Three days ago, I accidentally vacuumed up my male A. borellii while doing a water change. I figured it was just a clump of java moss or subwassertang when I felt a jerk, but imagine my surprise when my poor fish went down the tube into the bucket.
He's missing a bunch of scales from one side of the top of his head (though his eye appears fine), and there's a bit of damage to the membranes of one pectoral and the rear of his dorsal fin. Many of the spiny rays in his dorsal (approx. the front 2/3) appear bent or snapped, giving his dorsal fin a kind of 'rolled' look. I wasn't able to get a good picture with my phone.
What, if anything, should I be doing for treatment? He seems in good spirits, and except for the missing scales, is colored up better than he was before the accident.
Final note: the gravel vac in question was in preparation to treat my tank for ich, as a couple of white dots had appeared on my head and tail light tetras. At the moment, I have my heater dialed up to 30C, and I'm feeding NLS small fish pellets that I've impregnated with metronidazole. I was using Kordon's Ich-Attack, but I ran out of that.
He's missing a bunch of scales from one side of the top of his head (though his eye appears fine), and there's a bit of damage to the membranes of one pectoral and the rear of his dorsal fin. Many of the spiny rays in his dorsal (approx. the front 2/3) appear bent or snapped, giving his dorsal fin a kind of 'rolled' look. I wasn't able to get a good picture with my phone.
What, if anything, should I be doing for treatment? He seems in good spirits, and except for the missing scales, is colored up better than he was before the accident.
Final note: the gravel vac in question was in preparation to treat my tank for ich, as a couple of white dots had appeared on my head and tail light tetras. At the moment, I have my heater dialed up to 30C, and I'm feeding NLS small fish pellets that I've impregnated with metronidazole. I was using Kordon's Ich-Attack, but I ran out of that.
I always put the fish in a quarantine tank. Usually dim light, optimal water conditions, peace and quiet, and time is all that is needed. Just keep an eye out for ich or fungal infections and treat if they appear. Personally, 30° is a bit stressful on a fish that normally (in the wild) lives in waters <25°. A. borellii have been collected in waters as low as 10°.
