Should i euthenise my oranda?

[kaz petts]

Hi guys
I need your help again.
one of my red and black orandas is not him/herself. I have taken it out of the community tank and put it into my spare tank, i have added some stress coat and re-vtalising tonic.
I have been watching this fish and it is not eating, i think it wants to eat, it is aware the food is there but looks as though it can't find it.
i think this fish may be blind and is not going to do well in the community tank as it is not managing on its own and is just sitting at the bottom of the tank.
could this be swim bladder (i have been feeding them all blood worm and the fish has been pooing)
Is it worth euthenising or should i wait and see what happens. I don't want to think that this fish is suffering.
If you all think i should euthenise what is the best way to go about this.
This fish looks very unhappy and I don't know what to do for the best any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Kaz

 

[ryan]

Is it having difficulty swimming? I don't think it is a good idea to euthanise it yet. Lets see if we can figure out what is wrong so we can treat it accordingly.

 

[kaz petts]

Thanks for your quick reply.
When it swims it doesn't seem to have difficulty appart from the fact that it keeps bumping into things which makes me believe it is blind.
This fish used to swim around the community tank like it had been fed a go faster food it used to be crazy but now all it does is sit in a corner and sulk.
It looks so unhappy and i hate to see it like this.
Kaz

 

[ryan]

So it is swimming normally, knows there is food but seems not to be able to see anything bumbs into things and can't see the food and rests on the bottom, right?

 

[kaz petts]

That is correct.
Any ideas.
WHEN it swam it swam ok but bumped into things. All it does now is sit at the bottom of the tank in a corner.
I do not want to euthenise if there is something I can do to help it!
Thanks again for your quick reply.

 

[ryan]

It sounds that is most likely to be Constipation. Does the fish have a distended bellie. Or it may be internal parasite but I doubt this. How long have you had the fish for, when did these syptoms become apparent?

 

[kaz petts]

Have had the fish about a month or two. the other one which I got at the same time is ok.
The fish does not appear to have a distended bellie. It is quite thin and small comparing it to the other red and black oranda which I have.
I noticed the symptoms about 3 to 4 days ago but it was worse last night laying in a corner behind a small rock which I have in the community tank. I thought it was dead until I came to fish it out and it tried to swim away.

 

[ryan]

Has it ever eaten? If it is small and thin it could be internal parasites. Are there any worms protuding from the vents? Internal parasites are nearly impossible to treat unless you can obtain a suitable anthelmintic to be administered with food (if the fish is eating).

 

[kaz petts]

It used to eat the most until recently.
It has tried to eat today, I fed it some high protein food as this sinks. I tried giving it some floating fish pellets this morning but it didn't seem to know that the food was there.

I can't see anything obvious with the fish, the only thing that I can see slightly out of the ordanary is a few white spots on its head. I know this could be white spot but am also aware that this could just mean that this fish is male.
There is nothing protruding out of its vents that I can see. I will go and have another look at this fish and take the digi cam with me and see if I can get a pic for you perhaps you might be able to see something that I can't.

 

[ryan]

Yes a picture would help.

 

[kaz petts]

Here are the pics see if you can see anything I am missing.

 

[ryan]

From those photos he seems fine and seems to be swimming. He may just be resting when he lays on the bottom. How long is it since he ate anything. My Black Moor often rests on the bottom.

 

[kaz petts]

He tried to eat this morning but appeared as though he couldn't see the food. He used to swim after the food.
He was kind of swimming in these photos but was still having difficulty and was crashing into the side of the tank.
I do not wish to sound as though I do not appreciate your advice but i genuinely believe he is NOT resting as he has spent all day in the corner of the tank at the bottom right front.
He used to rest when he was in the community tank at the bottom of the tank but not hiding like he did last night.
I will try him with some frozen blood worm. I will know then if he is feeding ok because when I introduced a block of this to the community tank he used to go wild and moved from his resting spot.

 

[kaz petts]

Sorry to be a pain in the butt Ryan but I have just found another fish looking rather ropey.
My chocolate oranda is NOT attempting to swim and keeps falling sideways on. I believe this fish is dying.
I have tried my red and black oranda with the blood worm and it is not in the least bit interested neither is the chocolate oranda.
I got the chocolate oranda last saturday and since then I have noticed the change in my red and black oranda.
Is it possible that the chocolate oranda could have brought into the tank an internal parasite that the red and black oranda has picked up. i noticed a while ago a white mark down the chocolate orandas side which does not appear to be there any more.
I know my chocolate oranda is going to die.
If it has brought something into the tank what is my best line of defence for my other fish?

 

[ryan]

Ok well finally. It sounds like swimbladder. He is having difficulty maintaining his equilibrium.

Cause: Damage or bruising the swim bladder by fighting or hiting something; secondary bacterial infection; poor water conditions;congenital disorder.

Treatment: Identfying the source of the problem can be difficult. With bacterial infections, improve water quality and administer a prescribed antibiotics. If an external cause is suspected, isolate the fish in a hospital tank with shallow water; if there is no improvement after 7 days, consider euthanasia.