Yeah I plan on drying him out and mounting him. I usually dry them out in the sun but it is a little late in the year for that. I may try the baking soda this time.
i actually heard the sudden death of most payara comes from living in harder water than they do in the wild and it takes around the same time to die from it so thats why everybody's payara die around the same duration of owning them.
I'm guessing it could be caused by spines from the catfishes you feed him, they are very hard and sharp. Not going to disect him to take a closer look?
^^I have not fed him catfish for a few months honestly. He had only had it once or twice and they were the fillets not a whole fish. No disecting for me LOL....I would not know what to look for.
Channa.....I do not think it is sudden death syndrome either but it is just a thought since everything else is perfect.