Convict Cichlid: Will their tails grow back?

[iwishuwould]

Hi,
Our Convict Cichlids fought badly last night.. and two of them got their tails bitten terribly.. Will their tails grow back normally? What should I do to help them grow back their tails? Thanks.

[Alex]

which cichlids of yours do you mean???

And i think there tails will carry on growing but i dont think that it will grow back as such. What you could do is add something for it to heal. but i know very little on that so im sure sum 1 will come to your aid with that.

Alex

[Stormbringer]

if you have melafix add that to your water as it will help heal and cut down on chance of infection just follow directions on bottle

[iwishuwould]

if you have melafix add that to your water as it will help heal and cut down on chance of infection just follow directions on bottle

Thank you, I just put 1 tsp of Melafix.. hope it will help them recover soon..

[Ezekial]

if you have melafix add that to your water as it will help heal and cut down on chance of infection just follow directions on bottle

Thank you, I just put 1 tsp of Melafix.. hope it will help them recover soon..

1 tsp per 10 gallons of water I believe is the dosage so unless you are only dosing a 10 gallon tank i don't think you added enough.  If you are dosing a 10 gallon tank i may have discovered why your convicts are fighting. 

[jones57742]

Folks:

I am getting into this thread very late and I do not know if their tails will grow back

BUT

based on three experiences with Melafix and IMHO I would:

dose with 2.0X the dosage recommended on the bottle label the first day;

dose with 1.5X the dosage recommended on the bottle label the second day;

dose with the dosage recommended on the bottle label for five days thereafter and

then commence 20% bi-daily WC's for seven days (do not introduce activated carbon into your filtration process).

The reason that I am saying "dosage recommended on the bottle label" is that Melafix is marketed in two concentrations, to best of my knowledge and belief.

The "Standard Melafix" and "Pond Melafix".

Please note that you will experience significant odor, although not undesirable, from your tank.

TR

[Stormbringer]

yep it smells a bit like euchalyptis oil

[gaglio]

 My convicts did the same thing to another outsider convict. i ended up using stress coat that has aloe vera in it and now two months later the tails all back and she's doin great

[Alex]

as long as the rip is not thru bone it will heal. Their are bones in tails and fins ect that help make them erect.

Alex

[Adam]

yep it smells a bit like euchalyptis oil

Its actually melaluca.  You can actually order medicinal quality 100% melaluca extract from most health food stores.  I had toyed with the idea of making my own melafix at 30-60% potency for a time, but never got around to procuring the emulsifying agents I needed to get the melaluca oil to disperse in water.  But based on my pricing you could make 10 gallons of melafix for the same price as a bottle using the ingredients to make your own.

I have heard that a small amount of normal dish detergent can be used and is safe but I never tried it for obvious reasons.