To Euthanize Or Not...?

A little over a month ago, I found a tiny lifeless fry on the bottom of my largest grow-out. I actually thought he was dead! His spine was badly bent, his tail seemed completely disabled and he struggled to get to the surface for air. Since then he has improved a lot and I've discovered he is definitely a boy and with a very nice BF pattern, but his spine is still bent and he uses his pectoral fins to get around. Occasionally when he's begging for food he'll wiggle his tail a little, but he never uses it to swim. He's a really cute little guy, he is very active and he glides around happily in his tank. BUT, since he will be a male with heavy finnage and that finnage will most likely not function, I'm unsure if it's cruel to make him live with a bum tail. I would not mind keeping him at all, I'm just really unsure if he will ever recover and if he'll be able to pull his adult fins around with just his pectorals

Here are a couple of pictures from today. I honestly think he was attacked by his siblings and that caused this, because he is VERY skittish when he sees other Bettas. I've been meaning to ask if anyone had experience with this... but I've kinda been waiting for him to recover.

Hmm Its very hard to seea bent spine in the pics, must be me. Did this develop recently, or did he always have it? Are you sure the cause is the spine, and not perhaps an illness?

Once of my fry, the age of yours, was suddenly acting like it had a bent spine and using his pecs alot, staying on the bottom, still eating and sorty of swimming sideways.

Watching him for a day, I thought it may actually be swimbladder, but it is really hard to tell. I put him in a little quarrantine in a main tank, with antibiotic, betafix etc. First day, he was at least moving around on the bottom. Second day, all better and swimming normal. On third day I added hiim back to the fry tank can;t identify him from his sibs now!

Not sure if that has any significance for you, but I would prob wait and see how he does, if he develops adverse health because of it then I would consider putting him down.

thanks Fawn. His tail is bent almost completely to the side, as it appears in the 1st picture, all of the time. His caudal is also folded a bit, probably from not using it.... he's been in his own 1/2gal tank for over 1 month, I found him all nipped and beat up on the bottom of the grow-out when he was about 8 weeks old. He really did look dead.

I think I'm going to just keep caring for him and see how he does . He eats really well, and he's sooo cute when he swims, he just glides around using his pecs. I really do hope he can recover, I haven't given him Bettafix but he's always in clean water with a bit of salt and IAL. I'm really hoping he'll be able to function just as well when he grows up, even if he cant use his fins!

Well, I thought I should update this thread... just for fun . My little guy is still going strong. He still glides around with his pecs, but he gets around fine and he even has a nice bubblenest going! He'll be kept in a Minibow 2.5 at my Mom's office, where he'll be spoiled.

CUTE!!!!

He's a darlin' boy! So glad he's got a life. I was thinking if he gets too heavy finned he could have a shallow tank--maybe.

I have my old guy in about 4 inches of water. I call out to him and he scoots along the bottom and comes to the side to say hi. So dear and eager in spite of his problems

Awwww, isn't he just adorable!!!

He' so darling!

he's adorable!

thanks for all of the nice replies! =) any name ideas?

I'm thinking something along the lines of "Lucky", "Fortune", or "Champ". just.. not those names! He'll see lots of people at my Mom's office, as he will be right in the front where everyone passes.

I think "Victor" would be a good name for this lil' guy, since he's an overcomer!

Hmm, Kismet? It means fate or chance. Or perhaps Serendipity (means fate too). I like Kismet because I tend to stick to out-of-the-norm names... Haha, or you could name him Karma as a sort of twisted reminder to be a good person... Or I kinda like the idea of just naming him Hero. I like it; it's simple and to the point. Or kinda more on the lighter side, you could name him Fluke...like it was just a fluke...

I like Skipper or Finn--maybe Micky Finn? This shows he can make light of things, putting others at ease which means he's very emotionally secure!

What a champ!