# Injured Bala Shark



## Foxxtrot

Hey guys, so I've been trying to look up this information everywhere, but nothing. So I came to you guys. Basically I have 3 bala sharks currently in a 35 gal. They're relatively small right now, but two nights ago, one of the balas got stuck somehow within one of the ornamints and was trashing around in there for an unknown amount of time. I pulled him out, he seemed okay minus a chunk scratch around his dorsal fin, and a few scratches here and there, no blood, but he was eating and that whole bit, looked like he was going to recover well. Now with that being said. This morning I find him stuck, again, same place.. managed to pull him out, as gentle as possible. I noticed his underbelly has a reddish tint from scraping and pushing on some sharp but dull areas on the ornament, also his left pectoral fin looks damaged near the top of the fin, as if he broke it in half, but the flesh is still there and he is using his fin still. This just happened about 20 minutes ago. So how should I approach this? I'm out of test strips currently, however I did manage to replace new filter cartrage in the filter, and added prime for the stress coat. A water change is due but I'm afraid to put the little guy under any more stress. 
Thank you for your time.


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## jaysee

Fresh, clean water and low stress environment is best for healing wounds. Do frequent water changes.

I had a goldfish get stuck in a ceramic piece - I had to take a hammer to it to free the fish. It was pretty banged up but healed just fine.

You changed the filter cartridge? Hopefully you didn't throw out your beneficial bacteria?


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## Foxxtrot

The beneficial bacteria is still on the waterwheel, everything that was in the filter I just threw out was practially horrifying, considering I just got back from a trip. How to you think I should handle the situation about my bala however?


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## Foxxtrot

After what happened, he seems in better condition than I thought he would be, right now it looks like he's trying to recover from what had happened. He's hovering in the upper region of the tank, and you can tell his dorsal fin is kind of a bother considering the injury


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## jaysee

Foxxtrot said:


> How to you think I should handle the situation about my bala however?


Fresh, clean water and low stress environment is best for healing wounds. Do frequent water changes.


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## Foxxtrot

I see, thank you for the quick reply!
Let's hope he makes a full recovery :s


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## jaysee

It should. In the meantime, be on the lookout for bacterial or fungal infections setting in, and be prepared to treat it.


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## Foxxtrot

Managed to take these really quick.


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## Foxxtrot

What would early signs of a bacterial or fungal infection show as?


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## jaysee

Foxxtrot said:


> What would early signs of a bacterial or fungal infection show as?


Fuzzy white tufts growing at the injury site.


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## Foxxtrot

And here's one of that injured pectoral fin.


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## jaysee

They don't look too small. Are you planning an upgrade?


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## Foxxtrot

Oh great, I'm looking for white fuzzy tufts inside of a white wound lol


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## Foxxtrot

Yes I am, trying to get my hands on 125 soon preferrably


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## Foxxtrot

Is labored breathing normal for the fact of him being stuck anf injured?


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## jaysee

The wound will be white, yes, and may kind of "flake" as it heals. But fluffy/fuzzy has no place in healing.

Yes labored breathing is normal after a fish has been traumatized. I would not worry unless it's still breathing heavy in a day or two.


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## Foxxtrot

I see, is there anything else I should do or watch for during recovery?
P.s. I thank you for all of your quick responses and advice, it's greatly appreciated!


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## jaysee

You're very welcome.

I can't really think of anything else. Perhaps someone else will.


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## Foxxtrot

Maybe. What also adds into my bad ownership, is that, I don't own a QT and the bala shares the tank wtih 2 others, one smaller snd one slightly larger. The bala that got injured, during feeding time is generally chased and provoked of stress.


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## jaysee

I think quarantine tanks are essential, but people do manage to get by without them sometimes. Ideally the fish would be isolated for a more serious injury, and if infection does set in you will be in position to treat the fish without needlessly exposing the others to the medications, plus you'll be saving money - antibiotics are not cheap and will cost 3 times as much to treat in a 30 vs a 10. It's never too late to get one


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## Foxxtrot

That doesn't sound like a bad idea, what size tank should a decent QT be around?


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## Roccus

a Q tank doesn't have to be fancy... mine is a simple rubber maid 30 gallon tub ( clear sides) and a used heater and filter( floss only no carbon) I bought at a yard sale for $10... the substate is play sand ( well rinsed) and a few clay pots and artificuial plants make up the decore( I remove these if I'm medicating).. the lighting is simple as well... seeing I'm not growing plants in it... a desk lamp on a timer provides a sembulance of day daylight.. I seeded the tank with an dirty filter from my comunity tank and provided it with a pinch of pulverized food each day for a week to start the colony... it sits down in my shop ready to be a hospital or Q tank.. all depending on my needs.. the set up has served me well lin a few emergencies....


