White Skirt Tetra Acting Strange

[HobbyJohnny]

In my 55 gallon community tank, I noticed one of my white skirts will not close his mouth. His whole shape looks strange, his mouth looks swollen, he's hyperventilating and no appetite. I have removed him to quarantine and I already know what must be done. Is putting him in the freezer a humane way to put him out of his misery? It looks like something (maybe substrate) is lodged in his throat or something...

 

[JamieXPXP]

no freezing is actually a really slow death. can you take a pic of it?

 

[HobbyJohnny]

Here is a picture before I removed him yesterday. He stays towards the bottom and doesn't move whatsoever, his mouth is stuck like this and I think the stress levels have caused him to get some type of bacterial infection.

 

[JamieXPXP]

unfortunetly i dont have experience with fish with their mouths stuck open, so someone else will be able to help with that.
clove oil i think its called is quite popular with euthanizing fish. since it puts them to sleep

 

[HobbyJohnny]

unfortunetly i dont have experience with fish with their mouths stuck open, so someone else will be able to help with that.
clove oil i think its called is quite popular with euthanizing fish. since it puts them to sleep

Yeah I have heard of clove oil as being one of the most affective ways, honestly, where I am a hunter/fisher, I am thinking about doing the knife method as that is for sure the most humane yet gruesome way to do it. I know he is suffering so...

 

[JamieXPXP]

Yeah I have heard of clove oil as being one of the most affective ways, honestly, where I am a hunter/fisher, I am thinking about doing the knife method as that is for sure the most humane yet gruesome way to do it. I know he is suffering so...

the knife method is also painless if its done right.

 

[HobbyJohnny]

the knife method is also painless if its done right.

Yeah.... if he's still with me tomorrow morning that looks like the way I am going to do it. Also, I wouldn't be able to say how many crappy or walleye I have done it to, so I know it'll work well. I wanted to take it to the forums anyway just to see if anyone knew what to do, I have never seen this before, but I am almost certain it is fatal. (for some odd reason all of my white skirts are doing it, this is my final one. However, my black skirts, guppies, barbs etc are still perfectly fine. Perhaps there is just something terminal that the breeder didn't know about at my LFS)

 

[madelyn anne]

In my 55 gallon community tank, I noticed one of my white skirts will not close his mouth. His whole shape looks strange, his mouth looks swollen, he's hyperventilating and no appetite. I have removed him to quarantine and I already know what must be done. Is putting him in the freezer a humane way to put him out of his misery? It looks like something (maybe substrate) is lodged in his throat or something...

Do not freeze him. Do not.
I am not a big fan of the knife method either...too brutal for such sweet little fishies.

I have had success with using Clove Oil as an anesthetic to put him/her to sleep, then once they're asleep, using some Vodka to help them pass. This is the method I would recommend. Humane and no mess.

 

[HobbyJohnny]

Do not freeze him. Do not.
I am not a big fan of the knife method either...too brutal for such sweet little fishies.

I have had success with using Clove Oil as an anesthetic to put him/her to sleep, then once they're asleep, using some Vodka to help them pass. This is the method I would recommend. Humane and no mess.

Fortunately and unfortunately, he passed away. I have never seen anything quite like it... He had no appetite, and just an abnormal mouth. When I tried to remove him, he was very feisty and shot around the tank. I put him in quarantine with about 2 gallon of water from my current tank, and put in a small amount of medication. He went from zapping around to literally being upside down and floating (which I have never seen before, only in cartoons)

 

[madelyn anne]

Awww, I'm so sorry for your little one. But it's good he's not suffering anymore. I have a very very ill GBR and she's not doing well, and it's getting to the point where I'm almost wanting her to go so she isn't suffering anymore.

As for the behavior...I've seen this before. When I lost one of MY White Skirt Tetras, I experienced something very similar. There was this sudden burst of energy immediately before he died. Started zipping around the tank, then BOOM, gone.

It's interesting, sad, and terrible. But they're in little fishy heaven now with lots of fishy treats and all the bloodworms they could ever eat.

 

[HobbyJohnny]

Awww, I'm so sorry for your little one. But it's good he's not suffering anymore. I have a very very ill GBR and she's not doing well, and it's getting to the point where I'm almost wanting her to go so she isn't suffering anymore.

As for the behavior...I've seen this before. When I lost one of MY White Skirt Tetras, I experienced something very similar. There was this sudden burst of energy immediately before he died. Started zipping around the tank, then BOOM, gone.

It's interesting, sad, and terrible. But they're in little fishy heaven now with lots of fishy treats and all the bloodworms they could ever eat.

I don't know that I'll own anymore white skirts just because they have been somewhat difficult to keep compared to their black skirt variants. Yes, all the bloodworms and brine shrimp their little bellies could manage.