Sick shubunkin

[seaspotz]

I have a female shubunkin in a 1400 gal pond with 2 biofalls who has been acting ill for about a week. The other fish appear to be fine and water quality also is within normal limits. There is bird netting over top so a predator attack is probably not likely (though I'm ruling nothing out at this point).

She's been burying her head in the rocks and the rest of her body just bends towards her head. She will swim if I gently nudge her and she had an appetite despite this new behavior though I haven't fed her since since the temperature has gone below 50°. I saw what looked like a small abrasion involving only a superficial layer on her so I started treating her with Melafix. She's not improving and as of today, she seems to have more difficulty swimming. She lists sideways more often than not.

Can anyone tell me what might be wrong with her and what I can do to help? She's been with us for about 3 years now and is our largest fish so I'd really like to see her through this if possible.

I've posted two photos in case they might be of any help. The abrasion is just to the right of her gill towards her dorsal side.

Thanks!

 

[sissy]

I have one just like it .Could something in the pond maybe one of the other fish hurt her .I know during breeding they can be aggressive but she must have injured herself some how .I know my fish sometimes do that ,they just sort of hang half upside down and hardly move ,I call it winter sleep .hibernation

 

[j.w]

Hard to tell, could have gotten a bonk on the head somehow and is suffering head trauma or looks kinda like a scrape which it could have gotten running into something and also caused head injury or ? Sorry can't be of more help.

 

[addy1]

I had one shubie do that, lay on its side very still, looking dead unless touched. I left it alone and it recovered, no clue what happened to it.

 

[fantaildaz]

i too have a similar problem, shubunkin is roughly 2.5 years old and is swimming vigorously arond the pond blindly bumping into things (sides of pond, half plant pots, allsorts) considering the temp it should be very placid like the rest of them, also listing 45 degrees as it swims, any advice?

sorry to bump this thread

daz

 

[seaspotz]

I wish I could help but your fish is acting differently than mine did. She spent more time immobile than yours.

As an update, my shubunkin kept getting worse so I took her out of the pond and put her in a small container to get a closer look at her. That's when I realized she had developed what I surmised were internal tumors as her abdomen and the back of her head were misshapen. At that point, I decided to humanely euthanize her.

Best wishes for a better outcome for your fish.