When To Intervene?

[Akasha72]

I've noticed that one of my bronze cories isn't looking so good. I noticed a few days ago that something didn't look right with him - he looked an odd shape, but then today he swam up the front of the glass and that's when I saw the huge lump. It looks like an internal tumor. There's a huge lump in his belly ... it looks about as big as a small marble. 
 
So far he's swimming round and is coming out to food - although I've not seen him actually eat anything, I'll take more notice tomorrow and see if he is eating.
 
The question is ... do I leave him to nature's course or do I try to net him and get the clove oil out. I don't want him to suffer. He'll be around 7 years old, my bronzes have been with me from the very start so I'm really upset to see this cory poorly

 

[techen]

Overall, I normally remove fish that truly look like they wont make it another day. One because I don't want it to suffer anymore and two, If he does die and you can't find him, That's worse for all the fish not just the one thats died.

 

[Akasha72]

yes, that's what I'd normally do too ... but I've not had a fish with a suspected tumor before ... he's not sitting flat on the sand, he's resting face down belly off the sand so my guess is (based on what I can see) he's in pain. I don't want that ... that said I suspect he'd still fight being netted which then leads you to think ... am I doing more harm ???
 
Struggling to make a decision really

 

[techen]

It's honestly upto yourself to answer your question. I can only suggest what I'd do but am not you
 
If you want to leave him go for it.

 

[Akasha72]

I've managed to get some photo's ... not easy when he's either hiding or swimming around ... poor thing doesn't seem to be able to sit and rest
 
I mainly want to check I've ID'd this right ... just wanna check we agree it's a tumor ... it might help me make a decision what's best for him
 

 

 

 
and this is the only way he can sit
 

I actually suspect he's got more than one tumor - there's more than one lump, a large one and a smaller one behind it

 

[techen]

It looks really bad. I'd remove him.

 

[Chad]

My general rule is to remove if 1. leaving might harm the other fish or 2. if the sick fish isn't eating at all. If a fish won't eat, I've found they don't survive. Though others my have had different experiences I've never had a fish live once it stopped eating. 
 
Harming the other fish can be from disease, or even just the release of ammonia caused by the death. 
 
I agree with techen, at least based on the photos this fish doesn't look like he'll survive. Also, being 7 years old it's likely his age will make his ability to fight off disease reduced. 

 

[RCA]

Bless does not look good. Get some of this I have found it a lot better than Clove Oil, making the process less painful for us when the time comes to let them go. Recently I fought to save a cory that got dropsy, then one morning I found it dead. I wish that I had not tried now as I do not wish to think of it suffering, like you I love corys and it was one of my lovely Aldolfi. If I had the chance again I would euthanise sooner. As with any pet, if they stop eating, then the time has come to let them go IMO.

 

[Far_King]

My general rule is to remove if 1. leaving might harm the other fish or 2. if the sick fish isn't eating at all. If a fish won't eat, I've found they don't survive. Though others my have had different experiences I've never had a fish live once it stopped eating. 
 
Harming the other fish can be from disease, or even just the release of ammonia caused by the death. 
 
I agree with techen, at least based on the photos this fish doesn't look like he'll survive. Also, being 7 years old it's likely his age will make his ability to fight off disease reduced. 

 
I'd be inclined to agree, although I have been fortunate enough to have some fish recover when they've stopped eating.  I still regard it as a likelihood they will perish when they no longer eat.
 
I had a cory who didn't eat for at least two weeks, I'd moved him to the hospital tank so I could keep a close eye on what was happening.  I was amazed when he finally started eating and made a full recovery.
 
Akasha,  I'm sorry to say that really doesn't look good.  Poor little mite.  7 years old is a good age and I'm not sure there's a lot you can do, anything else like netting and treating will just cause stress I think.  I'd be inclined to leave him a while longer and see how he behaves.

 

[Akasha72]

I wasn't expecting him to make it through the night but he's still alive this morning. He's constantly shooting up to gulp air so I'm guessing this lump, if it is a tumor, is affecting his lungs.
I'm about to feed them and I'm gonna watch him to see if he eats. If he doesn't then I'm gonna actively try to net him and put him to sleep. I can't see him getting better. I'm not certain it's a tumor but I can't think of anything else that would cause such a massive swelling

 

[Akasha72]

surprisingly this fish is still hanging on but his lump has got bigger. He's evaded all attempts at netting and he doesn't seem overly unhappy so for now I'm just monitoring.
I do feel bad but if he won't let me net him there's little more I can do

 

[Akasha72]

just posting to let you all know I've just put him to sleep. He'd starting head standing and he did it in a place where I could see his underside. It was then that I saw the signs of internal bleeding. I knew he must be in pain so I netted him there and then - he did put up a fight, more than I'm used to for sick fish, but he's now at peace.
I'm leaving him in the clove oil mix for an hour though cos I was to be sure he's definitely gone seen as he put up a fight. I feel rubbish though 

 

[Chad]

Sorry to hear it. That's never an easy thing. 

 

[gmc1]

Never good but you obviously done the right thing.

 

[Akasha72]

yeah, I know it was the right thing it's just that he put up a fight. I'm used to euthanising fish that are half way there and don't put up a fight. Killing one that puts up a fight is really hard even if you know the poor thing is suffering
 
Meanwhile there's all this new life in my tank ... I've got baby cories turning up left, right and centre at the moment. That makes it even harder to kill one