Topic: Well, Crud

[CatWomanDiana]

We had a 2 week shutdown at year end, so I came in the 21, 25, 28th - and was going to come in on 31st, but had re-injured a shoulder.  I'd done full water changes for all of them during that time - and partials for the boys on the 28th (girls big tank got changed on 28th).

Everyone was doing just fine when I left on the 28th - but I get in to work yesterday (4th) and my greenish-yellow crowntail is on the bottom, fins not clamped, but transparent, and when he swam up, it was with difficulty - and he's bloated.

Promptly changed the water and only put about 2 " in his tank (he's in a regular 2.5 gallon and I've put the heater on the bottom so I can fill them only part way.  Also put in a bit of epsom salts and some of the Maracyn plus, but I'm not too hopeful.  It was fast.  Purple Haze took a long time to get that sluggish.

He is still eating - but that's about it.

How in the world did that happen so fast?  Could I have introduced bacteria during the water change?  PH has been gone since Mid November, and was never in that tank, so I'd think that no bacteria from him could have been introduced.

Bah, humbug....
 
dg

[CatWomanDiana]

He was not eating, and I did not see him go up for air yesterday.  He could sort of "limp" about on the bottom of the tank (filled with only about 2 " of water).

So I took him to my aquarium store last night.  I don't know if they *really* think they can help him - I walked in and said "you folks are the closest I  have to an e-vet for fish" - but before I left the had put him in a tank and were saying "maybe he'll be swimming around when you come back".

I suppose I should have just done as I do with the cats and said no - just put him out of his misery - but I wasn't up to watching it (cats go limp, fish don't).  I suppose I hope that they can do something - but reality tells me they probably just waited until I had left.

dg

[bungalowbettaback]

CatWoman, Sounds like you are doing what you can,
I just wanted to offer encouragement....
I am not sure I would leave him with the petstore,
You can't take him home?  You said he was bloated, did you try fasting him and then offering him a pea>

[wendyjo]

I would imagine you may know more about the best way to treat or euthanize him than the pet store employees do.

[CatWomanDiana]

I would imagine you may know more about the best way to treat or euthanize him than the pet store employees do.

Yes - but this isn't a pet store - it's an aquarium-only store.  The kind of independent store started by a fish person so he could have a lot of fish.

You should see his bettas - they're huge, with jewel-like colors, even though they are "plain" blue and red. 

As he pointed out with PH - there's some genetic engineering going on, and that may be why he had the blister/tumor.

[CatWomanDiana]

CatWoman, Sounds like you are doing what you can,
I just wanted to offer encouragement....
I am not sure I would leave him with the petstore,
You can't take him home?  You said he was bloated, did you try fasting him and then offering him a pea>

More than just bloated - he wasn't eating, he couldn't swim - he was trying, but had no lift, so he couldn't get air.  And from past experience, he panicked if the water level was low.  I'd been treating him for a week (low water, changed daily, antibiotics) - but he was in bad shape.  First day he tried for food - by Wednesday the food just finally sank to the bottom.  And he had 'that look' in his eyes.  I've gotten to know it now, just as with the cats.