Will my spotted gar be ok?

ksmith088

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 1, 2010
158
0
0
Pittsburgh
I have had a spotted gar for 3 years now and has been one of the easiest fish to keep. He is around 20 inches now and healthy as a horse. The other night during feeding, he got chased around by my peacock bass and decided to go vertical and smashed his face off the top of the aquarium extremely hard. He pretty much knocked himself out and started convulsing like crazy. Didnt break his back or nose which I know is common with gars. I grabbed him and held him infront of my outflow for about 20 minutes until he got his balance back. During those 20 minutes he had 4 or 5 times where his head whipped back and forth sporadically for like 10 seconds. He swims around fine when he wants to but lays on the bottom a lot more than usual. He hasn’t eaten for a few days and shows very minimal activity. Should I be worried or is he just recovering from a bad headache?
 

ksmith088

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 1, 2010
158
0
0
Pittsburgh
Ya he isnt doing so good he keeps flipping over in the aquarium..iv been holding him for about 20 minutes and not much improvement..any suggestion?

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ksmith088

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 1, 2010
158
0
0
Pittsburgh
When i let him go he just falls to the bottom onto his back...do i just wanna leave him like that?

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ksmith088

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 1, 2010
158
0
0
Pittsburgh
Ok well it is not looking very good...i dont know if i should just put him out of his misery

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Leebtattoos

Polypterus
MFK Member
Jul 18, 2012
508
337
87
Lampasas, Texas
That sucks. Sorry to hear it. If it were me, and I felt it was suffering, I'd have to dispatch him quickly. Being an outdoorsmen, I hate to see an animal
suffer. But only you know what's best for your fish. Good luck.


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Dubeckyj

Candiru
MFK Member
Mar 22, 2011
112
2
48
Canada
Fish have amazing regenerative abilities. It would be a shame to kill it if it could pull through. Give it some time.
 

ksmith088

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 1, 2010
158
0
0
Pittsburgh
Well he survived the night but i woke up to him on his side. He has no balance and cant swim. He just shakes his head vigorously like he wants to swim when i grab him to pull him to the surface for air. I prop him up on a piece of drift wood so he doesn't go belly up. He is breathing normal and eyes move around. Could he have sustained an injury from the blow that just needed one wrong move to paralyze him? He snapped back from the collision for 2 days and was swimming around normal, then out of nowhere i find him belly up with no ability to swim. He looks comfortable on the driftwood but he cannot move at all from it so it is hard to say if he is suffering.

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