# Should I put him to sleep?



## aqua001 (Jan 13, 2012)

So my neon tetra(the one with a chunk bit off of it's body, some of you may know) Is swimming funny. I just came home and saw. I'm not sure what happened. It's body is bent but it is still eager for food and such. Should I put the guy to sleep?

Housing 
What size is your tank?10 gal
What temperature is your tank?78
Does your tank have a filter?yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?yes
Is your tank heated?yes
What tank mates does your fish live with?5 other neons

Food
What type of food do you feed your fish?tropical fish flakes
How often do you feed your fish? once a day, 2 small pinches 

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change? once a week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 30-40perceny 
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? aqueon water conditioner

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia:0.00ppm
Nitrite:0.00ppm
Nitrate:0.00ppm
pH:-
Hardness:soft
Alkalinity: -

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your fish's appearance changed? He has been losing more and more of his color
How has your fish's behavior changed? no
When did you start noticing the symptoms? well, he had a chunk bitten off since I got him but the new prob just started today
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?no
Does your fish have any history of being ill? IDK
How old is your fish (approximately)? IDK

Edit: he also seems to have trouble swimming, half tipping over and stuff, is NOT bloated


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## DoctorWhoLuver (Feb 23, 2012)

Awww  I would have said it was possibly bloat, but since you said it wasn't . Maybe wait it out and see if he gets better? 
If he's tipping over it could be a swim bladder problem.


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## aqua001 (Jan 13, 2012)

HIs body is quite literally bent. Let me show you a pic: It is towards the top.


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## DoctorWhoLuver (Feb 23, 2012)

Does he have any lesions or bumps on his body? If so, it could be fish tuberclurosis; although, TB is pretty rare. 
It could also be genetics or internal parasites, if it were to be internal parasites, then you would see stringy white poo, or even tiny red worms at the business end when the fish isn't moving. 
I would try treating him with some AQ, and possibly isolate him in a floating container with different water, since fish that tend to shoal don't like to be alone, but make sure his water is separate from the others. If it does turn out to be TB, (rare) it is best to isolate him. Although, he would be in a lot of pain and you may want to consider euthanizing him ( TB is rare though, and is most likely not be the case) 
What helped with my Betta when she had internal parasites was soaking her food in garlic juice. I hope this helped! 
Good Luck! I hope your little guy gets better!


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## aqua001 (Jan 13, 2012)

Thanks! He does have a little chunk of his body bitten off on the side, but I think that was from horrid housing conditions at the petstore. There are no outward bumps. His poo is normal, I have seen him do his business 4 or 5 times since I got him. He is still interested in eating. I have also seen him be bullied a lot by the other neon (being chased, food stolen out of his mouth etc.) so do you think it could be that the fish broke his spine or something of the such? He is toppling over on to the side of his body but he quickly rights himself.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Hmm, is there still an open wound on him?


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## aqua001 (Jan 13, 2012)

The wound is hard to explain. It is dented but it is not red or bloody. Most of his blue and red color is gone.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Can you try to get a better photo? Sorry. :/
If he can't swim well it might be better to just euthanize. He won't be happy unless he can keep up with the rest of the tetras.


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## aqua001 (Jan 13, 2012)

My phone is out of battery and it is the only thing I can take pics with. Sorry. He just hides and doesn't try to catch up with the other tetras. He is capable of swimming, just doesn't want to unless it is for food.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Hmm, I'd give it a few more days then. Probably won't do much good treating him. If it was a big wound it could have just messed up his body.


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## DoctorWhoLuver (Feb 23, 2012)

Could it be genetics?


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## aqua001 (Jan 13, 2012)

Doctor, that is what I was thinking but it just seems more like a wound because wouldn't a genetic defect showed awhile ago? 

Olympia, For the fish it is a pretty big wound but for us humans it is tiny.


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## aqua001 (Jan 13, 2012)

Okay, here are some better pics. he is the same as yesterday (behavior-wise)


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## aqua001 (Jan 13, 2012)

In the first pic, he is the one farthest to the right side. 

Second pic he is in between two other tetras.


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## aqua001 (Jan 13, 2012)

When I fed him, his stomach did not turn as round as it used to (it didn't look like he had eaten at all) he had a very hard time swimming after that, almost turning completely upside down. Now he has an easier time with swimming and his body Is not as bent but I am still worried. Is there anything else I can do for him?


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## aqua001 (Jan 13, 2012)

Bump, anyone?


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

I honestly have no idea. :-( I guess if he can eat fine he can go on living.


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## aqua001 (Jan 13, 2012)

He has gotten worse. I couldn't find him for an entire day and today, though he is still alive, he is very limp and is not able to swim. I think it is time for him to go. He is suffering lots. S.I.P little one, you put up a good fight for life.


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