# Advice needed ASAP



## Lymric (Feb 27, 2011)

last night a [email protected]#$%G raccoon got into my 500g tub, and devistated 2 blood parrots, 2 oscars, and a JD... my plecky (and a few others) managed to survive... but hes missing both eyes, and his fins are in terrible shape! i could use some advice on the best way to nurse him through this, i couldnt stand to loose my oldest fish, not after the loss of the rest. any ideas are very much appreciated


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

clean water. Also, you can do melafix with added surface arration.


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## Vman (Jan 20, 2011)

Wow. Sorry to hear that.


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

Can you get him into a hospital tank or even just make sure that he has REALLY clean water with salt and melafix and extra aeration?

If he's missing both eyes, he's going to be a special needs fish...he'll probably need to be hand fed while he's recovering and may need his own tank if he can't find food.

*!&@)($ raccoon...i might see if you can source a BB gun. In the meantime, netting over the pond will keep him out.


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## Pamela (Apr 21, 2010)

That's horrible, I'm sorry to hear that happened to your fish.

I'd put the pleco into a hospital tank by himself so that the other fish don't pick at his open wounds.


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## MEDHBSI (Sep 4, 2011)

+1 for the hospital tank


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## Lymric (Feb 27, 2011)

he is in his own 35g, with about 75g of filtration, and i added salt, and good ole aquaclear right away... sadest part is that i was building the top yesterday midday, and got called to work so i couldnt finish it  really wishing i had turned down the shift now!!!
ty for the ideas i will go get the melafix right now! do i follow the dosing on the container or is there a better way???


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

Follow the dosing on the container, and make sure there's extra aeration. Sorry you're dealing with this.


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## djamm (Sep 25, 2010)

That really is a horrible thing to have to deal with! I am hoping he pulls through for you...


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## Lymric (Feb 27, 2011)

melafix is in, upon closer inspection he may have one good eye after all is said and done  and on the plus side, i now have a lot of tank space i can fill...
just dont know what to put in now


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## Lymric (Feb 27, 2011)

this is the most chemicals i have ever put into a tank... i sure hope it works! 
thanx again everyone


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

> just dont know what to put in now


I vote for pirahnas. Give Mr. Raccoon a nice surprise. :bigsmile:


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## Lymric (Feb 27, 2011)

Elle said:


> I vote for pirahnas. Give Mr. Raccoon a nice surprise. :bigsmile:


ya know thats EXACTLY what crossed my mind... im so upset i pulled the survivors back inside, and literally pulled the plug on the tote!!!! im gonna have to build a VERY safe top for it before i put anything back in there...


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

How are the fish doing?


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

i wouldnt do piranha but i would get myself an old welder and build a diy electric top on steroids so if oyu touch it... you will remember not to do it again if it doesnt kill you the first time 

i have some plans if you want lol
an electric fence is a warning my version is NOT a warning shot its a life altering experience


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

Ouch! I'm sorry to hear. +2 hospital tank and aeration. Racoons got into my dad's koi pond a few years back and gobbled a bunch of them. The hospital tank helped a lot. We didn't know about the melafix. I gotta remember that myself.


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

You can get huge jugs of the melafix at King Ed Pets...the concentrated pond version. Somebody also posted a recipe for a DIY version - the active ingredient is tea tree oil.


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

i deliberately buy the pond strength stuff because i have sooo much water in here and my fish are always scrapping it out , what seems to be working one day will lead to a wide array of scraps and damage in the course of one night 

it works really good BUT watch your dosing , and i have noticed and i dont know if regular melafix does this but when a tank is heavily oxygenated it kind of foams up a bit , might be normal procedure but an observation


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## Tazzy_toon (Jul 25, 2011)

aw, really sorry to hear that. Hope you fishy mends up quickly!


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