Regular Member Trinket Posted February 18, 2007 Regular Member Share Posted February 18, 2007 My new fish was doing well in QT. I had some large coral gravel from the main tank in there to kickstart a mini cycle because our pH is so unstable without. This morning I wake to find poor little baby 2 half inch oranda has a small piece of gravel lodged at the back of her throat. I can just see it. How can I get this out? Please...anyone had this happen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Trinket Posted February 18, 2007 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 18, 2007 Sorry in my haste forgot to post details. Just checked QT params. Ammonia0, nitrite0,nitrates 5. the tank is salted to 0.3%. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member LaurieP Posted February 18, 2007 Regular Member Share Posted February 18, 2007 Ok Trinket this isn't uncommon and is fixable. What you need to do is get a pair of tweezers, gently grab the fish with your other hand. (keep the tweezers in your writing hand). Gently remove the fish from the water, but keep the fish only an inch directly above the water so that if is wriggles free will fall back into the tank. Once the fish is out of the water it will automatically open it's mouth wide, reach in and grab the stone and gently remove it. You can have the fish out of the water 20-30 secs at a time, if it takes multiple times to retrieve the stone. Remain calm, you should do well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Trinket Posted February 18, 2007 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 18, 2007 Thanks Laurie I've been searching and cannot find exact details so this a great help. I dont know if I have tiny tweezers but I'll have alook, got some chunky ones but they may be too large. Her mouth is small. I am going to try now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member LaurieP Posted February 18, 2007 Regular Member Share Posted February 18, 2007 Good luck, I will only be online a bit longer. But you get the idea, if not tweezers, something that will grab like that will work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Trinket Posted February 18, 2007 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 18, 2007 I tried. It's tricky. Found some smaller tweezers.The stone is tiny and really far back. I'll try again.nThanka Laurie. I think I can manage... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member LaurieP Posted February 18, 2007 Regular Member Share Posted February 18, 2007 You are welcome. After you get it out, make sure to keep the tank dark and quiet as this can be pretty stressful. Also keeping the params in perfect order will hopefully ward off any further complications. Keep at it until it is out. I will check on you tomorrow. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Trinket Posted February 18, 2007 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 18, 2007 It looks like she is grinding it up. This time I can see it but its much tinier I managed to get a tiny bit of it out..its covered in mucous but no blood yet. I tried to be very gentle. She must be stressed. I am giving her 5 more minutes before I try again. She's still chewing frantically hovering at the bottom. Double post. Thanks very much Laurie, I'll do that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Devs Posted February 18, 2007 Regular Member Share Posted February 18, 2007 Is she acting a bit more calmer now that the size has dwindled? Does she look like she's still not getting enough air,or is she just looking like she's chewing?? I hope this doesn't sound ridiculous.I'm just trying to distinguish between panic and knowing that it'll be okay. Know what I mean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Trinket Posted February 18, 2007 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 18, 2007 Thanks Devs. I know what you mean. The gills are not moving irregularly. She seems to be calm. Occasionally moving round the tank and then stopping again. Still chewing slowly, methodically now. I am going to try again in a minute. The mouth cavity is so long - I had no idea so I have to stick the tweezers real far back which is a bit scary but...I can try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Trinket Posted February 18, 2007 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 18, 2007 Can't reach. I'm scared she will bleed. Put her back for a rest. I can still see it lodged way back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Trinket Posted February 18, 2007 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 18, 2007 Oh my god something terrible. She has suddenly died. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Aleiah Posted February 18, 2007 Regular Member Share Posted February 18, 2007 omg! are you sure???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Trinket Posted February 18, 2007 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 18, 2007 I thought so It's difficult to see to type a sI am crying. She is stuck by the filter but her tail moves occasionally. She started to lose her balance and was swaying and floating..I thought she had died. She is almost dead. I feel terrible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Trinket Posted February 18, 2007 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 18, 2007 She has passed I don't think it was a stone There is cotton woolly stuff inside her mouth and round the mouth I see is now a little flaky. It may have been what I was trying to get out and why she was chewing like that. There was a lot of mucous. The tiny spot that came out could have been part of a pellet she had been chewing. I feel so bad. I put her under so much stress and she was clearly under a lot already. Thank you for your help Laurie and comment Devs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Aleiah Posted February 18, 2007 Regular Member Share Posted February 18, 2007 i'm so sorry to hear that... r.i.p. