Tigrinus looks thin

[theyangman]

I was looking into my tank yesterday and I noticed my tig looking mighty thin. Like I can see distinct lines on his skull like he has no meat on his head. He is about 7 inches long and he isnt a big eater. I see him grab tilapia and brine shrimo but no where near the appetite I am used too with some other cats I have raised in the past.

I also notice his dorsal fin got mangled by someone recently. He is still swimming just fine and chilling out like normal, but are they suppposed to be thin at this size? I will try and catch him and oull him out for some pics today with an actual measurement.

Tank is: 180 gallons.

2 x 8" motoro sting rays
2 x flag tails 5" & 4"
4 x blood parrots 4"-7"
6 x geophageus surinamensis 4" - 5"
9" bbxb
5 x discus assorted but they are being sold Monday.

Like I dont think there are any mean ones in my tank no one ever fights not even the flag tails.

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[theyangman]

Filtration is fine I have an fx5 and two eheim pro 3 g160's, and two koralia power heads for movement and 2 x 6" bubble discs

Water parameters read fine last night as well before water change. Temp is 82



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[coyotethug]

Probably stressed from being bullied and not eating. Need to isolate him and fatten him up.

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[FinHunter101]

Probably stressed from being bullied and not eating. Need to isolate him and fatten him up.

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Not sure about the Tig being Bullied..But i agree with coyotethug deff seperate the Tig from the others & Fatten him/her up for sure they are expensive/goregous catfish would hate to see it go to waste.. still saving for my chance to purchase one soon..

[thebiggerthebetter]

I think you know when the fish is doing well and when it is not. It should not be thin at all. For one, compare yours to Google images search at similar size.

What was the conclusion from the prior similar thread you had posted perhaps 1-2 months ago, where you said he was not eating for a long time and then you saw him grab a few bites?

I suggested that perhaps he had never been weaned off live foods before you bought him. This needs to be done properly and is very hard to do in a community tank - just throwing food "his way", as you put it, may or may not work.

[theyangman]

He was never on live foods

The previous owner whom ive dealt with a few times has assured me he ate tilapia and shrimo bits.

I have been on the search for a hospital tank for a few days now going to place him into isolation and get him fattened up.

What suze would be good for him for a few months? He is roughly 7" nose to his tail (not streamers just actual tail)

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[necrocanis]

4' x 18" 75 gal aquarium are not overly expensive and would work for a few mos imo. I got one for half price a few years back because it had a small chip on a corner.

[thebiggerthebetter]

I see. Tnanks for the reminder. I'd think then that even though he is eating dead, he is far from excited about it, he is taking it quite reluctantly, and all/most of the food is gone by the time he decides that he'd take it.

75 gal would be nice. I'd think even 40 gal is more or less ok. If the situation is dire and the $$ is tight, even 20 gal (preferably long) may work. More importantly, the filtration size should be appropriate and I'd use some of the substrate and media from other well established tanks and filters to jump start the new one and keep testing for ammonia and nitrite 2-3 times daily for at least a week and until they are very stable and zero.

[theyangman]

I have plenty of sand I plan on bringing over and id probably use 50% old water as well to help get this new tank started.

Im limited by space so I think the 36 gallon bow front will have to suffice. As I am running out of room

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[thebiggerthebetter]

I'd not even bother with water. 99.9999% of your beneficial bacteria live on surfaces, in your filter and the substrate, a little on tank walls and decorations. Negligible amount floats around in the water column, AFAIK. The slimy, usually clear or a bit colored film that covers everything in your tank - that's your bacteria, if I understand it right.

It is far more important to use some of the aged filter media in addition to the substrate, not water.