# To Flush Or Not To Flush



## ordo

March 4, 2011








Do you think he has a chance to survive? I recently setup a PVC overflow and 55 gal sump for the P tank, but I haven't added any filtration media to the sump yet (the FX5 and Eheim classic are still doing all the filter work). I put him in the sump for now. He seems to be stable, just sits in one spot and doesn't move much. But he is still alive. He is about 5 or 6 inches. I had noticed him getting picked on a bit for the last week, but didn't think to much of it. They are always picking on each other.

Thanks for your input.

Update March 8, 2011





























Update March 12, 2011















Update March 17, 2011


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## I Can Mate

freeze him


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## chrscap

dam stable or shocked?

If you see him as a pet friend then keep him until his time runs out.

If you see him as another fish, euthanize him.


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## Hogdog

I'll probably get slated for this but I think it's possible it could recover given the right conditions, it's whether you consider it humane to attempt it.

I had a Silver Dollar with pretty bad injuries once (not quite as bad as that) and it recovered to the point where I could barely tell which one it was out of the shoal. As long as the water quality is spot on and it avoids infection (which Piranhas seem to do very well) then yes, I'm sure there's a chance of recovery but if it's showing considerable signs of distress or starts to go downhill then it may be best to put it down.


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## Tensa

i would euthanize by freezing as well. seems like the most humane thing to do. but if your going to keep him alive make sure he is solo to have a good chance in that sump you have him in right now. but that is some heavy damage.


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## CLUSTER ONE

I think you could still recover it based on the pics though I can't tell its behaviour from a picture. If you do euthanize it use clove oil.

The damage may look abit bad but its in its back so I don't think anything significant in its body will be damaged. If it does heal It probably will have a scarred back and no dorsal.


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## THE BLACK PIRANHA

WOW if it were my fish I would put him down. Alot of people prefer freezing but I like using clove oil. Put him in a bucket with about 10ml of clove oil and he will be out quick and painless.


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## Piranha_man

As soon as I saw that pic I immediately scrolled down to type: PUT IT DOWN!

Then I went back, looked again, and am more with Cluster on this one.
Let him go for now... keep an eye on him, watch to see if his behavior declines to the point where it's obvious he's not gonna make it.

Although I've never personally seen a P recover from THAT BAD of injuries, I've seen 'em come back from some pretty hellacious sh*t.
I don't see where any vital organs were affected... who knows?

If he DOES make it, you've got yourself one hell of a story and one hell of a fish!


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## ordo

Thanks for the quick responses.

Right now he is completely isolated and since he is in the sump, he is technically in the same water as the main tank. Which is pretty spot on with params.

So at this point I am going to let it be and see if he makes it. I have seen some pretty serious damage before and the fish have recovered, but this is about as extreme as I am willing to attempt. Are there any recommended things to do in this case? Raise or lower temp, add salt, add any meds?

Thanks again!


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## CLUSTER ONE

ordo said:


> Thanks for the quick responses.
> 
> Right now he is completely isolated and since he is in the sump, he is technically in the same water as the main tank. Which is pretty spot on with params.
> 
> So at this point I am going to let it be and see if he makes it. I have seen some pretty serious damage before and the fish have recovered, but this is about as extreme as I am willing to attempt. Are there any recommended things to do in this case? Raise or lower temp, add salt, add any meds?
> 
> Thanks again!


I'd raise temp, add salt and possibly have some general meds on hand. You could try something like melafix if you wanted. Also watch for fungus. Keep the water clean.

If that damage was on the stomach i'd probably say euthanize as damage there could be alot mroe internal injuries but since its on the back and in the pic he wasn't floating upside down or anything I think there is a decent chance at saving him. If his behaviour is showing that he cann not control his swimming very well then you may want to euthanize him.


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## TheSpaz13

Yea medicate it and salt it and raise temp a little but remember it will increase aggression a little in the main tank so be careful...Personally, I'm unsure hes going to be make it and be functional again but you should definitely give him the best chance you can, so guarding against infection is important. Pimafix and Melafix are anti-fungal and anti-bacterial meds you can use. Looks like a nice fish man, good luck, keep us updated


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## HGI

Poor guy,

Glad your going to see if he'll be able to heal himself, I'd do the same unless he was showing bad signs of stress or infections. Just wanted to say don't flush you dead fish, I wont get into it but it's not safe... The best thing to do with a dead fish is to put it in your garden/flowerbed.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

I'd give him a chance


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## ordo

HGI said:


> Poor guy,
> 
> Glad your going to see if he'll be able to heal himself, I'd do the same unless he was showing bad signs of stress or infections. Just wanted to say don't flush you dead fish, I wont get into it but it's not safe... The best thing to do with a dead fish is to put it in your garden/flowerbed.


