To expand on my opinion of leaving it alone, I do this because when fish get a disease or fungus it is because they are stressed and/or in less than optimal health. If your fish is in good health he won't get a disease or fungus as a result of his injury unless he is really stressed by it. Catching a fish stresses them a lot, and 9 times out of 10 you will make the situation worse no matter your intentions. Many medications also permanently damage the fish's immune system and/or kidneys/liver. Only on rare occasions will I treat a fish for a disease once the fish has been introduced into my tank. I do bath all incoming fish during their drip acclimation with a parasite treatment mostly intended for internal parasites. Once they are in my tank they have to fend for themselves. I will provide them a stress-free environment by choosing appropriate tankmates, a vitamin and garlic enriched diet, and they provide me with many years of healthy existence. :)

I have treated many a fish for disease, fungus, and parasites in retail stores (as "protocol"), and usually the fish die. This is in part just because of the stress of shipping, and the further stress of being in a retail space, as well as the toxins of the treatment, but also just because if a fish is in poor enough condition to get a disease he is likely on his way out anyway. Only on one occasion have I treated my own fish. That fish was a 6" Piranha with dropsy. Dropsy is usually fatal, but I chose to try to treat him because Piranha are resilient, and I was interested to see if I could cure one of the diseases that is generally considered fatal and "incurable". Halfway through the dropsy treatment the fish actually picked up a nasty case of ich as well, but after three weeks of diligent careful treatment the fish actually survived, and is still alive today about 6 years later.

I don't think your frog fish's condition is very bad at all. With some good food, vitamins/amino acids, and garlic I do think he should snap right back provided he was in good health before the incident.

myka, thats pretty much they way i see it, i think being stung then carpet surf is probably enough stress i will leave him alone and keep trying to feed. As of last night he wouldnt eat, but i will keep try.

thanks everyone for the help.

Have you seen your froggy touch your carpet? They move pretty quickly off of it...unless it fell into it....probably touched it and swam away quickly and went in the wrong direction.

i figured he probably touched it then freaked out and swam straight up and on to the floor.

treating injured fish out of tank
 

look at his tail it's already half rotted away. i heartily agree on not catching and further stressing a very active fish that swim all day long. but a frogfish by nature is extremely sedentary and rarely move away from its favorite perch and by carefully netting and disinfecting its wounded part we are not causing it any additional stress. when i was keeping and breeding discus which i consider to be somewhat sedentary in nature i would net out any injured or fungused one and treated it in the same way out of tank.

That's not so good.

do you mind if i ask where you got him?

i got him from Ian at oceanic corals.. hes one of the vendors on the board.
also last time i was at jl aquatics they had 2 little black ones, give them a call they could probably ship one to you.

also some good news the frogfish is eating again its tail is look alot better.. i guess its just more badass now with a V tail.

thanks again everyone.

I am glad to the Froggy is doing better, He has had a bit of a rough journey, I remember when you picked him up he had an air bubble due to decompression when he was collected, he was just bobbing around trying not to float. :lol:

its a magic frogfish... best magic tricks i have seen: lay on the carpet for probably a half hour, dislodge air bubbles in its stomach all on its own (2), and swallow a fish that was the same size as it and not chock to death.