I just felt my heart break.

Wow... This is so sad... I'm kneeling in front of my tank, at a loss for words...

I have one last, lone zebra danio. She's dying. Her back is messed up, she hides in the corner, not eating, and her scales look like they're flaking off... Her fins are in horrible condition because she won't eat to get nutrition to repair them...

Yesterday I bought four black phantom tetras. One of the males was very curious about her from the start, preferring to watch her than to swim with the other two males and the female phantoms.

Now I've been watching them all day today. They swim (more like he swims, she hovers) in a corner, surrounded by plants. He stays quietly at her side, occasionally touching her with a fin or rubbing gently against her. If any other fish even come near her, he freaks out and drives them off before shooting back to wrap around the danio protectively... He keeps nudging her to go get food, even bringing some back and spitting it out for her, but she's completely apathetic and refuses to eat. He won't leave her side, even raised his fins and faced off against my hand when I came near her to clean earlier...

It's so heartbreaking. I've never seen anything like it before in my life. I don't know what it is, but I just know that if/when (probably when, she's in bad shape) she dies, he is going to be utterly heartbroken... It's horrible.

Has anyone had this happen? Anything like this?

 

That is really sad.You now we had a dog run away 2 years ago,the other dog who was her friend was not sick before that and about 2 weeks after she was gone he got sick,really sick and he died.Our vet said that animals do that.:'(

 

I'm so sorry that had to happen.

 

I've just never seen anything like this... They are completely different species...

 

We always underestimate the power of bonds between spirits. As sad as your story is, friend, it is also very beautiful. Thank you for sharing your story.

 

I had a platy who was like this with my old betta he would swim with her all day every day and the were a comical pair, would never hurt a soul that betta. One day he was swimming at the front of the tank frantically and I thought it was unusual but though nothing of it, later to find her dead in the plant with him hovering over her and going crazy at any movement down that end of the tank

I burst out in tears that day

Thankyou for sharing your story with is, animals are so special. Its a shame we don't know how they feel

 

That is heartbreaking and beautiful all at the same time. Thank you for sharing your story.

 

Animals connect and transcend. They do this much better than we ever could. This is beautiful and sad and not at all surprising. He may know she is on her way out and is trying to help her go in peace. Thank you for sharing and I am sorry for your pain.

Not to go all advice-ish on you, but do you know what's wrong with your fish? I would hate to see everyone else get infected if it's contagious :\

So sorry.

 

Yes this is common. There to manny accounts of completely different species bonding to post here. I did a paper in college called "Can an animal be moral a agent?" It was for a philosophy class. I convinced the prof.

Love and compassion are defiantly not limited to humans.

 

Though sad, I know that is an amazing thing to witness.

 

Animals do things like this way more than they get credit for. Some people (no one here) think animals just exist. They eat, go to the bathroom, and eat. But that's garbage.

 

Wow... This is so sad... I'm kneeling in front of my tank, at a loss for words...

I have one last, lone zebra danio. She's dying. Her back is messed up, she hides in the corner, not eating, and her scales look like they're flaking off... Her fins are in horrible condition because she won't eat to get nutrition to repair them...

Yesterday I bought four black phantom tetras. One of the males was very curious about her from the start, preferring to watch her than to swim with the other two males and the female phantoms.

Now I've been watching them all day today. They swim (more like he swims, she hovers) in a corner, surrounded by plants. He stays quietly at her side, occasionally touching her with a fin or rubbing gently against her. If any other fish even come near her, he freaks out and drives them off before shooting back to wrap around the danio protectively... He keeps nudging her to go get food, even bringing some back and spitting it out for her, but she's completely apathetic and refuses to eat. He won't leave her side, even raised his fins and faced off against my hand when I came near her to clean earlier...

It's so heartbreaking. I've never seen anything like it before in my life. I don't know what it is, but I just know that if/when (probably when, she's in bad shape) she dies, he is going to be utterly heartbroken... It's horrible.

Has anyone had this happen? Anything like this?

This is truly a beautiful moment if you can think that way. Many people don't think animals of different species interact/react to other species.
If at all possible can you take some photos of them before she passes? It would be beautiful to see

 

It is beautiful, and I know that animals form deep connections with each other, sometimes even deeper than we can possibly conceive. It's the natural and primordial web of life. That cosmic knot is entangled so deeply, one life touches many, many others, whether that be directly, as in friendship, or indirectly, as one life goes out to feed another and its children. It might not be tangible, but we can feel it, deep down inside. We are all connected, one universal heartbeat that we can all feel on some level, be it faint as dying mist in the sunlight or the rhythm of our own hearts. He has touched hers, and she has marked his. We are all a balance of good and bad, it just depends on which side you decide to project outward into the world, and, yes, even fish choose this, and he is radiating good. I hope she rests in peace.

Oops, sorry, went a little into my writer mode there. I know the mood is somber, but I can still joke that my vocabulary is why I don't have many friends my age. Not many fourteen year olds speak like this

Anyways, no, I can't get pictures, because if I get too close, he either gets in front of her and flares his fins at me or shoves her away from me.

I don't think it's a disease, I just think she did something to snap part of her back, because she looks bent and can't move very well... She isn't eating because it either crushed her spirit or she's too slow to get any food now that she has trouble swimming... It breaks my heart.

Thank you all for responding.

