Re: Injured Tin Foil

Question
Hi there Chris, I have a question that I am hoping you can answer.
I have a 12 year old big tin foil barb and he jumped up on the canopy of the tank and his eye is bleeding, it has stopped now but he does have blood in his eye, and his eye is a sort of greyish/whitish color and a little scraped.  I have never actually seen blood before on a fish that was injured, is there anything I can do for this???
His is in a 45 gallon tank with some other little barbs.  He was eating right after this happened tonite when I went to feed him he didn't eat.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!  
Thanks in advance


Answer
Hi Nikki;

Poor guy. Fish eyes usually heal pretty well as long as they don't get infected. Keep the tank water very clean by making frequent water changes. The water changes will lower the number of naturally occurring bacteria in the tank water and will also boost the immunity of your fish, both reducing the chance of infection. Change 25% of the water every two or three days, or even daily if you can. You can also add aquarium salt and a product called "Melafix". They help inhibit external infection and will help the damaged tissues regenerate.

If he doesn't get better soon he may have an infection that needs antibiotics. Big fish often don't respond to antibiotics added to the tank water though (their bodies are too large) so antibiotic food is one alternative. Another possible treatment is injected antibiotics. You have to get those from a veterinarian.

I hope he feels better soon...

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins