help golden nugget stomach sunken

[fishnutham]

Just brought home my golden nugget pl*co that i've been waiting for and in my excitment i did'nt examine him closely ;at home when i took him out of the bag and turrned him over i noticed he has a sunken in belly is this a norm thing for golden nuggets or have the fish store starved the poor guy i did notice his poop is green so hes been eating algae i thought they wouldnt eat algae












i have to get a better pic of his belly i can see his ribs otherwise he looks great

[Oddball]

You can bulk him up on raw potato slices and rabbit pellets. The pellets have 65% crude protein (from alfalfa) and are low in ash. Plus they won't break your piggy bank. Mine also likes frozen peas and sliced kiwi fruit. BTW these 4 foods sink so you won't need to anchor anything. Good luck!!

[fishnutham]

thx oddball

[Oddball]

Forgot to ask...Do you have any real driftwood in that tank? These Loricaridae cats grind on driftwood to harvest the sugars that are a byproduct of the wood's surface bacteria. My big panaques grind up many pounds as they 'graze' throughout the day.

[fishnutham]

Forgot to ask...Do you have any real driftwood in that tank? These Loricaridae cats grind on driftwood to harvest the sugars that are a byproduct of the wood's surface bacteria. My big panaques grind up many pounds as they 'graze' throughout the day.



yep have a nice peice with a large hole that he can use as a cave

little nervous though read a article or too refering to the same problem the authors claim that they die within a couple days of bringing home

i have the wife picking up the kiwi and vegs right now i hope he eats tonight

hard a hard time finding one


do you know how to tell spieces apart L177 big spot-- L085 L018 med spot--L081small spot or do i have to grow out to tell ?

if he dosnt die first

[Oddball]

I can't tell when they're that small. Maybe someone else can jump in with a better answer. I usually don't buy them until they're measured in feet.

[quix]

for the fella, it's better to isolate him and keep it by itself until there is no more sunken tummy. Feed moderate amounts a few times a day, just to make sure there is not much excess leftover food which will spoil the water.
if it's not eating well or the sunken tummy continues despite it eating, it may have internal parasites. Not sure wad medicines u guys have there, need to administer internal parasite med quickly if dat is the case.

as for wood, not all species take in wood, panaques and a few others do. Not sure about Baryancistrus..good luck!

[Oddball]

If you suspect internal parasites and not simply petshop malnutrition, offer the fish food with garlic extract (like Wattley's Community Formula w/Garlic).

[scott67892002]

my snowball was like that he seems fine now. didn't get him from the best lfs around!