And yes, the grass was promptly removed.
Gill Damage
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Gill Damage
When I went to feed my black kuhli loaches today, I noticed one limply suspended within a patch of plastic grass. Upon closer examination, I saw that one of the blades had entered the fish's mouth, and passed through one of its gill slits, effectively skewering it. I reached my hand in and eased it off the blade, upon which it promptly swam away and resumed acting normally (albeit with its gills slightly flared out). I'm worried that its gills may have been damaged, and am still relatively new to the hobby, so I was wondering if there was anything I should watch for or do for it.
And yes, the grass was promptly removed.
And yes, the grass was promptly removed.
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DainBramage1991
- Posts: 274
- Joined: Sun Feb 19, 2012 8:56 pm
- Location: Northern New England
Re: Gill Damage
Kudos for your quick action in saving the life of your kuhli loach. 
Loaches are incredibly adept at getting themselves into awkward situations, usually due to their own curiosity or attempts made at hiding in a place that's smaller than they are.
I'm no expert, but in your shoes I would mostly just watch and wait. If your loach isn't showing any obvious signs of stress or injury, than he will probably be just fine. You may want to slowly add in 1 tsp. of aquarium salt per 10 gallons of water, if you haven't done so already. If your loach was injured, this may help prevent secondary infections. As always, be careful with the salt dosing, as loaches don't always tolerate it well. Don't add any medications unless there is a specific illness or condition that calls for it, loaches are very sensitive to chemicals.
Keep the water conditions consistent and clean, making sure that your chemistry is all in good shape: Ammonia at 0, nitrite at 0, nitrates well below 40, and pH stable and between 6.0 and 7.5. Good water quality reduces stress, helping the fish to heal and helping to prevent future illness.
Like I said, I'm no expert. With any luck, some of the good folks on here who are experts will chime in and add to or correct what I have said.
Loaches are incredibly adept at getting themselves into awkward situations, usually due to their own curiosity or attempts made at hiding in a place that's smaller than they are.
I'm no expert, but in your shoes I would mostly just watch and wait. If your loach isn't showing any obvious signs of stress or injury, than he will probably be just fine. You may want to slowly add in 1 tsp. of aquarium salt per 10 gallons of water, if you haven't done so already. If your loach was injured, this may help prevent secondary infections. As always, be careful with the salt dosing, as loaches don't always tolerate it well. Don't add any medications unless there is a specific illness or condition that calls for it, loaches are very sensitive to chemicals.
Keep the water conditions consistent and clean, making sure that your chemistry is all in good shape: Ammonia at 0, nitrite at 0, nitrates well below 40, and pH stable and between 6.0 and 7.5. Good water quality reduces stress, helping the fish to heal and helping to prevent future illness.
Like I said, I'm no expert. With any luck, some of the good folks on here who are experts will chime in and add to or correct what I have said.
Re: Gill Damage
DainBramage has just about covered it.
Extra water changes with gravel vacs to remove the organic matter that can harbor some bacteria and to keep the nitrates way low.
Extra water changes with gravel vacs to remove the organic matter that can harbor some bacteria and to keep the nitrates way low.
38 tanks, 2 ponds over 4000 liters of water to keep clean and fresh.
Happy fish keeping!
Happy fish keeping!
Re: Gill Damage
Thank you! I'll keep you posted on how it turns out.
Re: Gill Damage
Just figured I'd pop in and point out that the fish was and is still doing fine. Cheers!
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DainBramage1991
- Posts: 274
- Joined: Sun Feb 19, 2012 8:56 pm
- Location: Northern New England
Re: Gill Damage
Glad to hear it!
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