I have a knight goby that likes to perch on top of one of my powerheads. He has been doing this for awhile, and the water level is such that his dorsal fin and scales surrounding it are exposed to the air. This morning I noticed the dorsal fin looked ragged and the scales around it are flared up and it appears the area is swollen. He is eating, swimming, etc. just fine. I would assume that the fishes slime coat was damaged and caused this. Should I do anything to help or just let this run it's course. I raised the powerhead so that the fish cannot rest on it anymore. Also any idea why a perfectly healthy fish would do this to itself?
Knight Goby
- Thread starter sushistix
- Start date
Why do whales swim up freshwater channels to trap themselves and die? Why do whales beach themselves and die?
Why do turkeys cook themselves by standing too close to their heater on a winter's day? (Talk about 'self-basting')!
Fish are not the sharpest animals on the planet. Some more so than others.
You moved the powerhead, that is good. It may have just found a place it thought it was safe. Being in an aquarium is a stress, so it found the place of what it 'thought' in its tiny mind to be least stressful.
You should be sure you are feeding the fish the foods that will help it recover. First, the foods that it would normally eat or need to eat in the wild. Next, foods you've spiked with vitamins and fats and garlic juice. Next, foods you'll add some beta glucan to. Use the beta glucan until the fish is healed.
If the fish doesn't heal on its own or you suspect a secondary bacterial infection, you can treat for a mild bacterial infection. If that gets bad, you may have to use antibiotics.
Have a hospital tank ready just in case. Start one up or have one standing by. A good guide to a hospital tank is the same for a quarantine tank:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-10/sp/feature/index.htm
Why do turkeys cook themselves by standing too close to their heater on a winter's day? (Talk about 'self-basting')!
Fish are not the sharpest animals on the planet. Some more so than others.
You moved the powerhead, that is good. It may have just found a place it thought it was safe. Being in an aquarium is a stress, so it found the place of what it 'thought' in its tiny mind to be least stressful.
You should be sure you are feeding the fish the foods that will help it recover. First, the foods that it would normally eat or need to eat in the wild. Next, foods you've spiked with vitamins and fats and garlic juice. Next, foods you'll add some beta glucan to. Use the beta glucan until the fish is healed.
If the fish doesn't heal on its own or you suspect a secondary bacterial infection, you can treat for a mild bacterial infection. If that gets bad, you may have to use antibiotics.
Have a hospital tank ready just in case. Start one up or have one standing by. A good guide to a hospital tank is the same for a quarantine tank:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-10/sp/feature/index.htm
