How long can a fish live without their swim bladder?
Both of my female platies have been hiding, trying to keep the male away from them. Obviously my black platy's hiding spot isn't as good, as she has had two litters in the past couple of months.
About a week ago, I noticed her lying on the bottom of the tank, sorta curled in a "C" shape. I didn't think she'd live, but a week later, she's still hanging around.
She only swims when something startles her or to eat, and when she does you can tell it takes quite an effort to get up. Once she stops swimming, she sinks like a log back to the bottom.
Water parameters are all fine, all the other fish are fine. I can see no signs of infection--I just think either she's worn out or her swim bladder went out from hiding under the filter intake constantly (is that possible?).
The fact that she eats makes me feel optimistic, but its so sad to see her lie on the bottom of the tank and struggle to swim, I almost wonder if it would be more humane to euthanize her.
Anyone know if she can recover from this?
Both of my female platies have been hiding, trying to keep the male away from them. Obviously my black platy's hiding spot isn't as good, as she has had two litters in the past couple of months.
About a week ago, I noticed her lying on the bottom of the tank, sorta curled in a "C" shape. I didn't think she'd live, but a week later, she's still hanging around.
She only swims when something startles her or to eat, and when she does you can tell it takes quite an effort to get up. Once she stops swimming, she sinks like a log back to the bottom.
Water parameters are all fine, all the other fish are fine. I can see no signs of infection--I just think either she's worn out or her swim bladder went out from hiding under the filter intake constantly (is that possible?).
The fact that she eats makes me feel optimistic, but its so sad to see her lie on the bottom of the tank and struggle to swim, I almost wonder if it would be more humane to euthanize her.
Anyone know if she can recover from this?
I guess I'd be more inclined to think that if she showed any other signs--but it just seems like she has somehow developed a curved spine and that it affects her ability to swim. Also, she continues to eat, and I think if she was actually SICK, she probably wouldn't swim out even for food. Her color seems fine, although she's solid black so she may not actually change color like paler fish.
