Baby alligator gar curved back/tail, please help!

[lancerice700889]

Have you tested your water?

No

If I did not test my water...

...I recognize that I will likely be asked to do a test, and that water tests are critical for solving freshwater health problems.

Do you do water changes?

Yes

What percentage of water do you change?

61-70%

How frequently do you change your water?

Every two weeks

If I do not change my water...

...I recognize that I will likely be recommended to do a water change, and water changes are critical for preventing future freshwater health problems.

Hey I need everyone’s help! I got a baby alligator gar 3 days ago and the first day he was fine I woke up the second day and it looks like his back is curved or arched. He is still swimming and fins are still working but doesn’t look like as well as before. I don’t know if he is eating or not because I have yet to see him eat anything. I have him in a 55 gallon tank with 2 plecos and they don’t bother him. I don’t know if he got spooked and hit the glass and broke his back or if it could be from a health issue of water quality but I wouldn’t think water quality would be an issue all my other fish have always been absolutely fine in there and I change it and clean it and it’s filtered well and I put all the proper things in it. I don’t have tests to test water quality but what should I do? What do you think this is? I’m devestated I love him so much. He is tiny only like 4 inches very small. Help!

 

[BIG-G]

Water quality probably wouldn’t be a factor here. But is important for long term health.
Because your other fish are okay doesn’t mean you water quality is good.
Slowly degraded water can allow fish to acclimate then when new fish are added they are not allowed this luxury and parish.

The only way to truly know your water is to test. So I would recommend you in invest in a good quality test kit. API test kits are usually the standard.

Next I would address the feeding. Three days for a fish not eating isn’t usually a big deal, with a very young fish it can be pretty important. Young fish need more food/feedings to promote healthy growth and activity.
What have you tried feeding?
Gator gar are primarily piscivores.
Normally you want get your fish on a non living diet of cut fish filets, shrimp ect.

Feeder fish aren’t recommended because of the chance of introducing disease, but in this situation you could try some feeder guppies or rosy reds to get the gar stimulation to feed going. Then try getting it off live.

Lastly these fish can be startled and bash into things and cause this type injury.
Usually at this small a size it’s not a problem.
These fish grow huge and fast once they get going, ( 24 inches in the first year is common) so if you don’t have a plan for this type growth I would give some thought as to how you plan to house this animal long term.

I would focus on getting it to feed and water testing. If damage has already been done there’s not much you could do anyway.

 

[lancerice700889]

Water quality probably wouldn’t be a factor here. But is important for long term health.
Because your other fish are okay doesn’t mean you water quality is good.
Slowly degraded water can allow fish to acclimate then when new fish are added they are not allowed this luxury and parish.

The only way to truly know your water is to test. So I would recommend you in invest in a good quality test kit. API test kits are usually the standard.

Next I would address the feeding. Three days for a fish not eating isn’t usually a big deal, with a very young fish it can be pretty important. Young fish need more food/feedings to promote healthy growth and activity.
What have you tried feeding?
Gator gar are primarily piscivores.
Normally you want get your fish on a non living diet of cut fish filets, shrimp ect.

Feeder fish aren’t recommended because of the chance of introducing disease, but in this situation you could try some feeder guppies or rosy reds to get the gar stimulation to feed going. Then try getting it off live.

Lastly these fish can be startled and bash into things and cause this type injury.
Usually at this small a size it’s not a problem.
These fish grow huge and fast once they get going, ( 24 inches in the first year is common) so if you don’t have a plan for this type growth I would give some thought as to how you plan to house this animal long term.

I would focus on getting it to feed and water testing. If damage has already been done there’s not much you could do anyway.

thanks for replying I am well aware of the size they get and how fast they grow and I already have plans for him at his larger sizes, granted he makes it by the grace of god. So I was wrong, I did have water test kits that I forgot I had and I tested the wAter and according to the API strip kits everything is good and normal. I did one test yesterday and everything came out fine, I’m going to test again today to make sure. But we have a new issue. My baby gar not only has the curved bent body going on, but now has popeye in one eye not the other: and the eye is super cloudy almost fully white and swollen. But it’s only in one eye. Do you think that this could be from an injury both things? I’m just worried. I haven’t been able to get him to eat, I’ve tried tiny little strips of fresh tilapia, wel frozen and thawed, shrimp, little live earth worms, blood worms. Again he won’t eat for me but maybe he is eating the blood worms that float around the top when I’m not around I’m not certain. Anyway,I’m not sure what I should do. I’m going to do about a 50% water change today just incase it is ammonia or something like that, but again the nitrates on the test are normal; but I’m not sure if that means the ammonia is good too? I don’t know much of the science of it. Like I saidl my other fish are completely fine and thriving and it’s just him which makes me think it might be an injury but than again like you said since he is the only new fish added in, and it’s new water than what he has been used too, it could be something else. Idk what to do im lost, and I feel so horrible, I am wondering if I should take him out and put him in his own tank for the time being and put a filter on it and a heater in it and just maybe get him away from any other fish or possible harm until I-figure this out. Any advice helps!

