My case of a broken back :(

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
I had one that was even worse and I didnt want to do anything cuz he eat and everything...
But he recovered and got back to normal with just a slightly coordination problem ;) So hopes up!
 
Not a severe break. If he is eatting dont worry. Should heal some
 
Hey, any idea what the cause would be? would be good to prevent (if possible) such an occurence in future, especially if it was tankmate induced.
 
What is the generall cause? I often see it happen on smal gars around 10-20cm, my guess is that it has to do with 2 fast growing and maybe to warm water?
 
The cause. I'm not sure. My only guess is something happened during the transfer of tanks. But he only went from tank to net to bucket. Then net to new tank. He wasn't like this in the old tank. But I also did not notice it until the second day in the new tank. Tankmates are another Florida a lil bigger than him, 16" fire eel and a motor stingray about 11" in diameter. These fish have been in the same tank for over 6 months with absolutely no aggression towards each other. The gars lay on the bottom with the ray and eel all the time right next to each other
 
My experience with broken backs on animals (I once tried to keep a snake that had been hit by a lawn mower) was that the bowls of the animal will not function properly assuming there is damage to the spinal cord and not just the vertebra. My snake ate fine but got constipated and died what looked like a horrible death. At any rate you will be able to see if things are getting backed up since the animals posterior should start to swell, in that even I'd put it down.
 
Sorry to see your Gar in that condition. Although I hope he recovers, knowing the fish is probably suffering can't be easy. I just moved my Gars as well about an hour away and it's not something I'm keen to go through anytime soon. I used a plastic bag to transfer my two 18" Gars into a polystyrene box then individually double bagged at nearby LFS. It's been 24hrs so I guess I'm in same position, facing the possibility of post-transfer injuries.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom