I have a new extremely curious black moor, Google, that must investigate anything strange that enters the tank. He was eating out of my hand from day one...and yesterday was his first water change in my house. I was almost done filling up one of the last five gallon buckets, looked down to move a towel or something, I look up and Google is in the gravel vac. I immediately stopped suction and gently shook him out, but it looks like he has a few injuries. A couple of his fins look split and he is missing some scales. I know that fins eventually grow back, but do scales?

I also have a fantail, Murphy, who had an accident when he was a lot smaller. One of his tail fins I'm assuming had gotten sucked into the filter and it looks a little bent out of shape. Will this eventually fix itself?

Thanks in advance for any responses.

It sounds like he got a little banged up, but will heal from his wounds. Hope so!

I had the same thing happen to me telescope, Hotaru, except her eyes got ripped off and I had to put her down. Your fish should fair well just keep a close eye that the torn fins don't get infected.

If you keep your water in pristine condition, ie. all levels in normal range, then he should heal up okay. Just keep an eye on him to make sure that he is okay. Scales do grow back, but can take time, and may not look the same when they do. I have a large oranda who is missing some scales at the moment due to frenzied breeding and looks a bit scruffy, but i can see the new scales coming through.

As for the bent fin, im not sure that it will straighten.

I hope your Google is okay, he sounds like a toughy.

Thanks for all your responses and nice wishes. I will keep a close eye on him for a while so I can rule out infection.

Oh gosh, I can't tell you how many times that's almost happened to me.... I use a Python and it has a BIG tube and I'm always so paranoid that I'm going to suck one of the baby fish up on it.... Right now these baby goldfish are SO SMALL and SO CURIOUS, LOL.... They think it's fun to dart around the vacuum tube, giving me a heart-attack.... I can almost hear them laughing at me in their little baby goldfish voices, LOL.... They don't seem to have any fear of "the tube", LOL.......

Clean water will go a long way towards keeping infection at bay in your little moor. If you have any doubts though, quarentine and switch to something like Melafix, or even salt...... I've had good results with both on injured fish.

actually a little tip to avoid this again you can cover the bottom of a python or syphon barrel with a bite of plastic mesh stuff and then that lets the poop and food up and the fish can't go in

I only leave the Python barrel uncovered when I am actually gravel vacuuming. When I am just removing water for a water change I ALWAYS place a mesh bag over the end. This prevents the ALWAYS CURIOUS goldies from getting too close & being pulled in. I once lost a favorite goldie to the Python & it was REALLY awful!
The loose bag allows them NO access to the barrel. If you just place something over the end the force of the water can still hold them up against it.