# HELP, hole through fish!



## tfmcder (Feb 22, 2006)

Can anyone help me figure out what happened to one of my fish and if it is treatable? I have a pristilla tetra in my community tank that suddenly developed a hole through his stomach area. I mean a nice, round, clean hole. It is not a bite and does not appear to be from some type of traumatic injury. He/she seems fine (eating, swimming, etc.). 

Any ideas as to what it is/could be?

Is there anything I can do for it?

Is it something that the other fish may get?


Thanks in advance all!!


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

Are you sure it isn't a "key-hole cichlid"?  sorry!

I am a bit suspicious that it is a disease since diseases take a while to chew through tissue, usually damage is the culprit if the injury suddenly appeared. Can you post a picture? Do you have a puffer fish in the tank?


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## Six (May 29, 2006)

I'd like to see a picture. Can you google it and find something similar looking?


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

I agree, a photo would be of great help if you can get one.

Once in a while they can get caught on something in the tank and injure themselves, but it could be many other things too.

If at all possible, you may want to put it in it's own tank so it doesn't have to compete with the other fish or if it's possibly an illness, it won't be as apt to spread it to the other fish.


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## tfmcder (Feb 22, 2006)

Ok, I was finally able to get a pic of him. Hopefully i can get some more, but until then here you go.










Thanks for the replies thus far everyone. Now any ideas??? I am trying to catch him to get him out but it is proving very difficult. He is in a fairly heavily planted and stocked 90 Gallon community tank that is ~26"deep.


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## Six (May 29, 2006)

WOW. I've worked at LFS and seen just about everything, but that wins for craziest ##%^%$^ ever. 

My guess is a wicked internal parasite or a really bad bacterial infection. Otherwise I dunno but would love to know if you can get a more specific answer.

I'd cull it regardless.


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## tfmcder (Feb 22, 2006)

I'm wondering if it is worth stressing him out and trying to medicate him. I was just doing the math and realized this fish is at least six years old. i may just catch him and let him be...he is still actively swimming and going after food. So I guess he isn't in any real pain...hopefully.


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

Wow... is that hole clean through him or just on one side??

Looks like a puffer bite to me. They take chunks out of everything! But if you don't have any puffers or other vicious fish then its a mystery.


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## tfmcder (Feb 22, 2006)

Zapins said:


> Wow... is that hole clean through him or just on one side??
> 
> Looks like a puffer bite to me. They take chunks out of everything! But if you don't have any puffers or other vicious fish then its a mystery.


The hole is clean through him. It is freaky looking!!!

I do not have any puffers in there. I have various danios, a couple of old neons, a handful of corys and ottos, some baby jade tiger barbs, a couple other pristillas, and a bunch of snails.

It is now day three since I noticed the hole and he is still kicking. The hole looks the same though.


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## amphirion (Nov 13, 2008)

i once had a snakeskin gourami that had similar problem. this was way back and i wonder if you had a similar experience. At first, there started to appear a large bump, and next thing you know, a large hole the size of a quarter inch is in place of the bump. The tissue surrounding the hole looks as if something popped out from the inside. i dont remember the name of the medication, but it was in pill format and turned the water green. the hole healed up, but you could have still seen the scaring.
it could have been a worm.


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

That is amazing! 

I think there is a good chance it will make it if it is an injury. I once went spear fishing and shot at a fish. The spear pierced him in 2 places but it was able to tear free and escape. Its wounds looked fatal, but lo and behold 3 days later I came back to the same area and I saw it swimming around perfectly fine with the huge wounds starting to heal.


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## dave k (Jan 21, 2008)

Why are it's eyes fogged over?


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

Probably either cataracts from old age (it is 6 yrs old) or camera flash.


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## tfmcder (Feb 22, 2006)

You hit it right zapins. It is a little bit of both. That one eye is a little foggy but it is compounded by the flash and the fact that i needed to zoom and crop the pic. I did not have my macro lens handy and anytime I got close to the tank he would spaz and hide. 

Oh, and as a side note, he is still kickin...looks exactly the same, whether that is good or bad I don't know.


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