Healthy bichir feeding habits

NowFuzzySays

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 22, 2014
29
0
0
Saint Paul, MN
We have 3 polyps in our 120g tank, we feed a mix of shrimp pellets, brine shrimp, blood worms, and krill. When feeding pellets, we cut them in half as our bichirs are between 3-5" to avoid any choking. The other fish in this tank include a black ghost knifefish, dwarf gourami, and 6 clown loaches.

The other day, I cut up a total of 8 pellets at feeding time. Shortly after, I noticed our delhizi had a large bulge in her belly. We've watched her at feeding time and have witnessed her eating 7 of the pellet halves before, but her belly did not bulge like this. I didn't watch closely during this particular feeding session to see how many pellet halves she had eaten, but it appears to have been a significant amount.

The bulge has since receded, but is this eating habit normal/healthy? Should we strategically place the pellets to avoid this?
1939991_10152368669609305_1556346168_n.jpg

1939991_10152368669609305_1556346168_n.jpg
 

johnnytaboo

Fire Eel
MFK Member
May 4, 2005
1,123
26
68
MD, DC, VA
My Sen was a total glutton when he was little, and the del I'm currently growing out seems to behave about the same way at feeding time.

Just watch out because my sen, caught up in his enthusiasm for food, ate a piece of gravel when he was little, and it took him a week or so to work it out (I'm assuming he puked it up, but can't be sure).


Sent from my iPad using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
 

NowFuzzySays

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 22, 2014
29
0
0
Saint Paul, MN
Yeah they definitely tend to gorge themselves! I've read that a chubby bichir is a happy bichir, but they sure seem like the kind of fish that would eat themselves to death given the opportunity.

We've started spreading the pellets out a little more so they have to work a little harder to get that many in one feeding. Thanks!
 

NowFuzzySays

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 22, 2014
29
0
0
Saint Paul, MN
Soooo update on this one - one of our little clown loaches has been MIA for a couple weeks now. We have volcanic rock in our tank so there's lots of little hiding spots and some of the loaches have disappeared for a couple days before, but I'm starting to think the little guy got eaten. He was only about an inch long, so it would make sense. Rest in peace little guy :)
 

NowFuzzySays

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 22, 2014
29
0
0
Saint Paul, MN
I'm really worried about our del now. The other day we noticed that he had a large red wound on his belly. At first it looked like some kind of sore, or ulcer, and it has gotten progressively worse. It appears to be an open flesh wound but we're not sure how it happened. My boyfriend just told me that he watched an unfinished piece of poop come out of this wound.

Any idea how this might've happened? And how to prevent it in the future? We have lava rocks in the tank and some have sharp edges, so we're wondering if he maybe got caught and scraped himself. Another thing we're wondering is if it's something he ate - we believe he ate a small clown loach and he's eaten numerous ghost shrimp, both of which supposedly can damage internal organs? (we had no idea at the time)

Yesterday I noticed that he was breathing very heavily and he's been much less active, and he hardly eats anything. Is there anything we can do for him? Or is he just going to die? :(
 

BuffaloPolypteridae

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Aug 5, 2013
3,011
7
0
Buffalo
Sounds like he gashed himself on the volcanic rock, while their sides and backs are very well armored the stomachs aren't as much. I had a palma's polli do the same thing but on gravel as there are some bits in my sand in the grow out. Not nearly as bad as this sounds though. I'd dose with aquarium salt and melafix to help prevent infection and clean up the wound, it will help heal also.

Another option for this is septicemia, which as far as I know has no actual "cure". I don't know if it gets that deep it would cause the poop coming out that makes it sound like a very deep cut with internal injuries since as you said poop comes out of it. I would lessen feeding to lessen the pressure on the wound, maybe even feed something softer like frozen bloodworms so a chunk of pellet doesn't make it worse. Dont move him to a hospital tank as the pressure from netting may make it worse

Sent from my XT1080 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 

NowFuzzySays

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 22, 2014
29
0
0
Saint Paul, MN
Yeah that's what I was thinking. So it's ok to add a little bit of aquarium salt to treat his wound even though the fish are freshwater? I've just heard that you should never add salt to a freshwater tank. Thanks for the advice :)
 

NowFuzzySays

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 22, 2014
29
0
0
Saint Paul, MN
IMG_5583.JPGIMG_5537.JPG Here are some pictures. As you can see, he's got skin hanging off around the wound. He's still not moving very much, but his breathing has slowed a bit. It's literally a giant hole in his belly. :(

IMG_5583.JPG

IMG_5537.JPG
 

BuffaloPolypteridae

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Aug 5, 2013
3,011
7
0
Buffalo
Damn that's a brutal wound. Aquarium salt or even kosher nonniodozed salt is frequently used on here to get rid of ich and help heal wounds among other issues. 1 tbsp per 10 gallons, but if you are using store bought aquarium salt be sure to use some meant for freshwater. Api salt is the most common I've seen at pet smart and such. I thought the same thing before joining this forum, then I gave it a try and it got rid of the ich on a juvie peacock bass very quickly.

All that really can be done other then the salt and melafix dosing is give him time and don't overfeed. Try to keep nitrates as low as humanly possible lol. Pothos is a plant many use.on here to suck nitrates, people rinse the roots clean and suspend the plant in the tank with only the roots submerged. I run it on all my tanks and it went from me having to do a 30% water change every 2 days to a 30% once a week to keep nitrates under 10 ppms. I'm pretty well stocked too lol. I'd take out the volcanic rock and replace it with smooth river stones or something that he won't be able to make it worse on. I'd imagine another good cut would literally disembowel him, surely killing him

Sent from my XT1080 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store