Ok guys,

I come to you seeking urgent help like never before. I have a fish who has been ill and I have been treating. I just came in and found that he had got wedged in th pipe of the filter and was stuck. By pipe, I mean the inflow pipe. He was actually stuck at the top of the bulb bit where it joins the pipe (I hope that makes sense). Anyway, I panicked and got him free but having been there for so long and trying to free himself he looks like his spine is broken from his bum hole to his tail. He is swimming on his side and if i touch the bit that looks broken, its limp. He also understandably wriggles in pain.

I've taken him out the tank and put him in isolation but he is in so much pain. What should I do. I just don't know what to do with him.

Thanks,

Richard

Oh My Gosh, I am so sorry that this happened. I'm sure someone will chime in soon with help. I really would not know what to suggest for this injury.
Hang in there and Good Luck.

eek! yeah sounds kinda scary... sorry i can't help! my thougths are with you and your fishie though!!!

I would give him a bit of time to see if he recovers as nerve damage could also be happening here. I dont think fish feel pain the same as we do though.
If he was mine I would give him over night to see if he fixes himself and if he was the same in the morning then I would help him by euthenising.
Theres a pinned topic somewhere but clove oil for toothache from a chemist/pharmacy will work.
Really sorry this happened though.

ok thanks for the advice so far....

he seems to be able to swim upright but just ends up eventually settling on his side. I think its a balance thing more than anything. I have him isolated but of course the tricky thing is trying to feed him. having thought about it, Im not sure he is broken because he can move his tail. Im guessing it might be as you say shock....I wasn't around the tank for 12 hours so I have no idea how long he had been trapped for.

I'll post more when I have some updates. If anyone else has any ideas, please help!

Oh my god I'm so sorry Thoughts are with you. Hope you'll give us an update.

I'm so sorry that happen. I think you are doing what is best for him. I think clean water, and a little time is all you can do for now. You would be amazed at what fish can recover from. Keep him in a quiet, dark place so he won't be stressed. Good luck, and keep us posted on how he does.

morning, evening (depending on where you are),

i've just woken up and no change. i've decided for the moment to do nothing and see what happens. obviously its not ideal but I want to give him every chance to recover and to live.

i had this wacky and rather silly but serious thought about putting some sort of a splint over the affected area to stop it from moving with the hope that it would allow him to swim upright and to allow the break to repair so that in a few weeks it could be removed. i know its wacky, heck I dont even think there's anything you could use for it, but it was just an idea.

I'm so sorry Richard - but all is not lost.

I wouldn't go down the path of a splint - a nice idea, but it wouldn't do any good really The only suggestion I can offer is to lower the water level some - just so he has enough for good air and filtration. Lowering the level will take the weight of the water off his back and may aid in helping him.

He could do well if water parameters remain perfect - even tho he may be a bit lopsided for the rest of his life. As long as he's healthy and can eat, he should fare well.

My fingers are crossed

I agree that you dont need to put him to sleep and maybe he has damaged his swimbladder somehow. It may even repair itself, who knows.
As jen has said he may do surprisingly well being disabled and you can even hand feed him as well.

I thought about your post alot last night and just wanted to check in to see how you and your fish were doing? Only time will tell with this one and hopefully he'll pull through.

Hang in there

Anything new on your fish, Richard?