Handicapped fish.

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Eupterus

Eupterus

Gambusia
MFK Member
Dec 11, 2006
934
2
16
Bennington, VT
Does anyone else keep handicapped fish?.. If so what is your setup for your handicapped fish and what is your fish's disability?.
 
Yeah I have a 1" Amphilophus Xilo that has no tail. I think a sibling bit it off. I won't sell him.
 
I had a male halfmoon betta that I was keeping temporarily in a floating breeder mesh box in my bigger tank. Completely my fault for not securing it, but somehow during the night it got tipped/snagged underwater, opening it up to the tank. I had 5 tiger barbs at the time, and they absolutely shredded the poor betta. The next morning, he was floating on his side at the top, every single fin he had was ripped off. I thought he was dead but noticed his gills breath once every three or four seconds. I moved him into a planted 10g, and kept him inside the mesh box so he was near the surface. He lay there for about a week, not eating, barely breathing- just drifting on his side in the current.

Suddenly, one day, he was wriggling through the water (finless!), had a healthy apatite, and breathing properly! It's been about 1.5 years since, his fins are all grown back, though they're a bit shriveled and discolored, and he still wriggles weirdly when he swims. But he seems very happy, curious, and he's even mated a few times with my little red female.
 
I found a baby red zebra in a mixed African cichlid tank at PetCo for $4.99. She was "born" with no dorsal fin and a "recessed back" except for a tiny fin (that is a mirror image of her anal fin) near her tail, and she has a "bump" on her head. Looks like a torpedo.
She does just fine, swims normally and all. She's in a mixed 75 gal tank of assorted oddballs and cichlids.
 
I might be picking up a blind tiger pleco (L-002) from a local pet shop today and it will be going in a planted 10/20 until it gets big enough to go in my 90 that has a giant piece of dw that it can share with my other tiger. I used to have a blind cory too until it died of old age 7 years
 
I have an oscar with a swim bladder issue that hes had since I rescued him from petsmart. It actually worms out great because he just kind of bobs around and will even cuddle with my gars like they do. Its actually made comming the two species very easy. This issue also totally prevents him from eating or chasing feeders, which is good because the gars would most likely spooked by an agressive hunting oscar.
 
I have a 8" leporinus with a deformed mouth he got when he was 2" or so. hes big and beautiful now im glad i never gave up on him before. he still has a mouth like a blood parrot but oh well. my flowerhorn once got a 2 inch long 1/2" wide gapng wound on her side. it was so gross my husband told me to put her down but i just had a feeling she would make it with tlc. well shes perfect now just has a black scar now on her side.
 
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