Boanoah
New member
Okay so I was using my gravel vac to clean up his left over food and poop [I do a sweep with it everyday] and normally he's really fine with the vac and doesn't do anything. Sometimes he'll even come over and try to eat some of the stuff being sucked up, I didn't think it was a problem, until today.
When I was doing the area near his food dish he put his face too close and in an instant he was sucked into the plastic pipe up to his back legs, I panicked and pressed the pump to try and blow him out but it only yanked him back in harder. So I yanked the pump apart to break suction and he ran away super quick into the corner of the tank, I noticed flesh rimming the plastic intake and of course gave him a look over. He has reddish bruising on his face and sides, a little but of gill damage but not much, and his entire upper fin on the torso was shredded, like it had been peeled from his spine. It's still attached at the rear and a little at the tip but for now he has tatters of fin, I don't want to stress him out so I guided him to his little hut and I've turned off the lights.
What do I do about the torn fin flesh? Should I just snip it off or would it be better to leave it attached as it is? I know about fridging and salt baths should he get sick or any fungus but I would rather avoid either possibility, so in this regard, do I amputate for safety or will it naturally deal with itself?
I feel so awful, as soon as he's up to eating again I'm going to give him some nice big earthworms to help boost his system but he looked so traumatized and shocked after the incident.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, I do not have a camera but his injuries are pretty straight forward, scrapes, torn flesh, and bruises.
When I was doing the area near his food dish he put his face too close and in an instant he was sucked into the plastic pipe up to his back legs, I panicked and pressed the pump to try and blow him out but it only yanked him back in harder. So I yanked the pump apart to break suction and he ran away super quick into the corner of the tank, I noticed flesh rimming the plastic intake and of course gave him a look over. He has reddish bruising on his face and sides, a little but of gill damage but not much, and his entire upper fin on the torso was shredded, like it had been peeled from his spine. It's still attached at the rear and a little at the tip but for now he has tatters of fin, I don't want to stress him out so I guided him to his little hut and I've turned off the lights.
What do I do about the torn fin flesh? Should I just snip it off or would it be better to leave it attached as it is? I know about fridging and salt baths should he get sick or any fungus but I would rather avoid either possibility, so in this regard, do I amputate for safety or will it naturally deal with itself?
I feel so awful, as soon as he's up to eating again I'm going to give him some nice big earthworms to help boost his system but he looked so traumatized and shocked after the incident.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, I do not have a camera but his injuries are pretty straight forward, scrapes, torn flesh, and bruises.