Question
Buttnippers Problem
I have an 8 yr old Manguanese Cichlid about 1 1/2 ft long and for 4 days now hes been on his side in a curved position. Very listess He had sign of distress about a week and a half ago and I've been treating with water changes , fresh tropical salts for fish and just recently Furazon-Green medicine in the last 24 hrs as directed. But He is not showing any signs of getting better yet. I have even spent hours holding him in his natural upright swim position and he don't even try to move away. I was able to get him to swim a short distance but then hed turn, that was yesterday 10/10/08.
He is in a 65 gal wide tank all by himself due to his aggressive behavior.The water levels are always checked. I clean his tank about 2 times a month really good and give his about a 20% fresh water weekly. Hes done wonderful and never had any problems with parasites or disease ot anything else till this.
My son who in the past has teased him badly may also have cause his swim bladder problem as he thought it was funny to see him hit the tank walls and splash. I kept telling him to quit as it may kill him one day! Now he sees that He may be the cause of "Buttnippers" distress now. "Buttnipper" has not eaten in days now his last food was a small goldfish as I had hoped it would help him as he had no interest in his dry pellet food.
I am afraid that now he is not going to be able to get better and may have to put him down.
I want to build him a sling to keep him upright, would that help? I am at a loss an don't want to loose him.
AnswerHi Denese
Sorry to say, that doesn't appear good.....I can't say for sure on a Manguanese, but generally larger cichlids like that have a life span around 10-15 years on average, and occasionally up to 20 years. It very well just may be his time. Honestly, judging by his position, and my experiencesk with the similar, I would probably say it'd be most humane to euthanize him at this point. I'll post some links with some suggestions, but I prefer using the clove oil method. If you're in the US, Rite Aid/Eckerds carries it, it's behind the pharmacy counter, have to ask for it. Add some tank water to a separate container, add some clove oil-and for his size, I would add quite a bit, read the directions on the links and follow the dosage instructions carefully. Clove oil is actually an anesthetic to fish in small doses larger doses are toxic-but humanely toxic if that makes sense. Mix it good then add the fish to it. He may thrash around a bit for a second or two, but he will quickly go "to sleep", then eventually his breathing will stop. I let the fish stay in that container for at least a half hour-and make sure he doesn't start breathing again during that time, then I move them with some water into a baggie and put it in the freezer. Then I would suggest burying him by a tree or shrub in the yard.
You can go ahead and try making a sling for him, and try to treat him. It would be better for him to be upright as well.
What exactly happened before he got to the way he is now?
Are the feeders a normal part of his diet?
And if so, are they from the store or do you breed your own?
What kind of diet is he typically on?
Any other symptoms-red spots, sores, sunken belly?
Curved spines can have a number of causes. If he has a sunken belly as well, it could be fish tb. It's not the same tb that humans get, but humans can contract it-so be sure to wash your hands/arms good after messing with the tank. And don't stick your hands in if you have open sores on your hands.
Lack of a varied diet-in particular vitamin C can cause a curved spine.
Feeder fish are a great way to spread diseases and parasites into a tank-not a good idea to feed them. That's why I asked if you regularly did this or if it was just a last ditch effort to get him to eat. If it was a regular thing, I would probably go with an antibiotic in the tank, probably would recommend using Maracyn Two.
Another thing, electrically currents going through the tank-like through a faulty heater or filter, can cause their spines to curve as well. So check to make sure everything is operating properly.
And again, it just may be his time and he's got "old age", which obviously there'd be no treatment for.
http://www.petalia.com.au/templates/StoryTemplate_Process.cfm?Story_No=1885
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-most-humane-way-to-euthanize-a-fish.htm
Good luck and hope he makes it.
Christy
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