I know, just terminology. The title didn't sound as good, to clove oil or not to clove oil.


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## CLUSTER ONE

I agree don't flush dead fish especially this size. Best option would be garbage or buried in a garden.


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## Grosse Gurke

If it were me...I would set up a hospital tank. I realize he is in the sump and away from the other fish....but I be using a lot of salt and doing a lot of water changes to guard against infection...and that is much easier on a 10 gallon then a larger tank.


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## Trigga

i wouldn't move him at all.. keep him where you got him, melafix dont dose salt (pretty much like taking tylenol and then popping an advil) like others above have said if you see him struggling to swim or floating upside down i would put it out of its misery but man if it survives that would one cool looking p


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## bricklr

Would YOU want to live like that! IMO I'd put it out of it's misery.


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## ordo

It could be that I have the temp too high all the time because I like the activity in the tank. I run at 81-82. Or it could be 12 Ps in a 125 gal. Although, they have thrived so far. I started the tank with 12 and havent lost one yet Check my video in my signature. It was taken a few months ago. I feed a handful of pellets a day. Slowly though. I basically feed at a speed where nothing reaches the bottom or gets blown around long enough to reach the filters. 
Thanks for all the input.


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## Piranha-Freak101

yea he chewed up bad, i would want for you to see if it heals but everytime i look at it im saying put it out of its misery


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## Bacon Of Time

WOW hope everything works out for your fish!!


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## warpet

He's missing a third of his body, if he were mine I would put the poor guy out of his misery. There's no need to prolong his suffering only to have him end up dieing. In the wild he probaly wouldn't last too long in that condition.


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## Sylar_92

I would spend enough time with him to see if he makes it, then if hes really suffering I would either freeze him or use the oil but that depends on what you prefer. One thing that is a absolute decision is to give the piranha a proper burial, if you care for the fish as a pet friend. Never flush because it is wrong to get rid of it that way and it may also clog your plumbing causing future toilet floods with rotting piranha coming out.


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## BuckeyeGuy777

ive said it before...people are to quick to put down...i never will put a fish down unless it is the only option...

treat it care for it and hopefully he will revore for you....good luck and keep us posted


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## Vince302

I heard something interesting the other day at a fish store , the guys suggest a customer who got a injured fish to fill a bucket with the tank water , sature the water with lots of salt, mix it , and put the fish in it for like 15-30 seconds and put it back in the tank , I was curious to know what you experienced member think about this


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## ordo

Update:

So I got home from work, and he's still alive and swimming pretty well. Here are some updated pictures from different angles.















He is actually pretty responsive. I haven't added any salt or chems yet. I don't generally like chemicals at all, and don't use them unless I have no other choice. How much salt should I use? He is in a combined 180 gallons.... but the flow between the two is relatively low. It is going to be a refugium for plants to scrub nitrates from the water.

ordo


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## BuckeyeGuy777

Vince302 said:


> I heard something interesting the other day at a fish store , the guys suggest a customer who got a injured fish to fill a bucket with the tank water , sature the water with lots of salt, mix it , and put the fish in it for like 15-30 seconds and put it back in the tank , I was curious to know what you experienced member think about this


this is called dipping....its used to kill bacteria/parasites as they can not live in salt water


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## sprfunk

Thats a good sign. Hope he pulls through.
I personally would not use salt just yet.


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## Joe.G

Ok I was just about to post teh same thing, I have a Chiclid that has the same damage, He isnt showing any sighs of distress, hs is eatting and swimming with the other fish like nothing happened and everytime I look at him I can't believe its like nothing happen. I am going to try and give him a chance I am also leaving him in the tank. I figured if the P's eat they eat him or hell recover.