 

[Fallen_Leaves16]

thanks for replying I am well aware of the size they get and how fast they grow and I already have plans for him at his larger sizes, granted he makes it by the grace of god. So I was wrong, I did have water test kits that I forgot I had and I tested the wAter and according to the API strip kits everything is good and normal. I did one test yesterday and everything came out fine, I’m going to test again today to make sure. But we have a new issue. My baby gar not only has the curved bent body going on, but now has popeye in one eye not the other: and the eye is super cloudy almost fully white and swollen. But it’s only in one eye. Do you think that this could be from an injury both things? I’m just worried. I haven’t been able to get him to eat, I’ve tried tiny little strips of fresh tilapia, wel frozen and thawed, shrimp, little live earth worms, blood worms. Again he won’t eat for me but maybe he is eating the blood worms that float around the top when I’m not around I’m not certain. Anyway,I’m not sure what I should do. I’m going to do about a 50% water change today just incase it is ammonia or something like that, but again the nitrates on the test are normal; but I’m not sure if that means the ammonia is good too? I don’t know much of the science of it. Like I saidl my other fish are completely fine and thriving and it’s just him which makes me think it might be an injury but than again like you said since he is the only new fish added in, and it’s new water than what he has been used too, it could be something else. Idk what to do im lost, and I feel so horrible, I am wondering if I should take him out and put him in his own tank for the time being and put a filter on it and a heater in it and just maybe get him away from any other fish or possible harm until I-figure this out. Any advice helps!

Good nitrate does not equal good ammonia, and vice versa. What were the results? "Good and normal" may not necessarily be so. The kinked spine may be from an injury, but the cloudy/swollen eye sounds more bacterial. Pictures of the setup and fish are crucial for good diagnosis. I would quarantine the fish in the meantime (as you suggested doing). As BIG-G pointed out, long-term stability does not equal good water/health; a fish may live in horrible water conditions for quite some time without any visibly major issues if acclimated properly. Loricariids (in this case, assuming Hypostomus or Ancistrus) are quite hardy and may show less problems than a gar, especially if they're used to poor conditions. The fact that the fish isn't eating is quite concerning; I've had very few issues with getting gar to feed and I doubt yours would go off feed if everything was well.

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

Sorry, Ive not read all the above going, just wanted to mention that we have recently seen this with cuban gars from Polypterus_36 and the cause was unstable pH.

 

[BIG-G]

L lancerice700889
Pop eye can be caused from injury or other underlying health issues as well as bacterial infection. Usually if it’s an injury without infection, clean stable water will be sufficient.

I’ve had good results treating by moving to quarantine and using erythromycin and metronidazole. I also add a couple teaspoon of salt and epsom salt this is in a ten gallon quarantine tank.

 

[Polypterus_36]

Sorry, Ive not read all the above going, just wanted to mention that we have recently seen this with cuban gars from Polypterus_36 and the cause was unstable pH.

It is true that my Cubans broke their backs, but I am not sure if the unstable pH caused it. It could have been a myriad of other factors like getting spooked from a decently large albino arowana I had in the tank with them. Even so, you should definitely check if your pH fluctuates. It might be the issue.

But from experience, most issues of broken back in gar come just from the gar spooking. Even after fixing my pH, I had an issue with my tropical gar where his back suddenly became really bent. He probably got scared in the middle of the night and broke it. Fortunately, he healed up over time and has a perfect back today. In his case, I just kept the water clean and stable (as you should always do) and that's it. If the gar is eating and swimming without much struggle, most likely he will be ok. If not, that is a cause for more concern.

Btw Viktor, my Cubans now are doing great. Thank you!

 

[Polypterus_36]

Just now reading the thread
The pop eye and not eating sounds strange. What are his tankmates? I feel that the gar may be getting picked on given its small size, or it's really sick.
I would definitely remove the gar to its own smaller tank to treat and monitor. Fallen_Leaves16 and BIG-G are saying the right things.

 

[Fishyboy🐟🐟🐟]

Just now reading the thread
The pop eye and not eating sounds strange. What are his tankmates? I feel that the gar may be getting picked on given its small size, or it's really sick.
I would definitely remove the gar to its own smaller tank to treat and monitor. Fallen_Leaves16 and BIG-G are saying the right things.

They said they had 2 plecos in the tank

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

Pleco can go parasitic and rasp slime and skin, although it is unlikely if they are properly fed.