BGK, weird lump

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
dmed;1849043; said:
I hope it works for you, keep us posted. You can use Pimafix in comination with Melafix if you don't see improvement - I would just use a little less of each.

What are you feeding for the low protein diet?
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Forgot to mention before, the bgk is still in QT and won't be returning to the main tank. Pimafix, yes I'm aware I can use both together but thanks for mentioning it anyway :)
The people you got the sexing info from, do you think they might know about this problem? Would they be interested in looking at it?
Low protein foods, as it was late last night when i got the info I haven't actually started yet and honestly not sure what to feed.

dr_sudz;1849124; said:
I worked with a guy that use to keep Chiclids, and his g/f was in training to be a Vet. His fish developed a gouter(sp?) and his G/F suggested giving a dose of iodized salt, this apparently cleared up the condition. The only issue is that I personally never saw the fish. I know its a bit late but it could have helped..
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I'm actually getting the info from a qualified vet but it's just suggestions, not a definate answer/cure. I've done a 10 min epsom salt dip to try and flush the system, is iodized salt the same or similar??
How often could I do a 10 min dip to flush the system?

This is the problem, not knowing exactly what the problem is to treat for :(
Thanks for the input's :)
 
The people you got the sexing info from, do you think they might know about this problem? Would they be interested in looking at it?
Low protein foods, as it was late last night when i got the info I haven't actually started yet and honestly not sure what to feed.
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Unfortuately, the professor and his lab assistants do not research any diseases in knife fish. They do very specific research related to neurobiology and the electrical signals of knife fish. Because they want their results to be very accurate, they would only keep healthy specimens in the lab. Having 100 - 200 specimens and access to many more, I believe that they would quickly euthanize any knife that showed symptoms of illness because it would not be suitable for research purposes and they would not want to risk an illness spreading to the other fish.

I think you may have difficulty finding and feeding a low protein diet to a BGK. It would be a vegeterian diet. However, even vegeterian foods have a high protein content, so you will have to look very carefully. For instance, foods labeled as "spirulina flakes" can contain up to 50% protein. Julian Sprung's Sea Veggies is a type of algae sheets you can try, my BGK will eat them if I soak them in garlic essence. The red algae has the least protein, at about 16%. My BGK doesn't LOVE algae sheets, but I think it eats them just to show the other fish who's boss. You might also throw in some live duckweed. It's hard to say if your BGK will eat any vegeterian food. If you want to find a prepared flake or pellet, you will probably have to look to brands designed for outdoor ponds. Pond keepers feed low protein diets during the late fall and winter. A low protein diet may help kidney function but it will necessarily be high carbohydrate which can cause problems with other body systems and organs, such as the liver.
 
You can try some peas - I usually just cook them as normal and let them cool completely and then squish them out of the skin. They should be low protein and could help if it any type of bowel obstruction. They certainly shouldn't do any harm.

I didn't think a BGK would eat veggies... but mine will. Come to think of it he has never refused any food put in the tank - absolutely loves the mixed veggie sinking wafers.

The hardest part of this has to be the "not knowing" what is really going on. Has there been any change in behavior lately? Better or worse?

I was at a new LFS over the weekend and the owner seemed fairly knowledgable. I asked if he had ever seen a lump like this one. It actually turned into quite a conversation amoung a few patrons and a couple of staff members. All speculation - nothing that hasn't already been said or tried. Sorry - I tried.
 
Hi, thanks for the info again. I haven't posted as i didn't have anything new to add really :( Peas, yes it loves peas as it gets them every week or 2 but i don't cook them. All i do is defrost one in tank water then pop it out the shell. I've done it this way for over 3 years with the 12" one and no problems, he loves peas :D I've tried some frozen veggie block but it wasn't keen on it, infact none of the fish in the other tanks liked it much either lol

There is one weird thing i've noticed, the swelling seems to get bigger, mainly a few hours after feeding but then it shrinks to a smaller size again a few hours later. It also did this when i was dosing MELAFIX. Obviously it's triggering something off but I have no idea what.
Good side is that the fish still seems happy and healthy so might set another tank up with low light plants soley for this fish :)
 
Thanks for the update - I had been wondering how things were going.
 
Maybe it just wanted the individual attention, or it was a ploy to get its own tank LOL. Glad to hear it is still ok.
 
it's probably bored rigid in a 2ft hostpital tank by itself. I would love to move it back to the big tank but i'm worried incase it's contagious whatever it is. I'd be devastate if the big fella got it :(
Bumripple, nearly 12" :D
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