Well, I tried to get the fish out of the tank, and he didn't want to come out, so I got him in the cup on the bottom and the side of the tank. He swam around frantically as he struggled. I raised the cup up towards the top so the fish could get some air, but it appeared he wasn't able to get it.
Finally I got him in the cup and took him out of the tank. Then, I chased him around with the spoon a little in the cup, and then took him out of the cup with the spoon. Now he's resting on the spoon with some water on it that is on top of the cup. He's breathing every so often. He appears to be doing ok.
I'm thinking of letting him back in the cup and chasing him around with the spoon, taking him out a few times, then putting him back in the tank to recover.
So far I believe he has sustained no permanent damage, as he hasn't been poked internally (with the exception of the toothpick in the mouth, which was just a little).
Now he's back in the cup. Both his fins are flapping, and he seems pretty alert. Now I've floated the cup inside the bowl.
I took him out of the cup a couple more times. He flipped all over my desk. Now he's back on the spoon, sitting above the cup with a little water on the spoon. I wonder how long he can last like this? He appears to be breathing OK, although in just a very little bit of water. I do know from reading that these fish can survive in very little water.
I think I may put him in the bowl and then under the cup for 10 minutes or so, then see how he does, then back in the tank (or stay in the bowl perhaps).
OK, he's back in the cup within the bowl, I'm going to see what he does over the next 10 minutes or so. So far he's just moving a little bit at the bottom of the cup. I can tell he's breathing heavy. This is not too much fun. It might be better to put him in the cup against the side in the tank. Then he moves around a lot more. Yeah. That's what I'm going to do I think.
Well I chased him around many more times and took him out with the spoon many more times. I put him back in the bowl. Now I think he's really tired. He's taking breaths at the surface and staying still. He's not moving around right now. Maybe he's trying to recover?
He's only moving one fin again. I guess the other fin is damaged. I'm going to let him recover while I go and get some things done. It looks like he's staying against the wall of the bowl for support. I wonder if I should put him in the tank, it's a better temperature? Maybe I'll do that and see how he does. He's had a hard afternoon. Now, he needs time to rest.
I put him back in the tank. He seems to be doing better in there. Going to go for now, I'll check on him a little later.
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He's slowly making his way around the tank, with one fin. He just looks like a tired fish. And he should be, he's been in some pretty tiring situations.
ReplyDeleteHe's just kind of floating in the tank, and every now and then he will move. At first he was swimming around more, now he seems to have stopped doing that. He comes up . for air every so often. I wonder what he's thinking? He's probably really worn out. He's breathing a little less heavy, so that's good for him. Not really moving around too much. Maybe he'll move around more later on? I think he has to get his energy back.
Update, the fish continues to swim slowly around the tank. I kind of like him like this because he is not climbing the walls. Of course, he is still using just one fin. It seems like after yesterday, when the fish gets injured, it only uses one fin. I don't know if it will eat or not, will try a little bit later. So far the fish seems to be doing OK, considering the amount of stress it has had to go through in the last two days. I wonder if I should catch it and chase it around some more? Or use a cup and put it on the side or the bottom of the tank?
ReplyDeleteI am not sure how much this fish can take, and what it's threshold is. Maybe I should just let it be for now.
Now the fish is at the bottom of the tank, breathing a little bit heavy. Not a good sign. It means he's loosing some of his stuff, or he just needs to rest. He didn't do that before. He went up for air, now he's back down at the bottom again. Moving slightly. I'll keep you posted.
ReplyDeleteHe's moving very slowly, and starting to spend more time at the bottom of the tank than he used to. I guess the fish is contemplating his own mortality. That's kind of how life is. Once you're on top, then you're on the bottom. I think the fish is finding this out now in a big way.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I'm going to do anything else to him right now. I don't think that the fish could take it. He seems in a somewhat weakened state. More to follow later. I need to restart my browser for now.
