# Help please! Badly injured Platy.



## La Reina (Oct 25, 2009)

I just came home to find one of my platies with his head stuck in the hole in the bottom of a flower pot that I have in my tank. I don't know how long he was there for, but I pushed him back through it as soon as I found him. He's cut himself down to the meat just in front of his dorsal fin, on the top and bottom. He is currently in the top corner of the tank chilling. (All fins moving.) Is there anything I can do for him? Or just wait and see?

Poor guy.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Oh, no!! Poor thing!! I don't really know what to tell you except to keep him in clean water and hopefully, that will help him heal.Hopefully, someone else will come along with better advice than me.


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## La Reina (Oct 25, 2009)

Do I take the chance and move him? ( I have a really small 1 gallon that I could put an airstone in, or I could use a just-about-5-gallon bucket.) Or leave him be?

I don't know what to do for him!


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## mrdemin (Oct 4, 2009)

I'd say if noone is bothering him, he should be ok and recover assuming your water is good. 
I do not know if any meds would be necessary, wait for someone more experienced to chime in.


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## La Reina (Oct 25, 2009)




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## La Reina (Oct 25, 2009)

Please experienced fish owners, get in here! I don't know what to do!


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

Yikes, sounds bad. When you say "down to the meat" do you mean scales ripped off and the area looks white or worse than that? When these things happen the best thing (IME) is to keep the water clean, very clean, and make sure your parameters are testing zero for ammonia and nitrites, which I'm sure it is as this is an established tank. 
If a bacterial infection sets in you will have to treat with meds. I've had this happen with a few of my fish and they recovered nicely. All I did was keep the water VERY fresh and clean by increasing the number of water changes than I normally do. I wouldn't move his as in my opinion that's more stress. Stress is likely to increase the changes of an infection of setting in which he is now vulnerable to with this open wound. Hopefully others with more experience will chime in with their advice.


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## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

What other fish are in the tank with him? Platys will respond well to salt in the water during time of injury such as this, but that will be dependent on what other fish are in that tank and if they can handle the salt. Other than the advice all the others have given to keep the water conditions pristine, there is little else to do at this point. 

I am not fond of suggesting preventive medication without just cause... but if you should notice changes in the wound such as reddening of the tissue either in or around the wound, red veining in the fins or on the body of the fish, fuzzy types of growth, gross color change of the wound or directly around it, or if his behavior or eating habits change suddenly... post right away so we can get the proper meds in there to help him out. At this point, I think adding medication would be premature.


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## La Reina (Oct 25, 2009)

aunt kymmie said:


> Yikes, sounds bad. When you say "down to the meat" do you mean scales ripped off and the area looks white or worse than that? When these things happen the best thing (IME) is to keep the water clean, very clean, and make sure your parameters are testing zero for ammonia and nitrites, which I'm sure it is as this is an established tank.
> If a bacterial infection sets in you will have to treat with meds. I've had this happen with a few of my fish and they recovered nicely. All I did was keep the water VERY fresh and clean by increasing the number of water changes than I normally do. I wouldn't move his as in my opinion that's more stress. Stress is likely to increase the changes of an infection of setting in which he is now vulnerable to with this open wound. Hopefully others with more experience will chime in with their advice.


My tank is fully cycled now (0's for NH3, NO2, NO3).

When he was first cut, the wound was pink (muscle tissue visible), and he's got some ragged skin around the cuts.


" What other fish are in the tank with him? Platys will respond well to salt in the water during time of injury such as this, but that will be dependent on what other fish are in that tank and if they can handle the salt. Other than the advice all 
the others have given to keep the water conditions pristine, there is little else to do at this point." 

The other fish are a Dwarf Gourami, Zebra Danios, a mystery snail, and a little herd of pond snails. I do have aquarium salt on hand, but I don't know how it'll effect the other fish.

I'm going shopping today, what medicine would you reccomend as an antibiotic if the wounds become infected?


THANKYOU THANKYOU THANKYOU everyone for the help!


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

I'd pers be very careful with Salt & Dwarf Gourami in that tank.

