Life or death decision....

misty927

misty927

Member
I've recently inherited a 5 inch Emperor angelfish, who is in horrible condition. He has a severe case of lateral line erosion...and I mean serious. Instead of being blue, his entire head is white and flaky exposing red veins underneath, not to mention his body, which has about 1/3 consumed by the disease where his scales are literally missing. I took him to a knowledgeable lfs who basically told me he was on his last legs. His previous owner just didn't give him the proper nutrition and care...I had to save him. It is such a shame....such a beautiful fish left to waste away. I just needed the reassurance of other fish lovers...should I try to care for this fish and attempt to nurse it back to some measure of health (the lfs said it would never recover) or end the poor thing's suffering?? It is currently in my 135 gallon which has been established for approximately two years...all parameters are excellent..with a docile zebra eel and two perculas. The emperor is eating well and everything, but I also have another concern. I have a juvenile emperor angelfish in my 55 who I was about to move to the 135, when I rescued the adult emperor. So now, I'm facing the dilemma of giving over my impeccably healthy, beautiful juvenile emperor back to the lfs, simply because the 55 is just getting too small. I have had her for about six months and I just love her to death. What should I do?? Should I let the emperor live out the remainder of his life in pain or put him out of its misery?? I'm in mental turmoil here...help!!
[ October 11, 2001: Message edited by: misty927 ]
 
mr.marine

mr.marine

Member
do you have a quarantine tank> what else do you have in the 55 and the 135???? id move the healthy fish to the 135 and the un healthy one to the 55 even though it may be stressful for a while. dont risk infecting ur big tank. its better to stress the fish a little but try and help it I THINK. i wouldnt kill it but it sounds the disease is really harsh. i also wouldnt believ what ur lfs says caus ive heard some crazy things on here about what lfs's said including you could keep a clown in fresh water. if you have the time and money for med i would try to nurse it. im a bit of an amateur though so if i were you id really ask mr.salty. he know EVERYTHING! the only thing i want to know MR.SALTY ( if ur reading this) is who helps u??????lol :D
 
mr.marine

mr.marine

Member
ps- my personal thought........ its better to kill an alraedy mostly dead fish than to return a brand new one or one that is healthy. WHERE DID YOU GET THIS FISH AND HOW DID U FIND HIM??? DID U HAVE TO PAY NE THING FOR HIM OR DID THE PERSON GIVE IT TO U?? :eek: :eek:
 
misty927

misty927

Member
Well, luckily, lateral line erosion is not contagious! So it would only stress him out more if I move him! And trust me...the lfs knows what they're doing. I'm not an expert on saltwater, but I'm definitely not a beginner either. Plus, I've seen the lfs actually DISCOURAGE people from buying fish, corals, etc. For example, they straight up told me when I first started out that a protein skimmer is not necessarily a requirement, but a recommendation. They're surprisingly honest. As for finding the fish, I was browsing for tanks and came across the guy with a 180. I went to look at the tank and saw the emperor and you see where this is going. And no, I didn't buy the fish, the guy just gave it to me (that should tell you what kind of person he was) but I knew I'd be better able to care for it.
[ October 11, 2001: Message edited by: misty927 ]
 
blueberryboomer

blueberryboomer

Active Member
Misty, You sound like a lady after my own heart! I try to save everything, and I mean everything! I wish I knew what to tell you, you might want to post this in the disease form. They really know what they are talking about. Hope it works out for the best, please keep us posted...Lisa
 
misty927

misty927

Member
Ok, thanks guys. I already got a variety of foods today and some vitamin supplements...we'll see how it goes. Thanks again!
 
blutang

blutang

Member
I just wanted to post this messege and applaud you efforts to be a good person and save an innocent life......its really nice to see that people still care.
Later ;)
 
flamehawk

flamehawk

Active Member
Give it all you got to try to save the emperor but I agree with all that you should move him to the 55 by himself and move the healthy junior to the 135. I currently have an emperor for the last 2 1/2 years . He has stopped "evolving" to his natural adult color. Kind of stuck in between stages. He eats really well( angel formula, brine and mysis shrimp, nori, etc-all soaked in Selcon). Don't really know why he's stopped changing. Posted this concern in the past and no-one on the board responded so I quess we're all stumped. In any event he is all white around the head and "kind of" looks like he's got LLD but of course he doesn't. I hope this is not the case with your emperor because I'm sure you wouldn't want to put him through all the medication etc. if not needed. In any event the best of luck.
 
misty927

misty927

Member
Well, guys. I have some sad news. The Emperor has passed on. I guess it was just his time. At least he went out somewhat happy, though. I did exactly how I should've...but he was just too sick. I did the best I could. :(
 
shel

shel

Member
I just wanted to say sorry for your loss. That was very kind of you to try, at least he was happy.
Shel
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top