Emergency????

[killafins]

Ummm... Maybe a big problem or emergency???
Yeah... I just dropped in some prawn and my eel who usually comes and just eats them... well my opuffer fish was just happily eatinhg the prawn and the eel came up from behind him, bit his tail and started flingin him everywhere... the pufferfish puffed up but it didn't work. Without thinking i put my hand in the tank, grabbed the eel and got bit twice really hard and i'm bleedind a good amount so umm... it hurts.
So uhh here's the problems?
A) Will my puffer fish be fine? he deflated half way and is eating again?
B) Will the small amount of blood affect the tank??? it kind of dissolved or disappeared.
C) Definetely going to get rid of my snow flake eel.
D) Oh yeah... my hand really hurts... what should i do?

 

[killafins]

I just looked at my puffer... his tail is turned to the side, not straight out but likebent to the side... and there seems to be some skin gone... sadly i have no QT... i know i should get one but i've been holding off until i moved... so what should i do? Please help.
He looks pretty good for such an incounter...

 

[dsa_mom]

I'm certain you washed your hand off really well with something like hydrogen peroxide. or at least soap. so you should be ok. Keep an eye on the bites to see if they get really red, swollen, or icky looking (that was not meant as a joke) (but it actually is pretty good, eh?) Don't stick your hand in any toilets. any other questions?

 

[killafins]

washed it off with lots of soap... I'm really worried about my puffer... is there anything i can do for him? I can't get rid of the eel tonight or for a few days so...

 

[dsa_mom]

now you're out of my area of expertise. Wish I could be more help. Good luck!

 

[killafins]

thnx...

 

[leigh]

Do you have any plexiglass or fiberglass screen/egg crate? You could try making a makeshift barrier to at least segregate the puffer from the eel.

 

[killafins]

Nothing small enough to keept he eel in.

 

[leigh]

I'm not talking small--I'm talking big--like if you have a plexi sheet the width of the tank wedge it down into the sand bed and let that support it--you don't have to silicone it in because you don't care if water flows through--you just want it secure enough to keep the eel out! or--an old tank could work--if you're willing to cut it up--drill some small holes in it to allow water flow (but not big enough to let the eel out) invert it and cover the eel--voila!
heck if you're really desperate look around your house for reef safe items--plastic frisbies--plastic plates--i'm thinking anything that could be rigid enough that if supported by sand/rock could divide a tank in 2 sections--one for a puffer one for an eel...

 

[killafins]

nothing like that... .... the other problem is he can dig through the sand pretty well... kind of funny... but no... the only thing i have is stuff with holes in it which the eel can get through...

 

[leigh]

i'm assuming also your 20 gal is a seahorse tank? so nobody can be relocated into that? if not you might also want to try posting this in equip/diy...maybe someone there has an interesting thought or two on this subject...

 

[killafins]

I think i just have to look around in the house... i mean there really isn't anything i have to to put the eel in that he can't ge tout of. that's a good idea but my seahorse is already weak and i think adding a puffer fish may scare him... i also think that he might eat my mandarin.

 

[sammystingray]

Eels have VERY poor eyesite....probably smelled the food and bit down..... Eels are notorious for having all kinds of NASTY bacteria in the mouths....use some kind of anti-bacterial stuff on your wound. I'm surprised a snowflake could do too much damage, but they obviously do NOT eat fish....I think he just grabbed the wrong thing due to very poor eyesite and the foods smell. I suggest feeding the food directly to the eel instead of him looking for it.....basically stick it right in front of him with a feeder stick or something.....this is how I keep my filefish off of my zebra morays food.....almost had the same thing happen....they just don't see very well at all. I doubt the snowflake was actually trying to eat the puffer....just a mistake.

 

[killafins]

I used to feed him using a fork. BUt i'm going on vacation starting the 26th... so i wanted him to get used to getting the food himself. I could not find ANYONE who would want to hand feed my eel. Yeah... I kind of figured that and no it wasn't that much damage but he got me pretty good i guess... it doesn't look like much now, no swelling, just looks like these weird scrape things....
My puffer looks good, my eel went into hiding in his clam shell... so you don't think this will happen again???