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## CLUSTER ONE

BuckeyeGuy777 said:


> I heard something interesting the other day at a fish store , the guys suggest a customer who got a injured fish to fill a bucket with the tank water , sature the water with lots of salt, mix it , and put the fish in it for like 15-30 seconds and put it back in the tank , I was curious to know what you experienced member think about this


this is called dipping....its used to kill bacteria/parasites as they can not live in salt water
[/quote]
I agree its is called a salt dip. Salt water fish and corals are sometimes given a freshwater dip for pretty much the same reason but just opposite method.


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## BuckeyeGuy777

CLUSTER ONE said:


> I heard something interesting the other day at a fish store , the guys suggest a customer who got a injured fish to fill a bucket with the tank water , sature the water with lots of salt, mix it , and put the fish in it for like 15-30 seconds and put it back in the tank , I was curious to know what you experienced member think about this


this is called dipping....its used to kill bacteria/parasites as they can not live in salt water
[/quote]
I agree its is called a salt dip. Salt water fish and corals are sometimes given a freshwater dip for pretty much the same reason but just opposite method.
[/quote]

and if you do this you want to make sure that the salt bath is the same temp as your tank water


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## rhom15

hes going to bleed to death i just lost a cariba bite was not to bad anal fin was gone one good bite to the body put him in his own tank next day he died lost to much blood


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## Tensa

a fish literally has to be cut in half or in the right place to bleed to death.
when i did say go ahead and put it down i was thinking about the quality of life it would have after a injury like that as well and it would be poor at best. there is a difference between living and thriving. I still wish the best in its recovery and i am very happy to hear that it has done as well as it has so far. as said before no organs seem to be affected which is why there is a good chance of it living for some time. hopefully this all ends with just a good story to tell the kids 10 years from now when the P is still alive


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## BuckeyeGuy777

Tensa said:


> a fish literally has to be cut in half or in the right place to bleed to death.
> when i did say go ahead and put it down i was thinking about the quality of life it would have after a injury like that as well and it would be poor at best. there is a difference between living and thriving. I still wish the best in its recovery and i am very happy to hear that it has done as well as it has so far. as said before no organs seem to be affected which is why there is a good chance of it living for some time. hopefully this all ends with just a good story to tell the kids 10 years from now when the P is still alive


if no organs were hurt and it can possibly recover why put it down tensa??? quality of life??? its quality to have life...its not quality to have it taken lol


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## FEEFA

Joe.G said:


> Ok I was just about to post teh same thing, I have a Chiclid that has the same damage, He isnt showing any sighs of distress, hs is eatting and swimming with the other fish like nothing happened and everytime I look at him I can't believe its like nothing happen. I am going to try and give him a chance I am also leaving him in the tank. I figured if the P's eat they eat him or hell recover.


And thats why you dont keep cichlids with p's

I think with proper care your p will survive, just keep him seperate and keep a close eye on it.

Lets say he does make it, are you then going to put him back with the others?
There is a good chance that it may happen all over again.


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## rhom15

just like a person cutting them self and getting stiches to stop bleeding if not stiched you will keep bleeding for a while for a fish thay do not have that much blood till stress sets in and shock and them death the bites on my fish did'nt look bad until he lost alot of his color kind of like a person getting pale from blood loss


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## RiptideRush

I grow attached to my fish. That hurts to see. If one of my P's was in such bad shape but it had the will to pull through, so would I for the little dude. If it was suffering with no hope, I'd then put it out its misery. Hope the best for your fish.


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## Hogdog

rhom15 said:


> just like a person cutting them self and getting stiches to stop bleeding if not stiched you will keep bleeding for a while for a fish thay do not have that much blood till stress sets in and shock and them death the bites on my fish did'nt look bad until he lost alot of his color kind of like a person getting pale from blood loss


I've had a fish recover from very serious injuries. If I'd had a similar injury I would have bled to death in minutes. Fish and humans are not the same and Piranhas in particular have evolved the ability to recover from injury. The majority of wild Piranhas will have injuries of some kind, some quite severe.


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## Joe.G

I knew there was a chance it would happen but I have seen on this board and other places where Chiclids and P'S have lived together figured Id try it from babys. I have plenty of hiding spots for them.


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## HGI

Hey Ordo, he looks good, keep us updated on this







I'm really hoping the guy pulls threw to a full recovery.

I left this page open and the gf saw the thread, she said best of luck to you and wanted to know what his name is.