 

I'm so sorry to hear that's she's on the way out, but I'm glad she's found a friend in her last days. It always amazes me of the power of the bonds that animals form. I once read a story about an elephant that befriended a sick dog, and when the dog went in for surgery and a few weeks of recovery, she was in terrible shape. They haven't been separated since the dog recovered

If you don't think there's a cure, have you considered euthanasia? I know it seems terrible to kill a pet, but if she's truly suffering, it might be the best option for her comfort.

 

Wow, that nearly brought tears to my eyes, so beautiful. I have a shark that thinks he's a clown loach, he feeds, swims and eats with the boys. When I move the loaches to another tank, he will have to go with them. I truly think he would fret without the "pack" ....
Thank you for sharing your story, very touching

 

Well, since I don't have it in me to physically do something to her to take her life, and flushing her would send her to the sump among the household's waste, I'll probably keep her in the tank until she passes. It might sound lazy or cruel, but she's much more comfortable in there than her last minutes would be dying from the who-knows-what in the septic tanks.

 

I'm glad you're not flushing her--the only thing you should flush is waste.

I do understand the not wanting to put her down. It's so hard to watch an animal go, and it's also really hard to speed that up. I hope that she goes peacefully with her buddy at her side.

 

Can you post pics of her in her current condition?

The most important thing is how she lived her life. Any fish would be blessed to have you as their caregiver. I hope it won't be so, but be prepared for her new friend to possibly die as well.

My grandmother had 2 birds. They were in perfect health. Vibrant and was always chirping. When my grandmother passed away one bird became sick and passed away within a week. The other bird then starved itself to death. I was just a kid and my mom and I lived there. Nothing changed in the bird's life, not even how warm the house was kept.

 

I'm not at home now, and I won't be until later this afternoon, so I can't get any pictures for a while. It's sad yet beautiful. Life is full of simple complexities that take part every day.

 

So sorry, it's lovely that the black phantom is staying with her.

I used to have a black neon tetra, she got very sick 3 times during her life. I only managed to bring her back twice. The 3rd time she got sick she swam very slowly barely moving. All the other tetras stayed close to her as she died. I found her dead the next morning and all of the tetras were inactive barely touching their food for a week. She managed to live to the age of 5.

 

Kind of hard to see them clearly, but...

ATTACH]142620[/ATTACH]

 

Kind of hard to see them clearly, but...

ATTACH]142620[/ATTACH]

Very beautiful to see this. My deepest sympathy goes to you and your fish. You are clearly a wonderful fish parent and they are lucky to have you there for them. Best wish to you in your time of need.

 

Beautiful story thanks for the pic

 

She's not doing too well today...

 

She's not doing too well today...

I'm sorry she isn't pulling through.

At least you know that she has a compassionate friend with her during her time, and that you have kept a watchful eye and gave her a good home.

 

It's so sweet how compassionate animals can be to each other,

Just keep hoping, maybe she will get better!

 

Anyone else care to chime in on medicating the tank?

Maybe raise temp to 78 and add one tbsp per 5 gallons of Epsom or canning salts?

 

Well, I think she's been bad off for awhile now, I think we're beyond general tonics like salt. But she is hanging in there, so maybe a gentle medication like Paraguard (cycle-safe) or Pima.Melafix (any labyrinth fish in there?).

 

Her back is bent up so she can't move fast enough to get food before the tetras eat it, so she's starving. She's so weak, she's to the point where she's laying on the gravel, breathing fast and then not breathing at all for a while.

 

Have you tried target feeding her? Put some food in a turkey baster (new, for fish only, NOT washed), and get some food right in front of her while the tetras are eating floating food.

 

How's she doing

 

She actually seems better. She's weakly swimming around and gingerly eating a little bit. Weakly and gingerly, but still swimming and eating. It's huge progress since last week. Her back even looks a lot less bent. She's a fighter, crossing my fingers that she will pull through.

 

you know some things are just to luck. some people believe in true love. I believe it is the strongest force in existance. animals are more sensitive to changes than humans some guideing their own path as though it was fate but I believe they know their way to their soul mate. there's always that one fish in the store that says take me home well its for a reason this is one of the rare occations we see what it really is. true love adoration is what may be healing your danio and I strongly believe it

 

She is my only surviving cycling fish, all the other danios died of the bent backs. She's a strong one, the only fish I've seen fight as hard as she is after coming so close to death. The black phantom seems overjoyed that she is okay as of now.

 

Wow, she seems fiery today! She's swimming happily out in the open and around the tank, weaving in between fish and plants alike, even though she's the only one of her kind among much bigger fish! She's eating heartily and even attempting to bully my silver-dollar-sized angelfish out of her share of the food. (Kai, the angel, just ignores her completely.) She's still a little beat-up looking, but she's back to her old self, even trying to chase my red eye tetras around.

 

That's amazing!!! Her true loved might have possibly saved her life!!

Once again true fish keeping there.

 

I'm just amazed that instead of chasing the female phantom like the other two males are doing, he follows the danio around.

 

I am so glad to hear that she's doing so well again after her considerably horrible condition!

Glad that her fish friend stood by her side, quite possibly asking her "please hang on" each and every day.

 

It's a miracle. I thought for sure she was a goner and now she's marching around the tank like she's the queen.

 

Wow! I have been reading this story and felt horrible for the little girl. But she pulled through! That's a great story