Endlicheri dying HELP!

[EmrePekdeniz]

My 6-7'' endlicheri is dying! It's lying motionless on the aquarium floor. I removed it with a net and took it to my hand, and it suddenly started to squirm. I put it back and it's lifeless again. Water parameters are 0 ammonia, 15-20 nitrate, 6 pH. (Nitrate was usually very low, around 1 ppm, it seems to have risen but is still in the acceptable range.) I have bichirs and other fish living happily in the tank! What's wrong? What if they die too? Please help!

I just added a few very small catfish into the tank. Did it swallow one and choke on it? I don't know.

 

[voodeezy]

Yeah dude I had a delhezi choke on a baby cichlid that I didn't think he'd even be able to swallow... Seems to be he ate the catfish and is paying for it, especially since poly's don't seem to get sick often or easily

 

[gtpsuper24]

Water change and aquarium salt is what I would try first. Not much you can do if it ate the catfish, just a wait and see approach, it could possibly be the barbs on the cat that got caught up.

 

[EmrePekdeniz]

But I added the catfish no more than half an hour ago. Can a bichir die so quickly from choking? It's dead, by the way. RIP, my poor fish.

 

[EmrePekdeniz]

Oh, it definitely didn't choke to death. Both catfish are whole and alive. (I just spotted them.) That rules out the choking to death theory. I did a water change yesterday, and the endlicheri was eating as usual. I have no idea why it's dead. (I also added two small salamanders. They're both alive and whole, too.)

I suspect internal parasites but I don't have the guts to do a dissection.

 

[gtpsuper24]

Salamanders can have toxic slime too so those are probably not the best tank mates to keep with polys. It may have just been coincidence. But sorry for you loss.

 

[EmrePekdeniz]

Salamanders can have toxic slime too so those are probably not the best tank mates to keep with polys. It may have just been coincidence. But sorry for you loss.

I'm going to quarantine the salamanders until I'm sure they're not toxic and will remove them if they indeed are, thanks for the advice.

 

[voodeezy]

Sucks dude sorry

 

[mshill90]

Your nitrates should more likely be in the 0-5 range..

Did you add dechlorinator when you did the water change?

 

[EmrePekdeniz]

Your nitrates should more likely be in the 0-5 range..

Why? I usually have 0-1 nitrate, don't know why the nitrates were higher than usual, though as far as I know 15-20 ppm must not be lethal to any fish, no? I didn't add dechlorinator, I always use water rested for 24 hours. Will do another WC again.