Hi guys. I haven't been around in a while, but I have a little problem with "Buddy," one of my 9-month old platies. He somehow got injured while I was moving with them (about 1-hr drive away). He was on his side on the bottom when we got home, kind of twitching. I was sure he was going to die. Then, about a half an hour later I noticed he was swimming around, rather awkwardly. I'm guessing it's a swim bladder problem. That was mid-December. Since then his condition hasn't changed much. He still has an appetite but it's really hard for him to compete with the others, so he's lucky to get a bite before everything is gobbled up. I've been feeding him in a net (my fish will actually swim INTO a net, they really don't care for some reason, so it's not stressful for him) so he has plenty of time to catch the flakes or worms. He swims pretty well most of the time, it's just when he's feeding that he can't really control his movements. When he tries to get food into his mouth he's usually positioned vertically and he's not very successful. He does 360 degree spins all the time - both end-to-end and side-to-side. I cringe when I see it. I don't know what I should do. I don't think he's going to get better, but he doesn't seem deathly sick either. Do you guys thing I should just let him be and spend 15 minutes a day holding a net for him to give him time to eat, or should I euthanize him (well, my dad would be doing that part if I decided to go that route...)
Any suggestions? Any similar experiences? I really love these little fish, they're the first fry I raised. I wish I could ask him if he's happy....
Any suggestions? Any similar experiences? I really love these little fish, they're the first fry I raised. I wish I could ask him if he's happy....
