I noticed this 4 days ago although it looked smaller yesterday it is now twice the size and also starting to show on the other side. Does anyone know what this might be? I already removed him from the tank the 1st day and am surprised he is still alive bc he looks like he is going to explode!! Help......
Where is it showing? Near the gills or farther back? Is it a bulge as if something is on the inside causing it? Or does it look more like a round growth on the outside? Any discoloring? Change in eating or other behavior?
It is showing near the gills and looks like it is coming from the inside. It looks even larger today, I cant believe this little guy is still alive. He has not been eating, no discoloring and acts normal. I still have him seperated from the tank.
Wow, that's big. I was asking all the questions because your description reminds of a Betta that died a couple of months ago. Same thing, same description, everything. I couldn't identify it using any fish guides available. I thought maybe tissue inflamation that would go away, but when it got about as big as your fish's, my partner, who is a dermatologist, said that it looked like a tumor. My little guy was dead about two days later.
After watching my little one struggle the last two days, I bought a product called Finquel that is a powder used for humane aquatic euthanasia. I've used it for other dying fish since. Kind of sappy, I know, but most people don't like to see anything suffer. Sorry, I hope he recovers. Let me know.
From what I have seen going through different internet sites, I also came to the conclusion of a tumor. Where do I buy that Finquel from? He doesn't seem to be suffering he just looks sad and stares into the other tank all day. Its very sad!! :(
Let me know if that link doesn't work. I bought the $24.95 bottle, which might sound like a lot, but when you're standing there watching your favorite fish die slowly, I'd fork it over! The Betta that died was my favorite of all time, Finley. I have a picture of him in my profile. I had him such a short time, but he was just super.
If you do get the Finquel, the dosing must have been written by a computer-based, Vulcan, life form of a pharmacist because it's like a foreign, math-based language. I had my partner, who is a doctor, get a pharmacist friend to translate it to actual words for me. All the numbers and milligrams on the instructions basically mean 1/8 teaspoon to 1 gallon of water for sedation. Once the fish is comfortably sleeping, add another 1/8 teaspoon to the same gallon of water for euthanasia. The fish should drift off without any distress.
Works with fish and aquatic frogs.
Too bad you're not around San Diego, I'd get some Finquel to you. When it's my time to go, I hope someone has a big bottle of Finquel handy...
Ive caught a 20 lb carp that had a tumor that was the size of a lemon. It was almost growing out of his eye!! the surprising part was the fish appeared unaffected an even managed to catch the little lure i using. maybe your fish will be ok as for Humane Aquatic Euthanasia???? lol What makes it humane? is it painless? Iv'e read that fish dont feel pain So how does it work? .
Ok um I dont think that I'm gonna be able to do that, I will cry and then everyone at work is gonna laugh at me for crying and then call me a fish killer again. It took forever for the paging over the intercom " fish killer to the sales tower" to stop. All the customers in the dealership wanted an explanation.
Btw it was an accident I couldnt get the water right the first time I changed my managers tank so I killed his betta. Now I use spring water and all the betta's in the dealership are alive and kickin!! lol
Its a muscle relaxer that prevents the brain from signaling the body.That means that your fish suffocates while the brain is still alert. Awake yet helpless to breath or move. Doesnt sound very humane to me
thisfish said --
"Its a muscle relaxer that prevents the brain from signaling the body.That means that your fish suffocates while the brain is still alert. Awake yet helpless to breath or move. Doesnt sound very humane to me"
You are very misinformed. Finquel is the only anesthetic approved and considered humane by the Food and Drug Administration and the American Veterinary Medical Assocation. Finquel is a general anesthetic used to sedate fish for surgery, for example. The fish's body, and brain, experience this just as we do when sedated for surgery. For euthanasia, a second dose of Finquel is given after the fish is completely sedated and the fish peacefully passes.
I've done this several times and I've never seen a fish have an adverse reaction. Certainly nothing like what they go through suffering in a tank until they finally die. If you're worried about a fish suffocating, that's exactly how many sick fish die when left in the tank to die slowly. Do your research.
Steph -- I understand your hesitation to euthanize your fish, but the reasons you listed are purely selfish and don't consider the fish's best interests at all. Right now the fish may not be suffering, but when he's lost his color, he's listing to the side, and floating at the surface trying to breathe, it becomes a matter of urgency to help him out of his misery. I do understand, and I don't mean to be adversarial, but suck it up and do what's right for the fish.
thisfish88 said "Ive caught a 20 lb carp that had a tumor that was the size of a lemon. It was almost growing out of his eye!! the surprising part was the fish appeared unaffected an even managed to catch the little lure i using"
Unaffected? Perhaps the carp would not have been caught by your tiny lure if he didn't have a tumor growing out of his eye.
He took the lure because it was spring and he was feeding on live bait! Just like the panfish i was catching. You said its the only sanctioned by the FDA right? Why? food. Tricaine methanesulfonate (TMS), also called as MS-222, is white powder used for anesthesia, sedation, or euthanasia of fishes (mainly salmonids). TMS is the only anesthetic licensed in the United States for fin fish that is intended for HUMAN CONSUMPTION. TMS is a muscle relaxant that operates by preventing action potentials. By blocking action potentials, no signals can be exchanged between the brain and the extremities. There will be no sensory input or muscle contractions which would have been caused by action potential, which includes most muscles . Im not saying im against it Z my question was what do you cosider humane?? I think taking the fish out and and spearing his brain is humane because its instant death but somepeople might find that brutal.Oh and I did my homework before i chimed in.
Many medications originally intended for one species are eventually licensed for use with other species. Normal stuff. Many human medications were first approved for use in animals.
Preventing exchanges between the brain and extremities is a Good Thing. This is part of the definition for being sedated. If you've ever had surgery, your brain was not in contact with your extremities.
I used to own a veterinary clinic, and this is exactly how cats and dogs are euthanized. They receive the first shot just to sedate them, and to make it easier for any humans watching. The second shot stops the heart.
There are literally hundreds of reputable scientific studies, websites, universities, veterinarians, fish people, and even an article on this site that support the use Finquel. I also have a physician sitting next to me who has read the data on Finquel, consulted a pharmacist, and has helped me use it several times. She won't even squash a spider so I trust her judgment regarding what is humane.
The only reason I'm entertaining this whole conversation is because it troubles me when people like you jump in with opinions and selectively cut-and-pasted information presented as facts. Your comments might prevent someone from investigating Finquel for themselves and possibly using it as a humane option to avoid suffering whenever possible. Many people here either state personal experience, verifiable facts, or give opinions, but then most are careful to say that they are not an expert, or that it's just their opinion.
