This sucks, I just went through this with a
laboutei.
I got it fat and sassy from DD, eating right from the start.
Went through GC in water and food first. Did great.
Around the time of dosing CP, maybe slightly before, not certain, I noticed it swimming a bit odd.
This progressed to paralysis of the anal fin and back third roughly, in about 36 hours.
Did not see an injury but could have happened; tank is small and covered. Fish was never a dasher that I witnessed.
No copper at all in the tank.
Was eating at first, then stopped.
The fish had a constitution of iron and although not eating, was still alive and moving around.
Then it developed typical swim bladder symptoms.
Spinal paralysis
and swim bladder condition.
Probably should have just euthanized it then. But I didn't see it giving up, so I didn't.
Dosed epsom salts a few times, also added kanamycin.
The fish survived two separate swim bladder venting procedures performed by myself.
The second was performed with Tricaine anesthesia and was successful at both relieving the condition and not immediately killing the fish, much to my surprise.
Spinal paralysis however showed no evidence of improving. The fish could swim but to a limited extent, but sometimes still upside down, although now at the bottom not the surface.
Even though it had great muscle mass to start and probably a good bit of fat stored in his liver before he got sick, he was noticeably thinner.
Finally euthanized him after 15 days of not eating. Could he still have recovered from the paraplegia? I hope not.
Having a fish that is horribly disabled but otherwise still active is so much worse than having a fish that just dies quickly, as bad as that can be.
