Tough Choice, Please help!

[drewbles99]

My newly purchsed Longhorn Cowfish (5 days) is dying. He seems to have sustained brain damage or damage to his swim bladder as he is starting to twirl and lose bodily control. I suspect the former, as in the 5 days I have had him I have found him wedged in one filter or another 3 times. This fish is so weak that my bak pak 2 actually managed to suck him up to the side of the powerhead!!! He isin't even that small (2 inches) so I am suprised he is so weak. He has been accepting brine shrimp and algae the entire 5 days btw.

Now comes the tough part, do I take him out now and flush him to avoid possible tank poisining, or do I let him try to make it and pray? I feel real bad flushing a live fish, but what choice is there?

I suppose I could try to set up a bucket with an airstone for the night and see if he makes it...

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

P.S. - Water quality is A-OK, so I'm 99.9% sure he is dying as a result of suffocation in the filters...

[electrikat]

If you decide to get rid of it, don't flush it. Put it in a bowl or ziplock bag full of tank water and put it in the freezer. This is much more humane. Do you have it in a qt tank in case it dies(poisoning?)?