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## jaysee

Depends on the size of the fish you keep. I have QTs up to 29 gallons because I have some big fish. For typical community fish, a 10 gallon is a perfect size - can accommodate a group of fish at once. In tanks smaller than that you are limited to just a couple fish, maybe. Too, for med dosing a 10 is very convenient.

I use quarantine generically to include a hospital component.

Don't need to spend a lot - all you need is the tank, a cheap filter and a heater. Light is not important, but you do want to be able to see the fish to examine them. A top is important too - usually comes with tanks of that size. You can probably find a cheap setup (tank, filter, heater) on craigslist for around $50. Maybe less.


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## Foxxtrot

I could prob find a 25gal for a fair price around here, the bad thing is I may not be able to get one atleast within a weeks time. That broken pectoral fin has me worried on if it will heal well or not. But as for the QT like you said earlier it's better to treat 1 fish instead of 4.


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## jaysee

Since you are looking at upgrading to a 6 foot tank, it would be wise to look for a larger QT. Your current tank would certainly work, not that that helps you now. Wouldn't be a bad idea to get a smaller one too.

Keep up on the water changes and you should be fine. You should see improvement after a week. As for the broken fin, it's possible you may need to rename the fish stumpy. Fins can and do grow back - sometimes to full size, other times they grow back smaller. Sometimes not at all. All you can do is provide fresh clean water and hope for the best.


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## Foxxtrot

Lol'd at stumpy. That sounds like a fair deal, atleast you've cleared up that I could do a water change while the fish is injured. The fin isn't completely severed, but from the looks of it, it doesn't seem like something that would be able to repair itself in tbe condition it's in. So now we play the waiting game. Thank you for everything, the information you and Roccus have given me has saved a bala shark! I'll post updates as he recovers or if any issues or questions arise!


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## jeaninel

I hope you removed the offending ornament. Hope your fish recovers well. 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Foxxtrot

Hey guys, quick update. I've removed the ornament from the tank yes. There seems to be no infection at the injury sites, however, my injured bala is seeming pretty lethargic, no heavy or labored breathing. The red injury on his underbelly is still there and is more visible near the sides of the fish now. The scratch on his eye is flaking off.. either that or peeling and there is some cloudy eye going on, not sure if that's from the injury and it's healing or if that needs to be mended asap. His pectoral fin doesn't seem to be giving him any trouble. Right now I'm just worried about the lethargy, his eye, his underbelly, and the fact that he's staying on the bottom of the tank more. Any thoughts?
Thanks for listening guys.


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## rsskylight04

Try feeding live blackworms if you can get them. If not try frozen brine shrimp or frozen bloodworms from "local fish store". That should perk him up if anything will.


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## Foxxtrot

I've been feeding him bloodworms as long as I can remember, the only problem is since he shares the tank with 3 other balasharks, he's the medium sized one and semi-passive. Therefor during feeding time he gets pushed around and even nipped at, at times.


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## rsskylight04

You could buy (or make) a partition for your tank, then at feeding time seperate him from the other fish to make sure he eats his fill. For a 29 gal. Its less than10$. Best of luck to you.


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## Foxxtrot

I've been meaning to get one, been looking around because I'm planning on upgrading my current tank. However do you have any ideas on the health of his eye, underbelly, and lethargy by any chance?


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## jeaninel

Can you post a pic? If there's still redness I would be worried there may be infection setting in and you may need to treat with an antibiotic.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Foxxtrot

_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Foxxtrot

His underbelly almost looks like a healing bruise, it has a yellowish tint mixed with the red. I'm not surprised the reddness is still there, he was trashing with a pretty sharp corner of the ornament under his scales too. Under there was all shredded up. As for his eye though, all it seems is that a film is peeling off of his eye. Alsp he keeps swimming with his head pointing at the top of the water, almost like a "/" but not as steep.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Foxxtrot

The water is a tad blurry due to a recent water change as of 45 minutes ago.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## rsskylight04

