All bichir in my tank are dying!

Antjefest

Feeder Fish
Jun 7, 2018
4
1
3
32
Hi, since about a half year im totally into bichir. Got some Delhezi, Senugales, Ornate, Endlicheri, Lapradei, and Palmas B. Devided into 3 tanks. I'm having a bit of a Pokémon pollacy: gotta catch em all!

All jokes aside; i lost 4 of them in the last 2 weeks. Symptons where all the same:
-Starting off with a wobbely way of swimming
-An increase of floating on the top
- Few days later they started to act extremely restless: shooting from side to side, bumping in to te glass and jumping against the lid.
-Shortly followed by floating upside down and laying on the bottom.
-Occasionally "waking up" and shooting restlessly to a different spot, to lay there upside down for a while.

After doing my research I first thought it was SBD. So i put the sick one (they died at diverent days) in a smalle tubb with a little later of water. So it could stabilize itself and get some rest. I set an alarm every hour and slept next to the tubb so i could check on his progress. He seemed to be improving but suddenly died the 4th night. The other two died the same day it occured and the 4th one died yesterday. I decided to leave the body in the tubb hoping to find a clue on what is killing my beloved bichir the next morning.

This morning i noticed (this is gonna be a gross story) that his anal fin/anus was red. I decided to gently press his belly, and there was a lot of blood an puss coming out of him (his anus). After some more research im now thinking it is wrong/overfeeding, maybe to oily food,or Maybe a constipation problem. Looking back at the symptons it maybe looked like they where suffocating. Can annyone help me? I would hate to lose more of them.
Btw all the other fish in the tanks are doing just fine.

To be ahead of the first questions asked back, waterparameters are ok, tanksize is ok and of course cycled, different waterchangecycle on each tank but lets say 40% weekly, tankmates include oscars, ghost knife, synodontis Decorus, spotted gar. Feeding them fish from local supermarket (mix of different fish like tilapia fillet etc.) (I fear my problem lays here) I feed them once a day every day and all the food is gone well within 5 minutes.

And if someone knows what this is, how do i prevent another one from dying when noticing these symptons. I've read about feeding them peas but they lacked any form of appatide, and also about adding salt but my LFS told me bichirs die from salt treatment.

I have photos and even video of this, if that might help. But i dont know how to include in here. Btw im from the netherlands so im sorry for any spelling errors. Yet i feel posting my questions here will help me reach more people who love and understand the same type of fish.

But what is killing my bichirs?!
 

kno4te

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Hard to say what triggered all of them to die. Are these captive bred? Tanks size and filtration? Feeding schedule? Would post ur water parameters. Would treat the tank with kanamycin and furan2. Add salt 1tsp per gallon. Salt won’t hurt but long time exposure can cause problems. Hold feeding. Not sure if this is available in the Netherlands. Atleast try finding something that’s broad spectrum...looking for gram negative bacteria coverage.
 
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kewpiefishypewpie

Potamotrygon
MFK Member
Jan 21, 2016
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This is exactly what is happening to me too, I don't know what it is yet.

When did the bichir start swimming erratically? Was it after a water change?
 

Antjefest

Feeder Fish
Jun 7, 2018
4
1
3
32
This is exactly what is happening to me too, I don't know what it is yet.

When did the bichir start swimming erratically? Was it after a water change?
The first one right after a waterchange and the other two right after feeding. Just showed the picture to my LFS and he says wrong feeding...
 

Antjefest

Feeder Fish
Jun 7, 2018
4
1
3
32
Hard to say what triggered all of them to die. Are these captive bred? Tanks size and filtration? Feeding schedule? Would post ur water parameters. Would treat the tank with kanamycin and furan2. Add salt 1tsp per gallon. Salt won’t hurt but long time exposure can cause problems. Hold feeding. Not sure if this is available in the Netherlands. Atleast try finding something that’s broad spectrum...looking for gram negative bacteria coverage.
Some are captive bred an other were not, tank size all about 400 liter. 3 tankes of 400 liter each that is. Fluval 406 as filtration. Maybe helpfull to say that the bichir in de first tank are just about 5-6 cm and relitivaly new, second tank has no problems, and the third hold bichir of 15-20 cm combined with the fish mentioned above, all are almost the same size so plenty of room to grow or hide. Feeding is everyday once a day a mix of fish fillet (tilapia etc) from my local supermarket. Medicine im not sure about but i will ask my LFS!
 

Antjefest

Feeder Fish
Jun 7, 2018
4
1
3
32
Update: after some hesitation I decided to disect my bichir, in the hope to find an awnser. After comparing what I saw with anatomy pictures from the internet I now strongly believe my bichirs where getting too much fats in there system. Because I wasnt able to see organs at first, becausr some white/yellow substance (fat in my opinion) was covering it. Can anyone confrim/debunk this Theory?

Picture 1: what i compared my bichir to
Picture 2: what it looked like more
Picture 3: its intestants in water, on the left you see accesive fat i think

bichir-internal-organs-intestines-anatomy-polypterus-senegalus-maija-karala.jpg Abdominal-cavity-of-an-Atlantic-Whitefish-with-excessive-fat-content-around-the-organs.png 20180608_154347.jpg
 
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Bonytang

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Feb 21, 2018
327
241
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If you have a pleco in there that could be the problem.. i heard that bichirs get addicted to the slime of plecos and therefore react differently. jus sayin'.

hope u don't lose anymore fins tho!
 
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