Blind Glo-Light

[Beling]

I've visited this site for years, used to get the magazine too. Anyway, I was going to ask about euthanizing a tiny sick Glo-Light-- I know, sounds crazy, but I felt so sorry for him: he and the other one got swollen eyes which scaled over, and while one recovered with one good eye, the other ended up completely blind.

He got very thin. But one day he blindly ate (by accident?) a flake that was swirling around him. After that, he figured out how the currents move in the tank (10 gal), he knows where to wait, and now he's actually FAT. Ha! I just want to add to anecdotal knowledge that even a tiny fish, some 7 years old, can still LEARN and thrive. Life is amazing.

 

[Colin_T]

If you can keep the food up to the fish and there aren't any predators in the tank, then let it be. Just keep the tank set up exactly the same way so the fish doesn't swim into things if you redecorate. Think of it as a blind person, they keep their home exactly the same so they don't walk into things. The fish tank should be the same, a nice stable environment where the fish can learn where it can go and where it will bump into things. And good on you for letting it live.

 

[Beling]

Thanks for the hints, Colin. Actually, the little guy can seem to sense things, especially the water currents. He NEVER bumps into anything. Isn't there something about schooling fish having sensors or something along their sides? I seem to recall something like that.

 

[Essjay]

The lateral line. This is used to sense movements and pressure changes in the water.

Several years ago I had a dragonscale betta which developed scales over his eyes, common with this variety of betta. I was careful to place any decor back in exactly the same place after a water change, and he knew exactly were I put his food.

 

[Beling]

"The lateral line." Thank you! I usually only feed live food (unfortunately, or fortunately, I live in a rainy area with a lot of water life) and I'm hoping he will learn the "feel" of a wiggle. It certainly keeps one's interest to have a needy fish.