Anyone made one before? Was it successful? How is the fish now? Any tips?
Our little guy, (Black Moor named Chadwick)
developed an unknown illness in December, laying on his side at the bottom of the tank. We did a series of antibiotics and he’s improved to the point we actually think he’s well- except it seems to have permanently damaged his swim bladder.
The plan is to DIY a floatation device/life vest. I’ve seen a few different types on YouTube. Any tips would be appreciated. See below for additional information
Other potentially relevant info:
The little guy is hand fed a few times a day and is the only one in his tank. He’s about 3 years old, approx 3.5 inches and in a 37 gallon tank. (Just for reference we keep our water pristine testing multiple times a week and he has a mix of real and artificial plants as well as a large hide. The only other residents in the tank are the snails that hitched a ride with plants from aquarium co-op). We still don’t know what made him sick or why since nothing new was introduced but talks with a student ichthyologist point to either something he was fighting low key very long term or more likely something internal he was born with or developed, such as a tumor or spinal problem. He did suffer an injury his first year with us when we tried to add him to the community 120g tank. His tail fins are permanently disfigured.
We know there are risks of the tubing rubbing on his skin but if you are/know humans with mobility issues or amputations, you already know that most mobility aids come with some trade off or another. (Using a cane for example commonly worsens other types of back & muscle pain and can affect posture, chafing is a huge problem with prosthetics; I could keep going). My point being that we are attempting to give him the same chance at dignity and quality of life we would for a human being.
Our little guy, (Black Moor named Chadwick)
developed an unknown illness in December, laying on his side at the bottom of the tank. We did a series of antibiotics and he’s improved to the point we actually think he’s well- except it seems to have permanently damaged his swim bladder.
The plan is to DIY a floatation device/life vest. I’ve seen a few different types on YouTube. Any tips would be appreciated. See below for additional information
Other potentially relevant info:
The little guy is hand fed a few times a day and is the only one in his tank. He’s about 3 years old, approx 3.5 inches and in a 37 gallon tank. (Just for reference we keep our water pristine testing multiple times a week and he has a mix of real and artificial plants as well as a large hide. The only other residents in the tank are the snails that hitched a ride with plants from aquarium co-op). We still don’t know what made him sick or why since nothing new was introduced but talks with a student ichthyologist point to either something he was fighting low key very long term or more likely something internal he was born with or developed, such as a tumor or spinal problem. He did suffer an injury his first year with us when we tried to add him to the community 120g tank. His tail fins are permanently disfigured.
We know there are risks of the tubing rubbing on his skin but if you are/know humans with mobility issues or amputations, you already know that most mobility aids come with some trade off or another. (Using a cane for example commonly worsens other types of back & muscle pain and can affect posture, chafing is a huge problem with prosthetics; I could keep going). My point being that we are attempting to give him the same chance at dignity and quality of life we would for a human being.
