20 replies to this topic

[Leichardti]

Type of fish: Neosilurus Ater
Symptoms: White and red flesh showing and stressed colouring.
Other tank mates: Other Neosilurus Ater (Bully)
Tank size / capacity:6x1.5x1.5
Type of Food fed: White bait and Hikari sinking carnivore pellets
Feeding frequency/amount: Once a day usually miss 1 day
Substrate: Sand
Type of filtration: Eheim 2080 and Aquis 1200
Frequency of filter cleans: Every 5 - 6 months
Frequency and % volume of water changes: 30-40% fortnightly but only got Neos recently
Last water change: 1.5 weeks ago, gonna do a W/C after I finish this post.
PH: 7.6
KH: Dunno, think it was 3? May not have been for KH but was told that it was good.
GH: No idea
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 30
Ammonia:0
Phosphate: No idea
Water temp: 24
Medications used recently to date: None
Any recent changes..new fish/filters/power outages etc etc: New Neo which is the bully. Has taken lots of skin off the other Neos side. He kept going up to him and biting the him:
I'm just unsure on how to treat? Do I just use a bit of salt and see if he heals up without anything fancy? Or should I use meds like melafix? Theres a divider in the tank at the moment but somehow they're passing it at night. Thanks guys

Edited by Leichardti, 30 January 2016 - 02:28 PM.

[dicky7]

do you have another smaller tank to isolate  for a while ?? can you get a sponge filter  out of another quickly??  just need to isolate for a time before any more damage is done

[Leichardti]

Unfortunately I don't. I'm gonna try make the sivider fit better with a bit of filter wool

[Rovik]

Fish can recover from worse, as long as you provide good conditions so that the wounds do not suffer from secondary bacterial or fungal infection you should be OK.

Isolation tank would be best using a cycled filter if you have one available.If not, just partition the tank off asap - I would still suggest you dose with something but my suggestions may vary depending if you have live plants in the aquarium.

Dose with a General salt mix to start with as a mild preventative for bacterial and fungal infection (You could also use melafix/primafix)

Some catfishes can be sensitive to "General cure" mixes and it is generally recommended using a half dose for these medications containing methylene blue, formalin acriflavine ect

[Leichardti]

Will add some salt, thanks Rovik. Tank is divided but somehow they're getting past it.

[shayne]

So sorry for you to see this Will leave treatment advice to the other more experienced people, but can i gently say i have not seen this from my two,can i suggest you need some more fish in there to alter the dynamics.I realise you are aiming for an accurate bio type, would a handful of rainbows or barra fingerlings suit? Some dithers,structure and plants might/will help a lot i think. Mine share their space with [ the purists on here are going to laugh    ] Rainbows,rosy barbs,yo yo loaches,bn and both short and long finned [gasp] goldfish.Whilst i'm sure they snacked on a few smaller barbs in the beginning  no fin chewing [unlike the tandanus in another tank] no bullying. Play tag? with the largest yo yo [ it came with my smaller one and they were well bonded when i got them ] and like everybody else in there straight into the caviar when the goldies spawn [pretty regularly this time of year] but even then more gentle on the goldies than the males are. Hope your fish heals well and quickly, good luck mate.

[shayne]

Just reread that and wow that tank sounds a little Frankenstienish [ is that a word? ] doesn't it. Doesn't matter here looks great and my lass and the grandkids don't know what a bio type is.

[Leichardti]

I got home from Mandurah last night and he managed to push the lid up and jump out. Couldn't get his gills going, he's dead.

[shayne]

OH mate that sucks!!  I'm sorry for you.

[Leichardti]

The bully was being sold as it was the cause of a huge chunk out of the guys toga. Thanks Shayne, I hope he doesn't get nasty with aome barred grunters I plan on getting

Edited by Leichardti, 01 February 2016 - 03:32 PM.

[dicky7]

That's not good Keelan sorry for your loss

[malawiman85]

Yeah sucks. Dissapointing it was sold to you without being told it had anger management issues.

[ice]

Shame

 

Some fish really are just murderers, unfortunately they are usually the smartest and with the most personality!

[Peckoltia]

A KH of 3 is far too low. Carbonate hardness acts as a buffer to keep pH stable, with a low KH your aquarium is far more prone to sudden swings in pH. I would get a test kit and make Te appropriate adjustment using buffers if your KH is indeed 3.

[Buccal]

There may be a lot of merit in what Peckoltia just said, sometimes, the little amount of KH in your water supply can prop it back up by a touch every water change and be just in time,, but it's this up and down that can drive some fish crazy.
If your tap water has a significant higher KH reading, then you may not be water changing enough if buffers aren't being used.
The active beneficial bacteria in your filters deplete the KH levels slowly.
I'm not saying this is your issue, it's something I'm just mentioning because it can happen.

Low KH levels verging on a acidic swing can make some fish act pretty nuts.
When fish act nuts,,, KH, nitrates, oxygenation are always the first things I consider.

Edited by Buccal, 01 February 2016 - 09:24 AM.

[malawiman85]

Being as I live just round the corner I would be surprised if kh could be that low.
I know kh is consumed but last time I measured kh of my water (unbuffered) it was 12... hard to imagine it plummeting to 3.

[Leichardti]

The pH hasn't changed, its low for my area as i've put a big log in there. It's an API test kit and I know the other API test kits can be dodgy?? I did find out that the live Neo had been beating up the toga not the other way round when I got there, which was an hour 15 minute drive so I couldn't really say no + he held onto it for me for 3 weeks. I thought that it might have just not liked the toga as I couldn't see damage on the other fish. I can't find the KH test at the moment but when I do I'll retest

 

I just edited the other post as I realised it sounded like I was saying I got told later that the Neo was  being aggro.

Edited by Leichardti, 01 February 2016 - 03:33 PM.

[Buccal]

Always best to test the tap water first, so you know what your working with.
Your tap water should be between 6-8 KH as a guess in the northern suburbs.
Definitely not saying that leich isn't water changing as he likely has the same regimes as the rest of us,,, and it's likely the test isn't accurate.
But tanks that go for ages with no water changes and no buffers, will see KH get right down low.
But large timber pieces play a big part also.

[Leichardti]

Still can't find the damn GH test kit, think it may have been thrown out. Could the timber coming from a lagoon (Marine) change the KH, if it truly is 3?

[Buccal]

Well the tests will help determine that.
Usually timber steers down the PH, so likely KH would also lower.
Any bio-mass rotting away steers ph down,

Pet city is down the road, you also also got pet stock and cityfarmers all close by,,,,to get the test kit.