Any chance you can QT the sick platy? Like at least in the w/c bucket with some heat for few days? Then if it was me, I'd use Melafix from API.


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## La Reina (Oct 25, 2009)

I can definately put him in a bucket, I have a little heater especially for the purpose.

How fast do I add the salt? I don't want to shock him. And how much?


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## La Reina (Oct 25, 2009)

UPDATE:

I put the little guy in a bucket with plant, heater and airstone. The other fish were picking on him. (Don't worry, used dechlorinater.)

Should I add aquarium salt?


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

How's the wound looking to you today?
Now that he/she is separated from the rest (Gourami) yea I'd use the salt - Just very lil cause there's not much water in the bucket


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## La Reina (Oct 25, 2009)

The wound is now white with ragged edges. (Damaged skin hasn't fallen off yet.)

According to my math, I should be adding 2.4 teaspoons. Correct?

Normally 3 teaspoons (1 tablespoon) per 5 gallons. He's in 4 gallons of water.


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

I honestly donno, I just looked it up and found 1 tablesp for 5g water - either start low (and increase if necessary) or wait for someone who's got more exp then me with this before the fish OD's on salt ;-)
I'd shoot a PM to Lupin, she knows it ALL on any sickness


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## La Reina (Oct 25, 2009)

I pm'd Lupin. So Melafix is the way to go if it gets infected?


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

Melafix, antibacterial fish remedy Quote "_A safe & natural way to treat fish infections, treats open red sores, fin & tail rot, eye cloud pop eye, body slime and mouth fudges and open body wounds._"

Considering the active ing being Melaleuca (Tea tree oil) I'd pref that one on Tetra's over salt if I needed to.

I have no pers experience with it on open wounds, at least that's ONE thing my new fish hadn't had yet thank god, but it sure sound natural and good to me.


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

i had a wounded fish not long ago and the wife and i QT'ed the fish and used Melafix on the fish as a preventative measure with great success!! the fish id very healthy and healed very quickly (he was back in teh general pop in a week! be sure to follow the other importand part though CLEAN WATER daily changes of 50% of the QT can not hurt....


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## adiumroot (Apr 13, 2009)

I'm seconding Melafix too. Just keep up with the water changes to keep the water clean.

Clean water + melafix works wonders for wounded fish.

Oh, and keep your aeration up. Melafix decreases the amount of oxygen dissolved in the water. But since it's just a single platy, I think having an airstone is enough.


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## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

Angel079 is right, no salt with that mixture of fish. The medication to look for will be dependent on what symptoms present themselves, if any. Melafix could work for a fungal problem, but if bacteria sets in Melafix isn't going to have any effect. I still have to say its premature to be discussing types of meds as there is nothing to indicate they are yet needed. We don't know at this point if treatment will be needed, and if it is, what it is you will need to treat for. To just start adding medications without cause is more dangerous than letting the fish be to heal on its own.


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## La Reina (Oct 25, 2009)

I just got back from the store, and I've got Melafix at the ready if it's needed. I haven't added anything to the QT water, and it sounds like I shouldn't. The fish is eating well, thank goodness. I'll keep you guys updated.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

It sounds like he's doing ok, so far. I think he'll be fine.


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

bettababy said:


> Angel079 is right, no salt with that mixture of fish. The medication to look for will be dependent on what symptoms present themselves, if any. Melafix could work for a fungal problem, but if bacteria sets in Melafix isn't going to have any effect. I still have to say its premature to be discussing types of meds as there is nothing to indicate they are yet needed. We don't know at this point if treatment will be needed, and if it is, what it is you will need to treat for. To just start adding medications without cause is more dangerous than letting the fish be to heal on its own.


I agree w/ bettababy and I'm sure Sir Lupin would give the same advice!


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## Freddy (Nov 17, 2009)

I'm not an expert on fish diseases, but you should probably seal up the hole in your flowerpot with some silicate sealer that is rated safe for aquariums. That way no more fish will end up with cuts. Hope your fish gets better!


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## La Reina (Oct 25, 2009)

I removed the flower pot. It had been previously filled with a simple airstone. Stupid me took it out and assumed the fish wouldn't try to swim through the hole.


