# black ghost knife fish needing help



## animalmadhouse (Nov 17, 2010)

hi plp our black ghost knife fish looks like its been fighting with my lobster and the lobster has won. its looks like the bottom jaw of the knife fish has been rip'd off and it looks really really bad. so we went to the pet shop and said about it the bloke said it would be fine and we got some melafix but to be honest we do't know if i should put him out to sleep?? please could some1 tell use how we can save him or if he's to far gone?? we will try and get some pics up as soon as poss.


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## caribe (Mar 21, 2010)

animalmadhouse said:


> hi plp our black ghost knife fish looks like its been fighting with my lobster and the lobster has won. its looks like the bottom jaw of the knife fish has been rip'd off and it looks really really bad. so we went to the pet shop and said about it the bloke said it would be fine and we got some melafix but to be honest we do't know if i should put him out to sleep?? please could some1 tell use how we can save him or if he's to far gone?? we will try and get some pics up as soon as poss.


Shouldnt be keeping ghosts with crays/lobster etc

I would be VERY concerned. Melafix is good and strong but from memory (dont quote me but I thought using melafix with scaleless fish caused issues)..., have you split him and put him another tank?

Can you post pictures of how bad it is.

I would consider putting it to sleep, but would need to see first. It will not be able to eat.


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## animalmadhouse (Nov 17, 2010)

caribe said:


> Shouldnt be keeping ghosts with crays/lobster etc
> 
> I would be VERY concerned. Melafix is good and strong but from memory (dont quote me but I thought using melafix with scaleless fish caused issues)..., have you split him and put him another tank?
> 
> ...


they have always been in the same tank and have lived alongside each other happily until now (they even stayed in the same hidey hole together at one point).

he is in a seperate tank yes, we moved him as soon as we noticed it to prevent further injury. melafix was reccomended by the guy in the pet shop and he seems to stuff, plus i've read about other people using it online.

trying to get pictures now but its difficult as he doesnt really come out if theres alot of light, but im tryin - will upload asap.


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## animalmadhouse (Nov 17, 2010)




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## animalmadhouse (Nov 17, 2010)

any ideas on best course of action to take?


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## LiamRatSnake (Jul 3, 2007)

I'd have culled off the lobster by now. That wound doesn't look good. Not sure what Melafix is but I'd use some anti-fungal stuff.


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## caribe (Mar 21, 2010)

You have to watch with anti fungal treatment and anything you treat ghosts with as they are scaleless and you need to seriously dilute the treatment.

Melafix "should" be ok

It looks really bad. I dont know without seing it a bit closer. They can heal from worse, but... I cant say for sure that it will happen i'm afraid to say.

It will not be able to eat. Regardless of the fact the cray has been kept with him for a while..... they really shouldnt be as things like this can heppen!


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## animalmadhouse (Nov 17, 2010)

melafix is anti bacterial fish remedy, it says it treats fungus. im just using it as i've been advised and hoping for the best, although i dont want it to suffer anymore than he has so im unsure what to do as it my be kinder in the long run to put him to sleep! my heart and my head are in a bit of a mess as i love him to bits even though he's just a fish.


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## LiamRatSnake (Jul 3, 2007)

Fish tend to heal quickly. I wouldn't kill the fish until it's obvious it's going to die. I had a Hoplostenum cat (build like a little tank) whose face was ripped off by a shoal of Buenos Aries Tetras in an attack - and he looked worse than that. He recovered fine though with a bit of TLC. The best fish I have ever owned. I loved him to pieces and would kill for another. As for the Buenos Aries tetras, I got my revenge on them and culled the full shoal. Not really revenge culling, but I couldn't shift them.


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

ghosts are freshwater.. lobsters are saltwater... and cold...

how the hell does a lobster get into a tank ?

lobsters are for eating...


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## LiamRatSnake (Jul 3, 2007)

HABU said:


> ghosts are freshwater.. lobsters are saltwater... and cold...
> 
> how the hell does a lobster get into a tank ?
> 
> ...


I'm guessing it's a blue Crayfish... You Americans can't figure out the difference between turtles, tortoises and terrapins so don't be too pedantic.


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

LiamRatSnake said:


> I'm guessing it's a blue Crayfish... You Americans can't figure out the difference between turtles, tortoises and terrapins so don't be too pedantic.


 
crayfish.. crwdads... what we call the... have no business in a fish tank... they'll snipe every fish they can till they are sick... then eat them


they're crawldads! crayfish!

the water will be polluted by the fluids from the fish... bleeding...

a big NO-NO!


hey?... put a snapping turtle in there and complain!

haha!!... silly keepers... without a lick of sense!


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## LiamRatSnake (Jul 3, 2007)

HABU said:


> crayfish.. crwdads... what we call the... have no business in a fish tank... they'll snipe every fish they can till they are sick... then eat them
> 
> 
> they're crawldads! crayfish!
> ...


I have to agree Habu, which is why I said I'd have killed the crayfish by now. I've seen loads of fish with injuries from crayfish. They are nice, and possibly tasty[?] but I'd only keep one in a species only tank. Maybe give it some spare guppies to keep it occupied.


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

LiamRatSnake said:


> I have to agree Habu, which is why I said I'd have killed the crayfish by now. I've seen loads of fish with injuries from crayfish. They are nice, and possibly tasty[?] but I'd only keep one in a species only tank. Maybe give it some spare guppies to keep it occupied.


 
i used to sell crawdads in the shop... i never allowed a fish keeper to buy one except to feed something... or be a species tank..


just dumb... putty a bear in a room full of puppies... stupid..

bad things will always happen...

crayfish and fish... silly!:lol2:


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## LiamRatSnake (Jul 3, 2007)

HABU said:


> .
> 
> *crayfish and fish... silly!*:lol2:


Not if you use guppies as feeders lol I use them on my big breeding pair of wildtype Angels as I can't seem to grow daphnia ect very well. I also used them to get my king feeding as he went off his food after he was attacked by a cat when younger (not owned by me at the time).


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## animalmadhouse (Nov 17, 2010)

i asked for help, not to be called stupid. like i said befor they have always been together and have never had any issues previously or they would have been seperated along time ago. thanks for the useful help


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## hippyhaplos (Jan 12, 2010)

I'm guessing these are still in the 2' tank?


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## animalmadhouse (Nov 17, 2010)

no we had upgraded to a 4ft long tank where they had alot more space


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