I put the fish back in the bowl. It was surprisingly easy to get him out of the tank with the cup. He didn't move away fast like he used to. I figure with the fish's weakened state, it's better for him to stay in the bowl for now, it's easier to come up for air. We'll see how he does.
ReplyDeleteOK, he's in the bowl. Staying year the top and not movig too much. He's flapping his fin to stay in place. Sometimes using both fins. I think he's doing better in the bowl than in the tank. He's swimming a little every now and then. I think the fish is still in recovery mode.
OK, now I put the fish in a cup with very little water just to see how he'll manage. At first, he was flopping around when there was very little water, every time I'd put in more water he would react strongly. Now, I put in more water, and he seems calmer, although he's not moving around that much.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'll put him back in the bowl.
I tried a new thing. I took him out of the bowl, and put him in the cup with no water. Then I poked him lightly with a toothpick while I watched the fish flop around the bowl. I picked at his eye a little, and near his gills, too. I picked on his scales. For a little while he stopped reacting and let me poke his scales. Then I put him back in the bowl. He seems to be alright, so I guess I'll do it a little more.
ReplyDeleteHe seems to be a resilient fish. I guess also because (I think) he's not being poked internally.
OK, I put him in the cup with no water, and poked him with the toothpick enough times that he finally stopped moving and let me poke him. I put the toothpick in his mouth, too.
Now I think he's on a downward spiral. He's doing what all of the other fish did. He's leaning against the side of the bowl. He's staying near the top of the water. I think he is still swimming straight, at least for now.
He's still swimming. I think he's going to be alright. Hallelujah!
Uh-oh. I took him out and poked him some more, including putting a toothpick in his mouth a lot and even moving him around a little with the toothpick in his mouth.
ReplyDeleteI think the fish is having trouble swimming in a straight line now. He's leaning against the side of the bowl. I think I may have messed up with him on this last poking session. I should have left him alone, he was doing OK. Now, I'm not so sure. I may have to finish him off tonight. So that he doesn't suffer, of course. I think I'm going to put him in the tank so that I can see how he swims.
Well, the fish is moving around the bowl. He's not too fast, but he is moving. He's flapping his one fin, as is usual for him now. Maybe I need to give him until tomorrow, to see if he perks up? Or maybe this is as good as it's going to get for him, at this point.
ReplyDeleteThe fish continues to move around the bowl very slowly. I could put him in the tank and see how he does. Could this be as good as this fish is going to get? I think it could be. He won't eat when I put a pellet on the top. I think definitely his better days are behind him. I think I'll put him in the tank and see what he can do (if he can do something).
ReplyDeleteWell, the fish is in the tank. He's moving slightly at the top of the tank. Sometimes he just sits still. When he does move it is very, very slow. Should I let him continue like this, hoping he'll improve, or let him continue to progress in a direction that leads towards an end of his life? This is a very ethical and important question, that's difficult to answer. Sometimes, it's hard to know the right answer. I am thinking about it.
ReplyDeleteIt's going to be hard to let this fish go, he has been around longer than most fish, so it's a difficult decision to make.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a fish who's lost his fight. He's doing what he can to survive. Not quite to that extreme yet, but he's definitely in that direction. I think maybe I should let him be for now, because I couldn't stand to see him die tonight. I don't know.
ReplyDeleteI've decided to let him live. I think if I were to end it for him, I would be upset. So, even though he's not in great condition, I'm going to let him make it make it through the night and see how he's doing tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteHe seems to like staying on top of the leaf right next to the heater. I guess that's where he's going to stay for awhile. I'll go to sleep and check on him in the morning. I don't plan to do anything more to him. I'll try to get him to eat, don't know if he will. Of course, if he doesn't eat, that'll be the end of him after awhile. But I don't blame him. He's been through a lot yesterday and especially today. Don't know the status of his internal organs after the toothpick in the mouth. So, maybe he's doing the best he can. I'll just see how he is tomorrow and go from there.
ReplyDeleteAt least he's still alive, which is more than I can say for many of the other fish when they went through these kind of things.
ReplyDelete