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

How's your lil bugger this AM?


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## La Reina (Oct 25, 2009)

The little bugger is chilling in his bucket.:-D The wound looks no worse, but really no better either. As I said before he's eating well and I'll do a water change when I get home from school, so I think the healing should kick in soon.

Do fish get scabs like we do? Or will the skinless patch just slowly become orange and turn into skin? (The fish is a red wag.)


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## eileen (Feb 24, 2009)

Buy some API Stress Coat. It has healing power of Aloe Vera replaces slime coat reduces electrolyte loss and promotes tissue regeneration it also removes Clorine and neutralizes chloramines. I had some new Bubblebee Platies that had their fins torn up at the pet store and I used this and their fins grew back and are perfectly fine now. I always keep this on hand under my tank.

Another good medication to keep on hand is PimaFix and MelaFix by API.

PimaFix
Natural botanical remedy for fungal and bacterial infections, harmless to aquatic plants, safe for freshwater and saltwater aquariums.
This treats cotton-like fungal infections and both internal and external bacterial infections.PimaFix harnesses the unique antifungal and antibacterial properties of the West Indian bay Tree (pimenta racemosa) for a safe and natural remedy: prevents the development of resistant strains of disease-causing organisms. Will not discolor water,affect biological filter, or ph during treatment. Will not harm aquatic plants. For extreme cases, PimaFix can safely be used with MiraFix to provide the added benefit of quick tissue regeneration and wound healing.

MelaFix

Antibacterial remedy containing the natural botanical extract from the Tea Tree (Melaleuca) MelaFix is an excellent altermative treatment for resistant strains of bacteria unaffected by traditional medications. Treats bacterial infections in as little as 4 days and heals open wounds, ulcers, and damaged fins. Does'nt affect ph, safe for invertebratres like dwarf shrimp or snails you may have. I even used this in my baby fry tank.

Water changes are good as mentioned above to keep the water clean .
Most Petstores like Petco, Petsmart carries these medications. I use both together in my hospital tank when I get something going on with my fish that are new before adding them to my main tank of community fish. If you keep these 4 things in your medicine box for your fish Stress Coat, MelaFix,PimaFix and maybe some Ich medication you should be ok for anything that might come up in your tanks and they are very safe to use instead of other types of medications. I hope this helps you and I hope your Platy recovers from it's ordeal.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I agree with eileen.


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## La Reina (Oct 25, 2009)

So Stress Coat is more of a healing suppliment rather than medication per se? I like API, they make good stuff. 

I have MelaFix on hand should an infection develop, should I use the Stress Coat to aid healing? I don't really want to buy it if it's not needed.


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## eileen (Feb 24, 2009)

The MelaFix should be fine. I would use the MelaFix now before an infection sets in. It has Aloe Vera so it is good for the fish and it's so mild to use. Just follow the intructions as follows. I use Stress Coat everytime I get new fish or I fish them out in a net as this coats their fins and netting the fish for any reason can put stress on the fish. You should see results really quick with the MelaFix. Your doing all the right things to get your Platy better.


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## La Reina (Oct 25, 2009)

So now I'm supposed to use MelaFix...? I'm confused.


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## eileen (Feb 24, 2009)

MelaFix is suppose to help with the healing of what ever injury your Platy had. If you do not have Stress Coat use the MelaFix to repair any damage that your Platy had while being stuck. Stop the treatment once you notice that the fish is getting better.


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## La Reina (Oct 25, 2009)

The clean water seems to be doing the trick. The wound is starting to heal a little bit every day!


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## adiumroot (Apr 13, 2009)

That's nice to hear! Clean water is the secret! In this case meds are only preventive measures against infection.


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

That's good to hear the fishy is starting to heal up


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I'm so glad to hear that he's healing from his injury.


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## La Reina (Oct 25, 2009)

Thankyou guys for all the help. I really appreciate it, and I'm sure he does too. 

I think I'll plan on putting him back in j pop when the wound looks covered. It's about halfway there, white center with light orange edges.


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