# Please Help! Bullied fish laying on side!



## Lildragoness (Jul 21, 2017)

Okay this is a bit urgent, and please, no fish police. I had a red zebra being an A hole and picking on my holding and smallest fish in the 75 gallon. SO I moved him to the 30 gallon, which had one fully grown 6 inch cichlid, where as everything in my 75 was three inches or less, him being the largest and meanest. I adopted her expecting a juvie and got a fully grown (greshakei and something hybrid? maybe? maybe full greshakei?) cichlid, that is why she is in such a small tank right now, she is too big to put in my 75 with all the little guys. Well, my little 3 inch red zebra bit her face, took a bite out. I was about to look into getting rid of him if she wouldn't fight back. Then she did, but then everything went fine. They even tried to breed, whereas before the "vibration" and fin flashing was aggression before that. She didn't have eggs yet so not much happened. Well, they would chill out together, they were getting along fine. No biting, only one chase and it stopped in under 15 seconds. It was big girl chasing little guy. 
Well today I got up to feed them, and found little 3 inch red zebra laying on his side not moving. Breathing, though not as well as I'd like. This guy HATES nets and being caught, moved, he is the most difficult one. But he just let me scoop him right out, he did not fight me or even go upright. I don't think it's his swim bladder, once I get deeper into explaining you will get why. 
I moved him to a makeshift hospital tank, (yes, I know I need one, my 10 gallon has a makeshift breeder box full of fry and a holding mommy fish in it. I am working on it, a friend has one for me, I just need to get it) it is a small hexagon like tank, with an airstone in it. He would lay on his side, and when I splashed water or rippled water around his gills gently, he would go upright again. Like he was not getting enough oxygen and when I helped him breathe he would get that little bit of strength back. So I decided to give him an airstone, and stresscoat. He was damaged, not like to death, but he did have damage. When I picked him up to check for bloat, parasites, major abrasions or anything, it felt his slime coating on his body was not at full integrity. And, that pouch they have to hold eggs, well if he was female, right behind his it is greyish and swollen, I know my fish and that is not the shape he usually is. It is swollen. Not sure if from stress or what, or cichlids can have something similar to swollen lymph nodes? No idea. This is my 10 year old brother's fish, it is his first fish and his favorite. He is heartbroken, I keep telling him he will be okay but he is in hysterics. I build the fish a floating tank by attaching a small bit of pool noodle on each side of a tupperware container with holes in it, so I may put him back in one of the tanks later without him being harassed.


----------



## Lildragoness (Jul 21, 2017)

Unfortunately, upon treating him with stresscoat and melafix I found what appears to be some sort of fungal growth as a complication of his injuries. Other than what I am using, anything anyone knows of to treat open wounds and fungal growth? I said I didn't feel his slime coat was at full integrity, and it is not. But I am seeing a white film like substance forming around some of the worse cuts. He was not like this yesterday  I wonder what happened while I was asleep. He had some damage, no more than he had caused to my other little guys before he was moved. But today he is looking almost zombified. I guess that is an exaggeration, but he isn't doing well. How long can I leave him in that hospital tank with an airstone and no heater?


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

IME once the fish is laying on his side it is rare for them to recover. If you don't have a hospital tank with heater and filter...I'd probably euthanize. Even with a proper hospital tank, it would likely be a case of letting him die in peace.


----------



## Lildragoness (Jul 21, 2017)

I am gonna wait a little, he seems to be doing a bit better now that I have treated him and put him in the floater. I have saved a fish like this before. But is that swollen lump his swim bladder or something else?


----------



## Lildragoness (Jul 21, 2017)

He is also not like that constantly, he just can't hold himself up. At first, I doubted swim bladder, but seeing how badly he got hurt I am thinking it could be. He is figuring out ways to hold himself up and he is very responsive to me.


----------



## Lildragoness (Jul 21, 2017)

I think I may order some clove oil, he isn't getting worse but I am seeing little improvement. If he keep scraping by for the next few days and not getting better I will have to put him to sleep


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

You can get it in health food stores in the aromatherapy section.


----------



## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Many drug stores or stores with a pharmacy area will also carry clove oil as well.


----------



## Lildragoness (Jul 21, 2017)

I live out in BFE And I have looked and looked, nobody has it. I ordered it, I hope for his sake he dies before it comes in the mail on the 18th. I checked on him half an hour ago, not good, his tail was intact though. I come back 5 minutes ago, and his tail has fallen off. He won't stop fighting. I try so hard to leave his floater box alone, because when I go over there he tries to swim around, and see me, and almost "show" me he is doing okay, and he just isn't. His scales are falling off, he is turning paler and paler by the minute. He is in so much pain, and he will just keep himself going until his organs fail. I really wish he would let himself go, he is hurting so much.


----------



## BlueSunshine (Jul 13, 2014)

A swift blow, to the top of the head, will end his suffering.


----------



## Lildragoness (Jul 21, 2017)

I think I have someone bringing me some tonight for this emergency, I have to be sure it is pure clove oil but from what I understand it is. Cheeto will be missed, my brother named him Cheeto because he was orange.


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Cool name. The fish looked very mature...maybe he was elderly.


----------



## krazyju84 (Jul 10, 2014)

DJRansome said:


> IME once the fish is laying on his side it is rare for them to recover. If you don't have a hospital tank with heater and filter...I'd probably euthanize. Even with a proper hospital tank, it would likely be a case of letting him die in peace.


My comment wont add much value as the sickness has progressed already. But, I had two instances when few fish were laying on their sides. Once i received 3 fish via mail and they were on their sides in the bag, two recovered but they both died within few months without any warning signs. Other time was when I had someone else do a water change and they forgot about the temperature of the water, replacing 80F water with cold water. four fish were on their sides and only one recovered, again it died within couple months.


----------



## Lildragoness (Jul 21, 2017)

Thank you everyone, I know what I will do to euthanize him today. But he was not elderly, bought him as a juvenile and I have had tanks up less than a year. I am preparing the solution to euthanize in a few minutes.


----------

