, but this morning when I went to feed them and the one's tail was stuck in the intake tube of the filter! I shut it off and he got out. But he is struggling to swim. His fin isn't torn or anything, but the edge of it looks dark, like I'm pretty sure there was some tissue damage. Idk how long he was stuck, just that he wasn't when I shut the blue light off at about 11 last night.
I didn't have time to do much about it, because I had to unlock work this morning and could not be late. But I did put some melafix, pimafix, slime coat/conditioner, and accurel body rx in to hopefully help his fin heal. I know there is some debate about whether melafix and pimafix actually do anything, but I'm so worried. I've been using them with all my other tanks for years and haven't noticed any bad effects. I even use them half strength with my betta and that has been fine. And bettas are the ones people seem to have the most trouble using mela and pimafix with. Mostly at this point they are just a thing I use here and there just in case, and they make the water smell nice. Anyway, I figure every little thing I can do that will possibly help, I should do. If he still looks super rough when I get home, assuming he's alive, I'll probably give him a salt bath.
I left the filter off so it wouldn't happen again. And when I get home I'm going to put filter foam around the intake tube so it never happens again. And there is a bubble bar going, so there should still be enough oxygenation of the water. Plus there are live plants.
I feel guilty, because I noticed pieces of plants had got sucked to the intake tube, and I thought to myself, maybe I should put some prefilter foam on there. But I didn't get around to it this weekend because I deep cleaned and redecorated my 10, 20, and 37. As well as helping my bf clean and redecorate our 2 crested gecko tanks.
I'm so mad at myself for not putting that foam on, because now one of these guppies might die! But I couldn't have known this would happen. And my friend has had them in this tank with this filter for quite awhile and didn't say anything about this ever happening before. I did ask her if this had happened before, and explained the situation, but she hasn't responded yet. Still, I knew it was a risk, I've seen my betta's flowy fins get stuck to the filter intake before. And guppy fins are just as flowy. I should have done something about that intake.
Has this happened to anyone else? Does anyone have suggestions about anything else I can do for the poor little guy? I'm freaking out because he isn't my fish, though I've been loving and caring for them as if they are. I haven't even had them a week, but have really been enjoying them. Omg I hope he makes it, I feel terrible!
Fyi, I have the temp set at about 78 right now. Should I raise it?