Please Help *Urgent*

ViperCLKGTR

Gambusia
MFK Member
Sep 22, 2008
310
1
16
There is something wrong with my Spotted Gar. I left for Daytona Saturday morning, I dropeed in about 20 comets and about 20 Rosy Reds along with food for my other fish. I came back last night turned the light on and everytrhing was fine as I began to walk toward the tank my Spotted made a full dash straight up out of waqter and slammned into the hood thrashed around alittle and then began to sink while he was sinking he began to pulsate and a stream of air bubbles came from his left gil. Then he fell to the bottom and layed there upside down, I flipped him over on his belly and he sat there for a couple minutes and bagen swimming again. Then this morning I fed my fish and turned my filter on half power when I went to turn it back to full power he started thrashoing and rolled over again and began pulsating except for when I went to flip him over he kept rolling back onto his? Please help me fix my Spot!
 

xander

Manjuari
MFK Member
Sep 6, 2007
8,535
57
555
Singapore
im no expert but it sounds a little like he's extremely skittish at the moment, hence the thrashing and jumping. he's rolling over etc due to the damage to his spine, is he still alive? upside down? how big is the fish and tank? are there any tankmates? if the fish is fine at the moment i suggest leaving the lights as dim as possible and not adjusting his tank. provide come extra cover if possible.
 

ViperCLKGTR

Gambusia
MFK Member
Sep 22, 2008
310
1
16
He's at 7" in a 31"x12"x18"

He has no visual damage to his spine or body in general in that matter... I was thinking maybe he's freaking out cause it's so much at one time he went from having no light for 3 nights to lights back on and someone walking around the outside of the tank... After the episode this morning I took a shower walked back in and he's swimming around having a good ol' time... I'm gonna buy some feeders on my way home from class and feed them see how it goes. He's got a few extra tank mates nothing to bother him though:

2 Floridas
Black African Knife
3 Plecos
2 Spotted Climbing Perchs
1 Ropefish
1 Grey Bichir

The biggest fish in there besides my Gar is a 5" HiFin Pleco
 

E_americanus

Penguin Lover
MFK Member
Aug 14, 2004
3,790
28
68
45
Louisiana
primitivefishes.com
ViperCLKGTR;2796751; said:
He's at 7" in a 31"x12"x18"

He has no visual damage to his spine or body in general in that matter... I was thinking maybe he's freaking out cause it's so much at one time he went from having no light for 3 nights to lights back on and someone walking around the outside of the tank... After the episode this morning I took a shower walked back in and he's swimming around having a good ol' time... I'm gonna buy some feeders on my way home from class and feed them see how it goes. He's got a few extra tank mates nothing to bother him though:

2 Floridas
Black African Knife
3 Plecos
2 Spotted Climbing Perchs
1 Ropefish
1 Grey Bichir

The biggest fish in there besides my Gar is a 5" HiFin Pleco
we've said this time and again in post after post after post...plecos are no good with gars and can cause all sorts of problems...including making them more skittish.

the lighting issue was likely what spooked an already skittish gar (see pleco comment above), and it initially probably knocked itself out. once a gar does this, it's more prone to happen again soon afterward (being spooked again the next morning). leave the lights off or dimmed and ease it back into having lighting by just using the room lights at first, then eventually the tank lights. that should help.

i would remove the plecos before you start seeing clear patches of scales on the gars...or a full-blown infection. good luck--
--solomon
 

ViperCLKGTR

Gambusia
MFK Member
Sep 22, 2008
310
1
16
E_americanus;2796803; said:
we've said this time and again in post
i would remove the plecos before you start seeing clear patches of scales on the gars...or a full-blown infection. good luck--
--solomon
See that's the problem I watch my tank for alomst an hour to 2 hours a day and my Dad is in here looking at it while playing my PS3 for 2 to 3 hours and we both know to watch the plecos... Mine have never aacted aggresively towards a Gar now Gar against Pleco has happened twice... For some reason they love to try and kill Rubber Plecos.
 

E_americanus

Penguin Lover
MFK Member
Aug 14, 2004
3,790
28
68
45
Louisiana
primitivefishes.com
ViperCLKGTR;2799067; said:
See that's the problem I watch my tank for alomst an hour to 2 hours a day and my Dad is in here looking at it while playing my PS3 for 2 to 3 hours and we both know to watch the plecos... Mine have never aacted aggresively towards a Gar now Gar against Pleco has happened twice... For some reason they love to try and kill Rubber Plecos.
doesn't matter how long you watch the tank if it is during the wrong hours...this would likely happen during night or crepuscular periods. either way between you and your dad you're only looking at 1/8 of the day, so that's pretty insignificant. i've seen gars become extra skittish when in a situation with plecos...you can take my word for it (and several others who advise against plecos) or just let it happen and go from there.--
--solomon
 
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