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when i changed my water today.i took my big peice of driftwood out and my severum started freaking out and scraped himself up on something then after looking at the driftwood on the floor i saw a yoyo loach on the ground. i tryed picking him up put he flooped around for about 20 seconds he was out of the water for about 2-3 minutes but probably less. is there anything i can do for them

Well, the Yoyo will either die or survive, but the best you can do for both of them to prevent infections after their experiences is to dose the tank with melafix.

I agree, dose the tank with malefix so there wounds dont get infected. Then just hope they do ok. They should do ok, ive had fish end up on the floor before and they have always poped out of it in no time. Best of luck too you

I say don't add a thing. Just make sure you keep the Nitrates below 10ppm, regularly (more so than usual) vacuum the tank, and maybe add some extra airation... oxygen is good for shock and stress. Keep a close eye on them, and ONLY add chemicals if you absolutely need to. It use to be my first response to reach for the chemicals, but after doing some more research on it, i stopped, and my fish have never been better. 8months of scrapes, scratches, bumps, bruises, torn fins, and general silly fish behaviour, and not a single infection or death and NO chemicals. Treat it like you'd treat a cut on your finger.. make sure it's clean, and keep it away from muck. It will heal itself.

Truer words were never spoken...

I've never dosed the dreaded tea tree oil either.

--garyroland.

I wish i could say never, Gary, but i was a learning fishkeeper, and still am, and thought all of that stuff must help. Needless to say, reading over a few posts made on this forum and doing some research myself prior to that... my melafix bottle is likely to expire before it ever gets opened again.

whats wrong with melafix

I have heard stories of loaches surviving for hours on the floor, to be placed back in the tank and suffer no noticable injury, other than being a little shocked and dazed. They can apparently form a thick slime coat to prevent themselves from drying out for a while.

greenmonkey: There's nothing WRONG with melafix, as long as you only use it when it's absolutely needed. There's far to much of "dose now... ask questions later" going on. There's just no need. When you think about how fish live in the wild, or do some research on it if you don't know, they don't have melafix (tea tree oil) being added to their waterways! Fish cut themselves all the time avoiding predators, or through being predators, and as long as the fish is healthy to start off with, and the river is clean (and it will be if fish are living in it) they heal themselves. So, instead of toxifying your tank with even mild things like melafix, why not just make sure your water is VERY good (and i'm hoping your's always is ) and make sure it stays that way. My Nitrates are always below 10ppm in all tanks and ponds... and i think that's a key part in allowing the fish to heal naturally. When i cut myself, all i ever to is clean the wound (if it's dirty) and keep it clean... my imune system, as would yours, takes care of the rest. Why should fish be any different?

Last edited by jester_fu at 23-Oct-2004 01:58

I do recommend Melafix, an anticeptic, in combination with an antibiotic for skin ulcers...

The combination often stops the spread of the open wound and speeds up healing.

--garyroland.

your YoYo should be fine my clown loach was out of water for about 15 minutes before