Your fish is definitly injured and stressed. I'm most s concerned by the swimming head up. I'm no expert but I believe that the best thing to do is frequent water change to keep nitrates down and trace minerals up. Also dose the tank with prime to make sure toxins are nuetralized. Im not big on adding too many chemicals but I've heard of a product called StressCoat that migjt help you poor shark. Don't know much about it. Tolak and Rickey are proffessional breeders and might be able to offer expert advice if you PM them. If your shark starts a more natural swimming posture I would say he's on his way to recovery.
I'm pulling for you and your shark, good luck


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## Foxxtrot

Thanks for the reply! A water changed was done earlier today, should I do 2 per week? The water is slammed with prime with stresscoat built in. Honestly he seems kind of out of it and disoriented. Keeping a close watch on him though. It sucks knowing there's nothing that can be done to ease the poor bala
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## rickey

Ok I'll go ahead and say "I'm a water purest" so keep the water pristine and be observant for anything, white and fuzzy, red patches, open wounds, labored breathing, bottom sitting or thing that just doesn't look right. If you have a hospital tank use it. He going to make you just have to give half a chance

R


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## Foxxtrot

What exactly am I looking for, he has one small open wound on his back, no labored breathing, he earlier was bottom tank sitting, and now he's staying at the top of the tank with his head pointed up like a "/" but not as narrow
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Foxxtrot

PS. I don't have a QT currently :/


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## Tolak

As mentioned, a rubbermaid tub is cheap, small heater, air pump to run a box filter. From what I'm seeing part of the underside that won't heal issue is related to your substrate. A bare bottom tank or tub will help that. More aggressive eaters during feeding time causes stress, this sure doesn't help the healing process. 

So, isolate, bare bottom container, 50% water changes daily the first week, every other day the second week. Wait 10 minutes before adding dechlor after the water changes, let the free disinfectants provided with tap water work on any bit of stray external infection that may be involved.


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## Foxxtrot

I've never truly used a rubbermaid tub for QT, would I have to practically scrub it down? I had a QT a long time ago for my 6 year old goldfish to upgrade tanks and he caught some illness from the QT


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## Foxxtrot

Update 3452: When the light is off I notice the reddness under the skin to be slightly on his side and the bottom of his head including under his mouth. Perhaps an infection or just some brusing?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Foxxtrot

Lol I must be getting annoying by now. I've done some research, from the looks of things, my bala shark has developed Hemorrhagic septicemia due to the injury along with a hugr ammonia spike before I changed the water quality. Treatment says to do what you all suggested, water changes, since there's no known cure. But is there really no cure for this??
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## rsskylight04

Somtimes there's nothing to do but rely on the natural healing powers of the fish. Fish are relatively simple vertabrates and their ability to heal injuries can be amazing somtimes. If his natural abilities have been overcome, there is probaly nothing YOU can do except keep water quality high, make sure he eats, don't let him get pickef on.... good luck


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## jaysee

rsskylight04 said:


> Somtimes there's nothing to do but rely on the natural healing powers of the fish. Fish are relatively simple vertabrates and their ability to heal injuries can be amazing somtimes. If his natural abilities have been overcome, there is probaly nothing YOU can do except keep water quality high, make sure he eats, don't let him get pickef on.... good luck


Yup


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## Foxxtrot

I see, well said! But on the downside my bala has all of the symptoms of hemorrhagic septicemia + popeye in the injured eye. Earlier this afternoon I treated the water with maracyn two, hopefully this works and also doesn't allow the bacterial infection to spread. Day 1 / 5.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Tolak

Ignore the back of the box with that med. Daily 50% water change & redose, for 10-14 days.


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## jeaninel

Tolak said:


> Ignore the back of the box with that med. Daily 50% water change & redose, for 10-14 days.


+1
If bacterial infection sets in you need to keep the water clean and continue the antibiotics. Make sure there is no carbon in your filter as that will remove the meds. There may have been some internal damage done to the fish. I hope your fish gets better.

Also, keep an eye on your ammonia and nitrites as the meds may affect your biological cycle.


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## Foxxtrot

So 50% water change, wait 10 minutes, add prime, redose for 1 packet every 10 gallons?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Tolak

Foxxtrot said:


> So 50% water change, wait 10 minutes, add prime, redose for 1 packet every 10 gallons?
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Yes, for 10-14 days.


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## Foxxtrot

UPDATE!! We're in the clear guys! The injury healed up nicely, water is clear, everyone is back to normal, and eating! I can't thank you all enough for your help. You've saved my fish and I'm forever grateful. Thank you everyone!


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