Spinning Fish - Brain Damage(update Stats Added)

[pippoodle]

One of my glass cats had an accident over a week ago when he got shocked and banged head long into side of the tank , he had a small cut on his head , i put him in a bucket for a few days with some melafix and it's healed lovely not a mark left
the only problem is since then his been spinning - he hasn't gone milky white which is a sign that glass cats are stressed and is still eating very well as he manages to feed well from the surface
i dont really want to euthanise him when he isnt stressed and is still eating
has anyone any ideas , i think he is brain damaged from the injury

<a href="http/s524.photobucket.com/player.swf?fil...p;os=1&ap=1" target="_blank">http/s524.photobucket.com/player.swf?fil...p;os=1&ap=1</a>
<a href="http/s524.photobucket.com/player.swf?fil...p;os=1&ap=1" target="_blank">http/s524.photobucket.com/player.swf?fil...p;os=1&ap=1</a>

EDIT tank stats aquaone 130 (filtering trickle filter 680lph + fluval 3+ 700lph) - stocking - 7 Limia Nigrofasciata,13 neons,9 glass cats,13 bronze 4 albino corys,2 bn plec,Cherrys,amanos,Blue tigers,apple snails

temp 24-26 degrees - (no heater)
ammonia 0
nitrites 0
nitrates 10-20 (from tap) - test results 30 hour after water change ----- 0
ph 7-7.2
water change every 7-10 days

 

[drobbyb]

That's brain damage for sure. If it were me, I would euthenize it because I don't think that I would like to go through life spinning as I walk. I know it seems drastic but surely there is a quality of life issue here?

 

[Rexx0rz]

aw, i'm sorry to hear that, but i don't think it would be right to keep him living if he would be spinning like that all the time.

 

[oswoldy]

Oh no I thought he was getting better. sorry to hear that Sarah.

Mike

 

[LauraFrog]

Hmm... personally I would wait. I have had three fish with brain damage related loss of balance, and three perfect recoveries given time. In all three cases it took at least a few days for the fish to be normal. These all happened to me and I still have two of the fish involved. Two of the three were trauma injuries like your fish has.

I had a pygmy corydoras do exactly the same thing - uncontrollable spinning and corkscrewing. I believe the brain damage in that case was due to a disease and not trauma. I was thinking about euthanising but I had just acquired the fish and paid plenty for it, so I'll admit there was a fair amount of not wanting to waste money in my decision to wait. I also didn't want to leave the other pygmy cory alone because I was only able to get two and they are a schooling fish. (That was two months ago and I still haven't been able to track down any friends for them.) It took about two weeks for the fish to recover, and about one week of that there was no change at all. I was starting to lose hope when I noticed the first signs of improvement and then within a week he was normal. I still have him, there is no sign that anything was ever wrong.

Another time I was carrying a platy in a net and something startled her and she leapt out - basically my rib height of at least a metre onto uncovered concrete. I put her in a breeding net in a quiet corner of the tank because by some miracle she was still breathing. She lay there for close to 12 hours without moving at all. I went to bed with little hope of finding her alive. In the morning she was swimming, but corkscrewing. I kept her in the breeder for a few more days until she could balance again and then I let her go. No further problems. She was normal when she died six months later from that dreadful columnaris outbreak I had... I lost a lot of fish from that, probably half of my total stock, and most of the other fish that died had never had anything like this happen.

The third time was a guppy. I was catching my own at the LFS because there were a lot in the tank and it's a pain to try to point out the fish you want - easier to grab it yourself. I accidentally squashed her head between the net and the glass. She floated to the top - still breathing but utterly unconscious, a lot like Lop (the platy in the previous example). The staff chucked her in the bin, because dead/dying fish in the tanks are not a good look. I thought she had a chance (going on what I'd seen of similarly injured fish recovering) so I sneaked her into the bag (well she HAD been chucked in the bin with no water.) I got her home and gave her the same treatment as Loppie - breeding net in a quiet tank. Within 12 hours she was able to flutter her tail fin so she could sort of move around, and her eyes could move so she could watch me. It took her two days to regain movement of her pectoral fins (the ones on the sides). During that time she couldn't steer or balance so she mostly lay on her side in the net, but she didn't act distressed so I thought I'd give her a chance. It paid off. The first day she could sort of jerk them stiffly, by the end of the second day she had full control of them and was acting like she'd never been injured. Her head is still a little crooked, but she swims normally and she's throwing fifty fry a month.


So since your glass cat isn't acting distressed or taking on stress colouration personally I would give it a chance. If there's no change after two weeks then you will probably have to euthanise it, but I have seen some spectacular recoveries of trauma injuries given time and peace and quiet. ^ True stories.

 

[keenonfish]

I would keep him alive for a bit longer, but maintain a watchful eye over him and look for any improvements. If non say by next Wednesday I would euth him personally, especially if he is doing that all the time and not resting!

 

[pippoodle]

she has improved to what she was like in the beginning and she does strighten up to surface feed
2 nights ago she has started to lay in one of the plants at night to keep still and rest i suppose - none of the other glass cats lay in plants she's the only one
I'm so stuck on wether to euthanise or not , the main things are not showing any stress colours , healthy eating and now starting to rest thats stopping me doing it

ARGH!!! i'm frustrated

 

[Syphoniera]

If she's not suffering or contagious and is showing signs of recovery, aren't those all hopeful signs?
The brain can do some very extensive and amazing rerouting, as has been illustrated above.
I've seen some pretty astonishing recoveries myself - and where there's life there's hope...

Edit: of course, when typing skills consistently fail, it's a different story.

 

[pippoodle]

If she's not suffering or contagious and is showing signs of recovery, aren't those all hopeful signs?
The brain can do some very extensive and amazing rerouting, as has been illustrated above.
I've seen some pretty astonishing recoveries myself - and where there's life there's hope...

Edit: of course, when typing skills consistently fail, it's a different story.

Thanks honey
I'm always think if i was walking around spinning everywhere but was happy and healthy and had no signs of stress then i wouldn't want to be put to sleep , so i should give this fish more time

it is stil confusing

 

[pippoodle]

any miracle cures anyone

 

[Amunet]

Can't tell ya any cures, but just wanted to chime in that I wouldn't euthanize it. If it's not stressed, if it's still eating, then well.. no reason IMO to euthanize it. Nothing wrong with swimming a bit strangely if everything else is ok

 

[Phage]

My gourami had a similar problem. He would bang himself really hard all over the sides of the tanks. I don't know why, it was random. These episodes lasted a month but I waited and he is normal now.
This is how he was
http/tinypic.com/player.php?v=291p0si&s=4

I hope for the best for you.

 

[pippoodle]

i think i'm reluctant to euthanise at the moment due to myself having MS and not being able to walk properly and when i'm having a relapse not even talking properly , but i'm still happy , healthy (well apart from the MS) and not stressed (apart from by the kids sometimes) and wouldn't want to be euthanised

She's still swimming the same and eating loads from the surface of the water and nestling herself in plants at night for a rest
all her fins are perfect no damage on her body anywhere , normal colouring not stress colours and normal poo etc

ARGH !!!! i'm in 2 minds still

 

[Amunet]

I wouldn't euthanize honestly. If the fishy isn't showing any signs of stress as you say, then I don't see any reason why it should be euthanized.
Hopefully it will start swimming properly again, but if not, then well, you'll have have a fish that swims a bit differently