lordofthereef
One reef to rule them all
So I have had two ribbon eels for a few months now. See here http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1922833 if there is any interest in reading about them in the thread I started. Up until this morning they were fantastic (I think based on the title you know where this is going).
Due to some unforeseen circumstances I had to swap tanks. The new tanks have been cycling for a few weeks and are ready to go (used all rock, sand, and water from the previous larger tank).
Today my girlfriend calls me while I am at school with an "eel emergency" - eels is in the skimmer impeller. I rush home feel nauseous the whole time. When I get there, I see the eel whipping around in the tank with its tail caught in the impeller. (Lucky my girlfriend was in the room when it happened and turned off everything very quickly.) I took apart the pump and unwrapped about an inch worth of the tail. The top portion of the tail is completely shredded.
I assumed he would be a goner, but he actually seems to be doing ok, back in his pvc tunnel and popping out every now and then. I am still doing the lights out and have reinforced the back area with gutterguard so they cannot get back there.
My concern now is infection. The injury was far enough down that, aside from maybe having permanent scarring or deformation on the end of the tail, I do not believe any vital organs were damaged. Is there some sort of antibiotic I could proactively treat the water with? Currently there is nothing else in the tank other than snails, small hermits, and the two eels (along with the rocks and sand). I am hoping he gets through it, but I also don't want to keep this guy alive through pain and have him die of a bacterial infection in the end.
Due to some unforeseen circumstances I had to swap tanks. The new tanks have been cycling for a few weeks and are ready to go (used all rock, sand, and water from the previous larger tank).
Today my girlfriend calls me while I am at school with an "eel emergency" - eels is in the skimmer impeller. I rush home feel nauseous the whole time. When I get there, I see the eel whipping around in the tank with its tail caught in the impeller. (Lucky my girlfriend was in the room when it happened and turned off everything very quickly.) I took apart the pump and unwrapped about an inch worth of the tail. The top portion of the tail is completely shredded.
I assumed he would be a goner, but he actually seems to be doing ok, back in his pvc tunnel and popping out every now and then. I am still doing the lights out and have reinforced the back area with gutterguard so they cannot get back there.
My concern now is infection. The injury was far enough down that, aside from maybe having permanent scarring or deformation on the end of the tail, I do not believe any vital organs were damaged. Is there some sort of antibiotic I could proactively treat the water with? Currently there is nothing else in the tank other than snails, small hermits, and the two eels (along with the rocks and sand). I am hoping he gets through it, but I also don't want to keep this guy alive through pain and have him die of a bacterial infection in the end.
