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Did I do the right thing…?


Karen B.
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Greetings 

This morning I euthanized one of my corydoras and I wonder if I did the right thing. He has always looked a bit sickly - his dorsal fin always down, not doing much with the other 6 cory.
Lately he started having odd swimming behavior. He would swim on the same spot in the middle of the tank, facing the glass, breathing rapidly. Yesterday he rested on a leaf at the very top of the aquarium for hours, still breathing very fast. I saw 2-3 white spots on his tail too. Then he swam back and forth in the tank, never settling for long but he was still eating so I didn’t do anything.
This morning he was at the bottom of the tank, motionless but still breathing very fast. My nerite snail was actually climbing on him… I moved the snail away and gently nudge the fish - he didn’t move. 
It’s only when I tried to net him out that he swam a bit, but would then sink back.
That’s when I decided to euthanize him. But as I put him in the small container with clover oil, he stated moving frantically, jumped out of the container… I wasn’t expecting him to have so much energy still, so I wonder if I acted prematurely?
 
😢
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I go through this each and every time. And usually cry even after years of doing it.  Things I come come to learn from my own tanks…a sick or injured fish will become a fringe member of their group. Even if medicated and healed. They get the least food and often times they are the first to get hit with xyz because their immune system is already compromised. There is a coop video with Cory interviewing Dean and Dean says he does not play doctor he removes sick fish from the population to keep others safer. Not word for word I don’t remember exact wording. This made me feel better about my choices over the years. Hope that helps. Doing what you feel is best for you population and fish is usually right. Follow your heart and gut. Hope this helps. 😢

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I'm sorry for your loss. I know how you feel, I've been there. The only thing I can think of to say is when I use clove oil I add it to the small container with the fish in it very, very slowly. I have put it in too quickly before and I could tell the fish was uncomfortable. I'm not implying that you did, it was just a thought. 😟

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