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## Piranha_man

HGI said:


> Hey Ordo, he looks good, keep us updated on this
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm really hoping the guy pulls threw to a full recovery.
> 
> I left this page open and the gf saw the thread, she said best of luck to you and *wanted to know what his name is.*


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## bricklr

Joe.G said:


> I knew there was a chance it would happen but I have seen on this board and other places where Chiclids and P'S have lived together figured Id try it from babys. I have plenty of hiding spots for them.


I've kept oscars with piranha for many years. Babys no...adults approx the same size...yes it can be done. To OP...you know it will have to be solo now, right? If he makes it (hope it does now) it will be deformed, and an easy target for the other P's. Plus....why go through all this if your just gonna throw him back in the pot?


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## CLUSTER ONE

Tensa said:


> i was thinking about the quality of life it would have after a injury like that as well and it would be poor at best.


How is its quality of life going to be poor? It will be missing a dorsal fin and that is about it. If it was missing a tail and could not swim well then thats one thing but as of now it is missing one fin that isn't overly nessisary. It should be fine with out a dorsal but the main problem will just getting it to heal up without any complications. Obviously having a dorsal fin is better but you cant say a dorsal fin is the difference between a good life and a poor quality of life.


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## ordo

Update:
Nothing really new to update. He looks exactly the same. Still swimming upright. But more or less staying in the same spot in the tank.

I will update pictures if anything changes.

Oh, and he doesn't have a name. I have 12 piranha, and it is very hard to tell them apart. But now that this one is so famous he may need a name. Open to suggestions.

ordo


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## Piranha-Freak101

ordo said:


> Update:
> Nothing really new to update. He looks exactly the same. Still swimming upright. But more or less staying in the same spot in the tank.
> 
> I will update pictures if anything changes.
> 
> Oh, and he doesn't have a name. I have 12 piranha, and it is very hard to tell them apart. But now that this one is so famous he may* need a name. Open to suggestions.
> 
> *ordo


CHEW TOY


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## Bacon Of Time

Id def keep him, Let him pull threw.
Tho i bet his back feels like fire.
I had a girl over the other night and she wanted to know the names of my P's.
Named them on the spot.


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## HGI

Ha, one 3 out of my 7 have names, Domer(the retarded looking one), p-rex(the big bully) and chum(the smallest) the rest all look the same and is hard to tell who is who.


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## RiptideRush

Since his comeback is an uphill battle he could be called
" broke back mountain"


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## Hogdog

I don't think you should name it until it recovers.


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## Tensa

BuckeyeGuy777 said:


> i was thinking about the quality of life it would have after a injury like that as well and it would be poor at best.


How is its quality of life going to be poor? It will be missing a dorsal fin and that is about it. If it was missing a tail and could not swim well then thats one thing but as of now it is missing one fin that isn't overly nessisary. It should be fine with out a dorsal but the main problem will just getting it to heal up without any complications. Obviously having a dorsal fin is better but you cant say a dorsal fin is the difference between a good life and a poor quality of life.
[/quote]

looks a lil more severe then a dorsal fin. some of the meat may heal but i dont see it happening to a recovery point of him just missing a dorsal fin.


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## Piranha_man

CLUSTER ONE said:


> i was thinking about the quality of life it would have after a injury like that as well and it would be poor at best.


How is its quality of life going to be poor? It will be missing a dorsal fin and that is about it. If it was missing a tail and could not swim well then thats one thing but as of now it is missing one fin that isn't overly nessisary. It should be fine with out a dorsal but the main problem will just getting it to heal up without any complications. Obviously having a dorsal fin is better but *you cant say a dorsal fin is the difference between a good life and a poor quality of life.*[/quote]

This is very true.
I don't have a dorsal fin, and I feel I have an overall good quality of life.


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## CLUSTER ONE

Tensa said:


> i was thinking about the quality of life it would have after a injury like that as well and it would be poor at best.


How is its quality of life going to be poor? It will be missing a dorsal fin and that is about it. If it was missing a tail and could not swim well then thats one thing but as of now it is missing one fin that isn't overly nessisary. It should be fine with out a dorsal but the main problem will just getting it to heal up without any complications. Obviously having a dorsal fin is better but you cant say a dorsal fin is the difference between a good life and a poor quality of life.
[/quote]

looks a lil more severe then a dorsal fin. some of the meat may heal but i dont see it happening to a recovery point of him just missing a dorsal fin.
[/quote]

Obviously when it heals there will be some meat missing and his back may be abit mishapen but how vital is a piranha's back? Do they use it to swim? Do they use it to eat? Do they use it for anything significant really? No. The p may be missing some of its back the back alone is not vital to its survival and it can live fine wihtout it. The main thing is just getting the skin to heal over to a point where you can stop worring about infections and fungus.


