Red Fin Borleyi

So this morning, we turn on the light and everyone is happily swimming around. A couple hours later, my son notices a tail hanging out of our largest cichlids mouth. We pull the Red Fin out because it was still fighting to get out and immeadiatly put it in the hospital tank. He's torn up pretty bad. His dorsal fin is shredded and he doesn't seem to be using his belly fins at all. He mainly uses his pectoral fins to swim around and uses his tail just a bit. He's gotten most of his color back already (he was almost white) and he kinda swim floats around the tank. I was wondering if there would be any hope for this poor little guy. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I've looked to this forum for advice in setting and maintaining my 90 gal tank and everyone was doing great until this happened. We've never had a problem like this thus far.

Thanks,

Cherylyn

[judya]

I'd try him in the hospital tank and hope. Keep him as stress free as possible - maybe give him some shelter with a rock or something.

Unfortunately for us, any fish that can eat a fish, will. I lost a school of neons to an angelfish that way. There were other neons in the tank with the angel, but when I added the new ones, they were small enough to be lunch. sigh...

Good luck- hope he makes it.

[Cichlid Man]

Never keep a fish with another that is smaller than the others mouth, (unless you intend to use feeder fish) even a herbivorous fish won't hesitate to consume a smaller individual if it has the chance. I find that if there is nothing to stress out a fish or injure it, even the most badly injured fish will recover. Do regular water changes in the hospital tank, and make sure that the tank is dark as possible, this will reduce stress, time and sleep is the best cure for an injured fish, although aloe vera and tea tree oil will also help to repare fins and body tissue.

He lasted all day, and a ways into the night, but when we woke up today, he was dead. It's so wierd that it happened, though. The big fish has always been so docile. The only fish he ever showed any aggression to was the next largest fish (about 4.5") once or twice a day, when he was feeling territorial. We put eight new fish in there with him that were no larger than 1.5" and he never chased one of them for two months. There are several fish significantly smaller than the one he tried to eat, and I never thought he could have fit the borleyi in his mouth. Oh well. Thanks for your help.