Truffle 2: Neutral Buoyancy Achieved?

I posted these video's just so I could ask for help for Truffle, a Ryukin Goldfish, on fish forums. Just an FYI for other people who might come across this out of context:

This is him finally pecking at the bottom after a year on the surface.

He went upside down after gulping air when the filter cut out- this was around June of 2008. So, it's been around 13 months between then and this video. During that time he was unable to move off the surface at all. He was completely, 100%, buoyant- I can't stress that enough. He was in a 10 gallon hospital tank for most of that time and I had to hold food up to his mouth so he could eat... I also tried everything I, and almost anyone on the internet, could think of to help him. The most common answer I would get was euthanasia- but as long as one of my pets has a will to eat I'll grant them the will to live (not that I hadn't considered it, it's a cruel fate for a fish to be like this and kind of a pain in the butt for me.) The second most common answer was lancing it- and I've considered it more than once: but that just seemed like trading one end of the spectrum for the other. I couldn't find one case were that didn't leave the fish on the bottom and dead in a few months- so.. why even bother? It's diritier down there than on the surface and his tummy was already compromised. I figured nature would eventually take over.

I eventually moved and placed him in a breeder net in the larger goldfish tank just so he'd be subject to decent conditions until I got a new tank set up for him... There wasn't much room at the new place, we're renovating, so I just didn't get that QT tank set up (it hadn't been THAT long.) But, in the breeder net, I noticed that he could see that he was close to the food that he would drop and that he REALLY wanted it, so I raised it just a bit so he could reach the food on the bottom of the net with some small effort. After about a week of him trying really hard to get at it- my husband remarked that it looked like he was under water and that his bulge was smaller. (being upside down and filled with air had caused a bubble-like distension of his tummy.) After KNOWING, 100%, that he was unable to move off the surface AT ALL, and had been this way for a year, I didn't think he had seen things right. But I dropped some food in to the net and watched. Sure enough, he can go below water and stay there now. I have no idea what to think. It was tough for him a few days ago but each day now he seems to have more control over his buoyancy...*knocks on wood.* I'm in a weird state of disbelief and not wanting to be hopeful.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• goldfish
• illness
• swim
• bladder
• buoyancy
• buoyant
• ryukin