Post by Kate on Jun 21, 2003 14:29:07 GMT -5
One of my Wal-Mart rescues that I've had since February had to be euthanized today. He was a beautiful red fish with long flowing fins until columnaris attacked them. At the same time I rescued a blue fish that came from the same shipment and I think they were brothers because they were the same size and their fins were the same shape. They played with each other all the time (in different bowls of course:)). I tried every medicine under the sun for columnaris and finally I got it under control. I moved him back into his 2.5 gallon heated tank and he was never "right" again. I didn't want to medicate him again because his body had enough and he was pretty stressed from the previous columnaris treatments. Eventually, he was laying on his side on the bottom and could no longer get to the top for air and he was gasping and suffering and every time I'd bend down to look at him he'd turn his eyes my way and it just broke my heart. After much research on humane ways to euthanize a fish I decided on the freezing method which is just supposed to slow their metabolism down until they eventually "go to sleep". I was hoping I'd never have to do this and he'd go on his own, but I couldn't watch him suffer anymore. I never could get him to eat. He hasn't eaten anything since I've had him and I bought every food there is. I hope he's healthy now and swimming happily in the huge betta pond in the sky. I choose to look at this as helping him to end his suffering. He tried to fight this disease but it eventually won...and I will miss him forever.
R.I.P. Little Red Fish
R.I.P. Little Red Fish