Partialy Paralyzed Fish
- Thread starter Mattyou
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Sounds like onion is right as much as I hate to hear thet but from what you have posted that is what it sounds like . Sorry to hear it but that sounds like thats the problem.
Well, Ive been keeping fish for over 20 years and never seen this before...Last night when I got home one of my Male Flower Horns was nose up in the tank, sitting with his tail on the gravel, head poked straight up. He swims with his front fins (pectoral) only and cant (or wont) move his body or tail. His fins are clamped, and occasionaly he shudders. I have no idea what could be wrong with him, he will lay flat on the bottom at a slight lean, but when he starts moving around he noses up and will not move his tail, fins remain clamped. he did eat, with difficulty due to his immobility, but this morning he is still in this paralyzed appearing state. Has anyone ever seen anything like this before?? I am wondering if he may have some kind of spine injury, his outter apperance is fine.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------OK,
I took him in a net and flexed his body, he is limp as can be. resistance from the gills forward pretty much is all he could offer. No tail slap / wiggle and when I moved his tail around, he was totaly plyable. He has taken to standing on his tail, head up, tail down in a corner behind a peice of driftwood. I think he is gonna be a loss, as he still eats but I dont think he will last to long in the shape he is in. Seems to be getting less and less active. He is propably depresed and just going to give up and die. Really is a bummer, he is a very pretty fish.
Sorry I'm replying to a 2008 post but I have this exact situation now in 2020.
I was wondering how this turned out for you?
A beautiful, healthy, growing 5" Geophagus suddenly lost the ability to move his body behind the pectorals. What I saw was what appeared to be two ich spots on his spine area, just below the dorsal fin. One could see it was not two spots but a contiguous, white rod-like worm passing directly through his body.
He pulls himself with pectorals and drags his tail along the bottom. I've tried aggressive salt/heat treatment which saw the two 'spots' (ends of the worm) fall off but he seemed to worsen. He turned from turquoise to yellow and stopped eating. In my desperation, and not knowing what it could be, I used Metro, Prazi, no help. Then I use the same plus Malachite and erythromycin + the salt.
He now seems much more energetic and eats voraciously now but he still cannot move the back half of his body.
I guess my question is two-fold: If the original author sees this, would you please tell me how yours worked out? I love the little guy but I don't want to torment him. If people feel he's permanently paralyzed or is suffering, I will get out the clove oil but if people think he has a chance of gaining mobility, I'd surely love to try it. I just don't want to torment him.
Please let me know any opinions you might have on this. I've had both fresh and marine tanks since the 1970s and NEVER saw anything like this. Thank you for any light you can shed on this. Sincerely, Mark
Sorry I'm replying to a 2008 post but I have this exact situation now in 2020.
I was wondering how this turned out for you?
A beautiful, healthy, growing 5" Geophagus suddenly lost the ability to move his body behind the pectorals. What I saw was what appeared to be two ich spots on his spine area, just below the dorsal fin. One could see it was not two spots but a contiguous, white rod-like worm passing directly through his body.
He pulls himself with pectorals and drags his tail along the bottom. I've tried aggressive salt/heat treatment which saw the two 'spots' (ends of the worm) fall off but he seemed to worsen. He turned from turquoise to yellow and stopped eating. In my desperation, and not knowing what it could be, I used Metro, Prazi, no help. Then I use the same plus Malachite and erythromycin + the salt.
He now seems much more energetic and eats voraciously now but he still cannot move the back half of his body.
I guess my question is two-fold: If the original author sees this, would you please tell me how yours worked out? I love the little guy but I don't want to torment him. If people feel he's permanently paralyzed or is suffering, I will get out the clove oil but if people think he has a chance of gaining mobility, I'd surely love to try it. I just don't want to torment him.
Please let me know any opinions you might have on this. I've had both fresh and marine tanks since the 1970s and NEVER saw anything like this. Thank you for any light you can shed on this. Sincerely, Mark
I was wondering how this turned out for you?
A beautiful, healthy, growing 5" Geophagus suddenly lost the ability to move his body behind the pectorals. What I saw was what appeared to be two ich spots on his spine area, just below the dorsal fin. One could see it was not two spots but a contiguous, white rod-like worm passing directly through his body.
He pulls himself with pectorals and drags his tail along the bottom. I've tried aggressive salt/heat treatment which saw the two 'spots' (ends of the worm) fall off but he seemed to worsen. He turned from turquoise to yellow and stopped eating. In my desperation, and not knowing what it could be, I used Metro, Prazi, no help. Then I use the same plus Malachite and erythromycin + the salt.
He now seems much more energetic and eats voraciously now but he still cannot move the back half of his body.
I guess my question is two-fold: If the original author sees this, would you please tell me how yours worked out? I love the little guy but I don't want to torment him. If people feel he's permanently paralyzed or is suffering, I will get out the clove oil but if people think he has a chance of gaining mobility, I'd surely love to try it. I just don't want to torment him.
Please let me know any opinions you might have on this. I've had both fresh and marine tanks since the 1970s and NEVER saw anything like this. Thank you for any light you can shed on this. Sincerely, Mark
Hey everyone, I see you're dealing with a fish that may be paralyzed. While I'm not an expert, I’ve had a similar experience with my jewfish. Based on what I went through, I can think of three possible causes:
1. Ammonia in the water
2. Swim bladder disorder
3. Injury from another fish
To help my fish recover, I did water changes three times throughout the week. While he started to improve, he would still get out of breath easily, which made him weak again.
Another factor I considered was overfeeding. My kids would feed the fish, and unknowingly, I’d feed them too. On top of that, my husband sometimes brought home live fish for them to eat (which I strongly opposed). This excessive feeding likely contributed to swim bladder issues.
When I caught the fish, he struggled a bit, and I noticed his body and tail could still move. I opened his mouth but wasn’t sure if I was seeing his tongue or a swollen swim bladder. I knew that some people use a needle to release trapped air, but I was hesitant to try without proper knowledge. If you consider this method, please research it thoroughly beforehand.
Instead, I isolated the fish and fed him peas (be sure to remove the shell first, as it can be harmful). I found that freezing the peas made it easier to remove the shell. Over time, this seemed to help, though recovery from swim bladder issues can take months.
Don’t give up on your fish! As long as they are eating, there’s hope for recovery. I hope this helps. Again, I’m not a vet or any kind of professional—just sharing my experience and research in case it helps someone else.
1. Ammonia in the water
2. Swim bladder disorder
3. Injury from another fish
To help my fish recover, I did water changes three times throughout the week. While he started to improve, he would still get out of breath easily, which made him weak again.
Another factor I considered was overfeeding. My kids would feed the fish, and unknowingly, I’d feed them too. On top of that, my husband sometimes brought home live fish for them to eat (which I strongly opposed). This excessive feeding likely contributed to swim bladder issues.
When I caught the fish, he struggled a bit, and I noticed his body and tail could still move. I opened his mouth but wasn’t sure if I was seeing his tongue or a swollen swim bladder. I knew that some people use a needle to release trapped air, but I was hesitant to try without proper knowledge. If you consider this method, please research it thoroughly beforehand.
Instead, I isolated the fish and fed him peas (be sure to remove the shell first, as it can be harmful). I found that freezing the peas made it easier to remove the shell. Over time, this seemed to help, though recovery from swim bladder issues can take months.
Don’t give up on your fish! As long as they are eating, there’s hope for recovery. I hope this helps. Again, I’m not a vet or any kind of professional—just sharing my experience and research in case it helps someone else.