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## warpet

ordo said:


> Update:
> Nothing really new to update. He looks exactly the same. Still swimming upright. But more or less staying in the same spot in the tank.
> 
> I will update pictures if anything changes.
> 
> Oh, and he doesn't have a name. I have 12 piranha, and it is very hard to tell them apart. But now that this one is so famous he may need a name. Open to suggestions.
> 
> ordo


 Call him Mimsy! It's amazing that he's still alive. How did he not bleed to death with that much of his body missing. This piranha isn't human.


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## BuckeyeGuy777

Piranha_man said:


> i was thinking about the quality of life it would have after a injury like that as well and it would be poor at best.


How is its quality of life going to be poor? It will be missing a dorsal fin and that is about it. If it was missing a tail and could not swim well then thats one thing but as of now it is missing one fin that isn't overly nessisary. It should be fine with out a dorsal but the main problem will just getting it to heal up without any complications. Obviously having a dorsal fin is better but *you cant say a dorsal fin is the difference between a good life and a poor quality of life.*[/quote]

This is very true.
I don't have a dorsal fin, and I feel I have an overall good quality of life.








[/quote]

ohhh Pman...that could be the funniest thing ive heard all week

and to the OP....i would name him Chunk...and when he swims you can say he is doing the "Truffle Shuffle"

this is only funny of course if youve seen the Goonies


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## ordo

BuckeyeGuy777 said:


> i was thinking about the quality of life it would have after a injury like that as well and it would be poor at best.


How is its quality of life going to be poor? It will be missing a dorsal fin and that is about it. If it was missing a tail and could not swim well then thats one thing but as of now it is missing one fin that isn't overly nessisary. It should be fine with out a dorsal but the main problem will just getting it to heal up without any complications. Obviously having a dorsal fin is better but *you cant say a dorsal fin is the difference between a good life and a poor quality of life.*[/quote]

This is very true.
I don't have a dorsal fin, and I feel I have an overall good quality of life.








[/quote]

ohhh Pman...that could be the funniest thing ive heard all week

and to the OP....i would name him Chunk...and when he swims you can say he is doing the "Truffle Shuffle"

*this is only funny of course if youve seen the Goonies*[/quote]

Thats awesome! Watched Goonies yesterday!


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## HGI

^^

HAHAHAHA!


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## Trigga

good to see that hes still alive.. post some pics once it starts to heal up


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## Piranha_man

Yeah, lookin' forward to an update.


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## FEEFA

Piranha_man said:


> Yeah, lookin' forward to an update.


x2 and I really hope it pulls through


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## ordo

Update: 
Nothing too exciting to update really. He is swimming around a little better. Exploring most of the sump. His back is just starting to heal on the edges. I will post pictures this evening hopefully. I would have last night but I am was getting my spare 30 gal ready for a new baby Serra. The grab bag comes in tomorrow so I will post up more info on that on another thread!

ordo


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## TheSpaz13

Hey man, at least he's doing good, I think a lot of people are surprised he's made it this far


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## ordo

Updated the Original post with more pictures! He is still swimming pretty well, and it looks like it is starting to heal a bit.

one more here:








ordo


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## Smoke

ordo said:


> Updated the Original post with more pictures! He is still swimming pretty well, and it looks like it is starting to heal a bit.
> 
> one more here:
> View attachment 200204
> 
> 
> ordo


Now that's a warrior!


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## cduuuub

He'll for sure be a gold medal finalist in the special olympics

best of luck to you.

Oh and tell that b/a red you got to be expecting my get well soon card in the mail.


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## Hogdog

Really happy he's still with us, please keep up the regular updates.

I must admit that my interest isn't purely sentimental, it's also to see just what piranhas are capable of recovering from.


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## ordo

Well, it looks like he is healing nicely. I don't really know... but everything looks pretty good.
















ordo


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## Piranha_man

I love it!

What an incredible comeback so far! 
Most people would have flushed him.


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## Hogdog

That's one tough little ******.

