Need urgent help- warmouth sunfish can't eat

[Betta132]

Background is here: http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/sunfish-not-eating-is-this-an-emergency-yet.656390/
But basically, I have a warmouth sunfish that hasn't eaten anything substantial since October. He has eaten one bloodworm, maybe one krill off the surface, and maybe one krill that I shoved down his throat. After the bloodworm, he had a bit of white stringy poo, so I treated with PraziPro.
He is very skinny (he's lost nearly half his mass), he can barely keep himself upright, and he's very inactive. He spends all day under his log.
Today I finally caught him again and very carefully checked out his throat. Nothing visibly wrong, and I could see all the way down his throat, so I would have seen anything like fungus. Thing is, I put a small bit of shrimp all the way down his throat, up against whatever you call the 'door' over the stomach. It's been almost 10 minutes, and he hasn't swallowed it. His tongue and mouth work enough for him to spit things out, but his throat doesn't seem to work, and apparently his stomach can't open up. Which explains why he won't eat.
He hasn't given up, though. He moves now and then, sometimes floats up to stare around at the room, and he occasionally makes a rush at the longear. He's trying to live, he just isn't eating, and he isn't even trying to eat. He's trying to live, he just can't.

I've just done a big water change and am treating with another round of PraziPro. The warmouth is currently in a small tank, and I'm going to put him into a net that I've hung in the tank like a very large fry net. He'll have space to move and places to hide, but he'll be in the medicated tank and within easy reach.

So here are my questions:
What would cause his stomach door to not work?
Could this still be just parasites, or is there something else?
And, most importantly, is there any hope? I have some clove oil, so I can put him to sleep if there's nothing I can do, but he's the most personable fish I've ever kept and he's still trying to live and I'm not sure I can kill a fish that's still trying to live. He doesn't seem to be in pain, but he's plainly in bad shape, and he hasn't eaten in something approaching three months.
Is he just doomed to starve?

I still have him contained. Is there anything I can do right now? Any way at all I could possibly get his stomach opened up? Anything I can do, theoretically? His mouth opens to about the size of a nickel, so I can see fairly well down his throat. Also, I can hold him easily enough, and I've of course kept him in the water for everything. I just really don't want to handle him and traumatize him even more if I can avoid it.

 

[Yoda1]

White stringy poo. That can sometimes indicate a flagellate issue, when I have seen it with Cichlids.
When they get fed, they look at the food, but only pick, or don't eat at all.

I would consider treating with Metro.
Use the medication, up the temp a little to increase the fish's metabolism.
And do a big water change, and treat again 2 days later.
A 3rd treatment after another 2 days in this advanced stage might be a good idea.

I wouldn't handle or try and force feed it.
Only going to cause more stress.

 

[predatorkeeper87]

you need to treat with metro asap, prazi isn't going to help you here.

white stringy feces, lack of appetite, poor range of motion....I'm going with a hexamita infection. Treat with metro but be prepared to possibly lose the fish. When they get listless and lethargic like that the infection tends to be in an advanced stage.

You'll want to consider getting some methylene blue and salt as well and preparing a dipbath for the fish. It will help him to breathe easier and also keep secondary fungal and bacterial infections from setting in.

 

[Duckman77]

Not the answer you are looking for: but I would euthanize the fish. It sounds like it is in bad shape and suffering. Recovery seems unlikely. Place the fish in a ziploc bag with water, then place the bag in the freezer.

 

[pops]

no offence but bad way to euthanize IMHO, clove bath, and ones fish is asleep, drop in some alka-seltzer. I would try treating first, and please no more handling the fish.

 

[predatorkeeper87]

no offence but bad way to euthanize IMHO, clove bath, and ones fish is asleep, drop in some alka-seltzer. I would try treating first, and please no more handling the fish.

a lot of people aren't confident euthanizing with clove oil, freezing is the next "best" option. not the greatest option but it works fairly quickly. I've done it, fish gone in a matter of minutes in my experience.

 

[pops]

this why you drop the alka-seltser after fish is sleepy time, it displaces the oxygen in the water, fish smothers fast. no question if dead or not.

 

[divemaster99]

There's some good theories over on your NANFA thread at this point, Betta. But like we said over there, try turning off all lighting and see if it responds to the low-light conditions positively.

 

[predatorkeeper87]

this why you drop the alka-seltser after fish is sleepy time, it displaces the oxygen in the water, fish smothers fast. no question if dead or not.

No I know I'm just saying a lot of people would rather put a fish in a bag and have it out of sight to euthanize. just the way some people are.

 

[pops]

this is true, I put down 2 dogs with a bullet to the head, my big girl lab, I had put down with a IV, just could not do that to her, rather see her go sleepy time. keep in mind they where all end of life pain, i did not kill them just because, and liked it not a bit.