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Trinket Posted February 18, 2007 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 18, 2007 Thankyou Aleiah. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member JenW Posted February 18, 2007 Regular Member Share Posted February 18, 2007 I'm so sorry Imogen This is so sad. And please don't feel bad, I would've done the same thing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cattrix Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 ahhh Trinket, I'm so sorry... what a traumatic thing for your fish and you also.. just remember you tried your best to help your fish... stuff just happens sometimes. And it's hard to understand why. Hug Cat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Trinket Posted February 18, 2007 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 18, 2007 Thankyou for the support Catt and Jen. Again thank you Laurie, you talked me through this so patiently and helpfully. I was so sure it was a stone in there and there was no reason to think there was not. I've made an obituary thread for little Azuma here . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Devs Posted February 18, 2007 Regular Member Share Posted February 18, 2007 Imogen,I just saw this and feel so bad for you, and I hope that you didn't take my comments the wrong way. I have a feeling that you did. Just to clarify,when I said,"I hope this doesn't sound ridiculous.I'm just trying to distinguish between panic and knowing that it'll be okay. Know what I mean?", the comment was meant on the fish's behaviors and reactions and not you Imogen.I was trying to figure out how much it was affecting him,---was he calmly chewing or was he in an all out panic,etc/ You did exactly what any one of us would have tried to do,so don't feel any guilt about this.It's okay to mourn and feel the loss of a young beautiful fish,but it's not okay to feel any responsibilty towards it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member ciscokidd Posted February 18, 2007 Regular Member Share Posted February 18, 2007 i'm so sorry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member LaurieP Posted February 18, 2007 Regular Member Share Posted February 18, 2007 Oh Trinket how horrible!! I am so sorry she didn't make it. Could it have been a tumor or something??? I wonder, you know? Try and not beat yourself up, you did very good at trying to get it out. Let's face it, if you hadn't tried she would've died anyway, at least you tried. But how aweful you must feel. I really don't think you did anything, I think it was going to happen. I really suspect that it was something other than a stone from what you described later. Especially with all the mucus. Please take care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Goldyfan Posted February 18, 2007 Regular Member Share Posted February 18, 2007 Oh Trinket, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. Keep your chin up, hun...she is free of pain now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Trinket Posted February 19, 2007 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 19, 2007 Imogen,I just saw this and feel so bad for you, and I hope that you didn't take my comments the wrong way. I have a feeling that you did. Just to clarify,when I said,"I hope this doesn't sound ridiculous.I'm just trying to distinguish between panic and knowing that it'll be okay. Know what I mean?", the comment was meant on the fish's behaviors and reactions and not you Imogen.I was trying to figure out how much it was affecting him,---was he calmly chewing or was he in an all out panic,etc/ You did exactly what any one of us would have tried to do,so don't feel any guilt about this.It's okay to mourn and feel the loss of a young beautiful fish,but it's not okay to feel any responsibilty towards it. It's okay Sharon, I wasn't upset about what you wrote, I was actually pleased you came in and said something . I wasn't really focusing on what you meant just that you were trying to help I think half the problem was my not explaining well what was going on at the time. For example, I remember now there was some white stuff around her mouth when I first saw her and the mouth was not completely open, kind of half open and she was refusing to eat and sitting chewing frantically. Later, when I dislodged something (God I hope that wasn't part of an ulcer...but there was no blood at any point so maybe not)- the mouth was closed as she chewed...so if it was a stone I should maybe have presumed she was dealing with it. But I don't think it was. I think it was both an ulcer, way back, and some kind of fungus that was growing inside her mouth that she swallowed and so came and went when I looked....I still feel very responsible for pushing her over the edge but I also realise she came to me as a sick fish and that much was not my fault. Its funny she was almost too beautiful for me to keep. I do so well with the mutts, the odd ones and the fish that are left behind in the tanks that no-one else wants but as soon as I find a rare beauty I blow it. Hubby said "the very fancy ones must be more fragile" well, that's how it feels right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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