I may have to put my zebra danio down-HELP!

creativeriver

I started my first aquarium (freshwater, 55-gal) in January of this year. At that time I had six zebra danios. After a couple of months I saw that this one was getting picked on by two others. They would chase her/him as they do in the morning but it got to the point that this one got skinnier and skinnier and finally just layed at the bottom while the other two nudged her (will use the feminie to keep it simple).

So, I netted her out and put her in a 10-gallon hospital tank. She got bigger and stronger over time. Then, I noticed that her belly turned into a bulge (see picture posted in my "hospital tank" aquarium). I went to my local fish store with a picture in tow (the one featured in my hospital aquarium) and they had me do a couple of things to determine if she was egg bound or if it was a tumor. One was to turn the tank temp up and the other was I think to put in a certain ratio of epson salts. Nothing happened.

She has been swimming and eating all these months. For a little more than a week though she lays on her side at the bottom in a corner most of the time. At first I thought she was dead, but she wasn't.

When she swims it's circular. She has had a different look to her while she swims because of the big middle even before. I fear she is in a lot of pain. Her eyes seem to bulge some. I have dropped pellots in because they sink to the bottom in case she can eat.

I don't know what to do and will appreciate any help. She just isn't passing away on her own and, again, I fear she is suffering greatly at this point. Now I am a person who only kills moisquitos. Otherwise, any bug in my house gets toted back outside rather than killed. I don't know if I will be able to do it but I think it needs to be done. Please help...:(

Attached Images

Danio in 10 gal w huge stomach.jpg (92.8 KB, 77 views)

tanker

It's hard, but it is the kindest thing to do if you've assessed the situation as being that your fish is going to die. I made the decision to euthanize one of my fish recently. I used clove oil and he went off to sleep and then vodka to make sure he didn't wake back upWhat Is the Most Humane Way to Euthanize a Fish?. I've seen others of my fish die by themselves after getting sick and it was horrible. I'm glad I helped end my platy's suffering before he had to wait for whatever was wrong with him to finish him off (and I was sure it was going to, he wasn't recovering despite the treatment I was trying).

Romad

Sorry to hear about your fish. If you're going to put her down, I use the clove oil & vodka method too.

Chicklet

Looking at just the picture she looks fine,
But then you can only see so much in a picture,
She looks like my female zebra's, "Full of Eggs"
They hardly ever loose that gut even after spawning hundreds of eggs,

Zebra's can be awful aggressive towards one another, "Especially the males" and if in to small of a tank.
Lost to many this way, I now keep my males separate from my females and house the boys in much larger tanks,
only pair them up when I want a spawning.

creativeriver

Hi and thank you for your care and responses.

I should have mentioned that the first pic posted was from seven or eight months ago. At that time she was eating and responsive.

The pics included now I took this morning. This is how she looks all the time for a little more than a week. When she tries to swim it's just circular and she can't seem to get herself more than about a quarter inch up from the gravel. She only stays in that corner of the aquarium.

Do you believe I need to put her down or are there any other possibilities/suggestion?

Thanks so much for being there for me during this time of trembling.

Attached Images

	Zebra Danio_1_12_6_10.jpg (13.6 KB, 68 views)
	Zebra Danio_2_12_7_10.jpg (11.1 KB, 69 views)
	Zebra Danio_3_12_6_10.jpg (9.0 KB, 68 views)

tanker

I am no expert. I've luckily not had much experience with sick fish, but I've had a couple display signs of being unwell before dying. When I've had a fish do what you are describing it did not recover. I had some optimism about my latest sick fish because he survived some time but even he did not recover.

I would not hesitate to euthanize that fish. I don't think she can ever recover when she's sunk on the bottom and cannot swim. If it was my fish, I'd be comfortably 100% certain that I was doing the right thing.

If you really can't bring yourself to do it, let nature take its course this time, but I suggest you buy the supplies so that when you get your next sick fish event you can deal with it. It's taken me a while to get used to the idea that fish will not bounce back when they display signs of illness like that. Once you've seen a couple of fish go like that, you'll hopefully find that you can manage euthanasia after all. As I said before, I feel much better about how my latest platy died than the one before.

creativeriver

I will get the supplies I need tomorrow. This is so hard but because I love my fish, and all of God's creatures, I will do my best to help her move on and out of the misary she must be in. Yikes! I spoke with two people that I work with today who did put a fish down from their aquariums (out of the total of eight that I work with). Anywho, one took some type of knife and just sliced his fish in the middle. The other wrapped his fish in a paper towel and then stomped on it for a quick death. Oooooh. I understand that this is part of living and loving, but...gulp...:(

tanker

From what I've read, the beheading with a sharp knife is supposed to be very quick but it's not something I could do. I could also never jump on a fish and I don't think that that would be quick or painless.

eileen

I put the fish down with the ice method. You put a small bowl of water in the freezer and let it form a thin layer of ice.You put the fish in the ice water and it die instantly. I'm sorry to hear about your fish. I don't like the beheading or the stomp method either as I just can't do that.

creativeriver

Well, this is it. I purchased the clove oil and a fairly good quality vodka yesterday (Three Olives). I hope that the smoother vodka will be kindest on my zebra danio. Personally, I am having a martini at present just because I hope it helps me actually go through with this.

What helps most is having you, a community of tropical fish keepers who empathize, offer the best of their knowledge and experience, and care. I thank you.

I measured eight ounces of tank water and put it in a clear bowl. Then took a pair of my own black pants and wrapped it around. I netted her an put her in, turned off any bright light I took about three ounces of tank water in a separate jar and put in only one drop of clovce oil, shook it up 'til the water turned cloudy white and poured in only about 25% of it.

She swam on her side a few times around the bowl, without any sign of stress in breathing. All the while I stayed right with my zebra as the clove oil took effect, just saying I love you and that I will not leave her alone through this. She is next to me now.