Red Phantom Tetra ? on way out?

[Myrkk]

I have an ever decreasing schoal of red phantom tetras, I've had them 5yrs. Yesterday I came to to be told one was stuck to the filter intake but when I looked she was floating on the top of the water. The person in the house had wrongly assumed she was dead and left her. She isn't dead but isn't in a good way, tail fin shredded and scales missing just in front on tail. Floating on side but can move pec fins and get around a bit, including getting lower in tank.

I've put her in a fry net in the tank and tried feeding her fry food by holding it in the tip of some tweezers just in front of her, she gets quite excited at this point. Just wondering if there is anything else I should be doing? I know it's a long shot but I want to try... my OH thinks I should put her out of her misery but if she's eating I want to give her a chance to heal.

Any suggestions?

 

[Colin_T]

If the fish still eats food, there is a chance she will recover. Maybe see how she looks in 24 hours and if not eating or swimming, then euthanise.

 

[Myrkk]

Thanks. She looks like it will take a long time to recover. It's been 24hrs since I got home and put her in the fry net, I half expected her to be dead this am and the fact she is still alive has given me hope she's got a chance. Just worried about her getting an infection or somesuch or if there's a spinal injury from being stuck to the filter intake.

 

[Myrkk]

Well she was still alive this afternoon and eating a little less enthusiastically than before. Sadly I took the decision to euthanise her as she couldn't move anything behind her pec fins. Wee lass. I so hate having to do that. No idea what happened to her, she was fine when I left in the am.