What you feeding him? He's gonna need a bit of protein to repair that damage.


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## ordo

Just a few cichlid pellets here and there. He gets tilapia tonight.


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## RiptideRush

That P is a soldier. He's had much to think about, alone during his comeback. In some of those pictures he looks like he's itching for some revenge. If he heals, is he re-joining the group?


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## the_w8

i think he should be renamed to soldier. It truely is a wonder seeing how fast these fish can regenerate. He may have some deformaties, but it'll sure be a neat story to tell people. I dunno if I'd put him back in with the shoal or not. I kinda like the way you have him going now.


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## rhom15

crazy


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## His Majesty

this has been one of the coolest threads ever

keep us updated on his progress. be sick if he makes an almost full recovery from this


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## Joe.G

Not trying to hi jack thread but My Cichlid who went though this at the same time with the same injuries is also doing just fine, I never took him out of the P Tank and they havent messed with him since the attack, He acts like nothing has happened and he is healing great.


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## Hogdog

Joe.G said:


> He acts like nothing has happened and he is healing great.


That's what I love about animals, they never feel sorry for themselves.


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## TheSpaz13

Any new pics?


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## jp80911

we need to harvest the healing power of piranha...


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## Piranha-Freak101

Hey glad to see hes making a full recovery, makes sure to also post pics of that vinny serra i sold u


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## ordo

piranha-freak101 said:


> Hey glad to see hes making a full recovery, *makes sure to also post pics of that vinny serra i sold u*


I will get picks up tonight of the vinny serra.

No new updates lately. He is still rocking out the 55 gal sump. Swimming around like nothing happened. Chasing a giant danio that apparently took a ride in the pvc overflow. I imagine it is getting close to time to reintroduce to the "wild". I am looking for suggestions on how best to reintroduce. My plan is to just feed everyone really well, move some of the major rocks around, turn the lights off and drop the temp a few degrees (down to 78). Hope for the best, give it a few days and then bring the temps back up and stay on top of feeding.

ordo


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## welsher7

The healing power of a P is amazing. Cant wait to see the up to date pics.


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## Hogdog

I would give it a few weeks yet or until it's FULLY recovered. The healing rate is amazing, just look at the difference in the day eight and day 12 pics but I wouldn't risk it until it's back to full strength.


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## HGI

I'd also give him some more time to fully heal before putting back with the rest, how's the healing been doing?

As for the time when to put him back I would give them all a big feed, 50% w/c and move all the deco around, throw him in and fill the tank up. I would leave the water around 77ish for about a month before bumping it back up to the 80's.


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## ordo

Update:






















Not a ton has changed. I don't plan to add him back anytime soon, but I wanted to get opinions on how best to do it, while the topic is fresh.

ordo


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## TheSpaz13

Idk man, I don't think adding him back is the smartest idea. Solo might be this guys best bet for a long life


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## Piranha_man

^^ I'm kinda on the fence with this, but gotta lean a touch toward Ibanez's take.
Piranha are pretty observant of a group member who's "different."


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

I wouldn't put that fish in with a group... It's a trooper for sure, but I'd keep it solo


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## Piranha-Freak101

ordo said:


> Hey glad to see hes making a full recovery, *makes sure to also post pics of that vinny serra i sold u*


I will get picks up tonight of the vinny serra.

No new updates lately. He is still rocking out the 55 gal sump. Swimming around like nothing happened. Chasing a giant danio that apparently took a ride in the pvc overflow. I imagine it is getting close to time to reintroduce to the "wild". I am looking for suggestions on how best to reintroduce. My plan is to just feed everyone really well, move some of the major rocks around, turn the lights off and drop the temp a few degrees (down to 78). Hope for the best, give it a few days and then bring the temps back up and stay on top of feeding.

ordo
[/quote]

ehh IMO i wouldnt introduce back till hes 100% recovered cause like p-man said piranhas CAN and WILL pick out the "weird" one


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## Johnny_Zanni

I wouldn't put him back at all. Whats the point of him toughing it out to survive the initial injuries if your just going to put him back to get slaughtered.

Keep him solo. He deserves it.


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## HGI

I disagree with the group picking on the weird one.

