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I moved my two danios into the 10g tank to cycle it, after I moved them I noticed one had a wound on its side, near the anal fin. It looks like one of the other fish in the 25g took a bite out of it. At first it seemed to be getting better. I tested the ammonia and nitrite (both were zero, will test again) then added res-q and shieldex to aid in healing. Now the wound looks worse again. The healthy danio keeps chasing and nipping at the wounded one.I am not sure if I should take out the healthy fish and leave the wounded one in or euthanize the wounded one and let the healthy one finish the cycle. By now I'm sure the ammonia and nitrite have started to rise and I know dosing meds during cycling is not a good idea. The tank is planted, temp is 24 celsius, cycling is just beginning not ending.
Just to add, I moved some ornaments from the 25g tank into the 10g as well as the biomax insert when I set up the 10g. I did this to aid in cycling and reduce harmful peaks in ammonia and nitrite levels.Plus most of the plants were from the 25g as well. The wounded danio is hiding some and coming out some when I feed the tank. I am trying not to overfeed.
New test results, ammonia still zero, nitrite also too low to register.

Last edited by luvmykrib at 27-Nov-2005 12:07

"If you're afraid you'll make a mistake, you won't make anything."
-Family Circus

Can you take the wounded one out and put it somewhere else to see if it recovers? I can't imagine the prognosis for a wounded fish is very good in a tank with ammonia and nitrite on the rise, but in good water conditions with a little Melafix, it might heal nicely.

The only place I could put it is back in the bigger tank. With the fish that bit it in the first place. So far the ammonia and nitrite haven't started to rise. The danios have been in the tank since Wednesday. I have thought about using a breeding trap, then I could keep it in the larger tank, I'm just worried that it wouldn't give it enough room to swim. I do not have a QT tank, or else it would be in there.

"If you're afraid you'll make a mistake, you won't make anything."
-Family Circus

Why not partition the bigger tank as a temporary measure, and return the sick fish to the larger tank? Some stainless steel bug mesh would be ideal, or a piece of glass 1-2"s more narrow than your tank... enough so the water can flow in, but not fish. Maybe even a plastic form of bug mesh, just not a material that will corrode or rust.

I think a breeding trap would be easier than a partition. For now I'm testing the water daily to be sure it's safe to dose. If the ammonia and nitrite rise then I will not dose. I am using ResQ and shieldex, melafix would just be filtered out by the carbon wouldn't it? Whereas the shieldex isn't and the resQ only works at night. So if it gets filtered out by morning it's still ok.

"If you're afraid you'll make a mistake, you won't make anything."
-Family Circus