I had a shoal of 6, and rescued a 6.5" from a guy who kept him in a bare 20g with no heater or filter and only fed him bloodworms and beef heart..... He's been in my tank for about a year now and they get along just fine. I would try to add him back when the he's ready but would take extreme precaution doing it where I know I have at least 4 hours of spare time.

BTW he's looking good, I'm shocked he's made such a recovery!


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## Hogdog

It would be good to have a photo of him when it first happened and a photo when he's fully recovered with an idea of the timescale between the two photos to show their powers of recovery.


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## ordo

I am keeping using the original post to do that. Updating photos with dates to form a bit of a timeline.

Ordo


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## Joe.G

Any updates?


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## Guest

Last update looked like the fish was recovering well.


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## ordo

So I added him back in and this is the result:





Just kidding, that was just some tilapia. He is still doing really well on his own. Almost fully healed. I will post pics later. I don't think putting a wounded P back in there would be very smart with the way they like to eat!

ordo


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## Guest

Nice tank and shoal








What size is that tank?


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## ordo

Traveller said:


> Nice tank and shoal
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> What size is that tank?


 125 Gal


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## Tensa

lol that was funny and glad to know he is still doing well.


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## Piranha-Freak101

very nice shoal


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## Smoke

Nice shoal! Do you ever get worried about them slamming into the edges of the rocks?


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## ordo

Smoke said:


> Nice shoal! Do you ever get worried about them slamming into the edges of the rocks?


Thanks all, They seem to do pretty well about not hitting the rocks. Only when they get really scared does it really concern me. They are in a high traffic area and pretty much never spook though. Only early morning when the lights are off. The rest of the time they group in the middle of the tank in a tight shoal. They really like all of the current in the tank.

ordo


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## Piranha-Freak101

post a vid of the vinny rhom









sorry not trying to derail this thread


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## HGI

Been a few weeks since I've checked back on this thread, how's he been doing? Also nice tank


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## ordo

HGI said:


> Been a few weeks since I've checked back on this thread, how's he been doing? Also nice tank


He is doing well almost completely healed. I will get a pic up tomorrow hopefully... tonight I made a video for piranha-freak101....






Make sure to switch to 720p.... thanks again piranha-freak101 for hooking me up with the vinny serra...

Looks like he has the makings of being a monster someday. Oh yea ignore the dirty tank... I didn't have time to clean it before the video...

ordo


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## Guest

Little monster !!


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## wremi

Traveller said:


> Little monster !!


x2


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## Mr. Hannibal

Nice to hear he survived







... anyway here is a link to fish euthanasia if you ever need it (with any other fish): http://www.angelfire...038/CARE306.pdf


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## Piranha-Freak101

holy sh!t he has an APETITE. He's deffinately a keeper !!









Anytime ordo


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## Redruckus

if he floats and doesnt move toss him out in the yard let the birds eat him..if he swims and lives just fine let him live he looks like i healed very nice


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## Smoke

Nice baby, and clever idea to feed those worms using that thing


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## Hogdog

Come on Ordo, it's update time!


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## Guest

^x2


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## the_w8

x3


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## ordo

As requested! Basically fully healed!









ordo


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## Guest

Nice, can hardly tell it ever happened.


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## Hogdog

******* wow! I didn't think it would regain it's shape, I thought it would always have a chunk missing!


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## Piranha-Freak101

AMAZING !!









Mad props to him !


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## Hogdog

I can't help thinking how appropriate Ordo's avatar pic is.


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## rhom15

that is crazy


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## HGI

Ordo that is wicked, grats! Record a vid when you put him back with the shoal.


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## dbayton

This gives me hope! I have a 3" guy who got litterally HALF of his body eaten away... He was still alive, but had no fins so I put him in a little breeder box that floats (don't have any other tanks...). He has been doing good for about a week and a half now. Doesn't eat much but is starting to heal up. He is very much alive so i didn't want to euthanize him just yet. I think I'll copy this idea and start my own "comeback" thread lol


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## Piranha-Freak101

dbayton said:


> This gives me hope! I have a 3" guy who got litterally HALF of his body eaten away... He was still alive, but had no fins so I put him in a little breeder box that floats (don't have any other tanks...). He has been doing good for about a week and a half now. Doesn't eat much but is starting to heal up. He is very much alive so i didn't want to euthanize him just yet. I think I'll copy this idea and start my own "comeback" thread lol


If he was half way eaten i would just euthanize the poor guy humanely


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