clown knife carnage?

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perfect_prefect

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 17, 2008
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iowa
i was wondering which of my fish is doing the killing, i currently have 2 12" oscars, a 13-14" florida gar, a 20" clown knife, 2 6" pacu, and a 10" pictus catfish. which of these would you think would do this damage to a goldfish? i dont think it is the oscars or the pacu, they were in the pond with the goldfish for a month without touching them.

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How big were the Goldfish? I suspect the Gars more than the CK...at least by the first fish.
 
yea, my first comment is that generally none of those fish can live harmoniously with goldfish for a number of reasons.
However, from the pics i would guess it is the gar. Both oscars could probably swallow the golds from the look of the pics, though i could be wrong. A 20 inch clown knife could swallow both of those. the pictus would harrass and fray the fins and try to chomp on the golds if possible.
I would say the first pic is consistent with a gar tearing away at the gills and perhaps the tail, or maybe the pictus joined in on the fun. Or maybe the oscar grabbed the tail and the goldfish escaped. I have seen similar injuries infliced by oscars on larger fish like aro's.
the second is a tough call, especially considering that many fish will take shots at a dying fish. It might be consistent with the gar clamping down on the fish sideways, and the goldfish initially escaping.
my gar used to chomp on goldfish intially, and scales would be immediately displaced. Blood would generally appear, but the gar would hold them and they would sometimes escape prematurely, scaling a large portion of the rest of them.
Just my humble opinion. I hope you find your culprit, but I would not be suprised to see more goldfish fatalities in that setup.
 
im not concerned about the deaths of the goldfish, i have atleast a hundred. im more concerned about my knifes lack of appetite. i have seen my gar eat shrimp at feeding time, but i have yet to see my ck come out for a snack. just run to the other side of the pond when the other fish start getting excited about the food, i think the commotion disturbs it.
 
anyone have ideas on ways to entice my ck to eat something? ive tried differant foods (the goldfish along with raw shrimp pellets floating and sinking), with the lights on or off, i tried dangling it in front of its face (was a little worried bout my fingers but not bad), or do i just have to play the waiting game? how long is too long for a 20" ck to not eat?
 
They can go for awhile without eating, but you may have to separate him to may sure he's eating or not eating. If he's not, and there's no visible signs of illness, it may be a parasite.
 
ive seen threads where people say theres hasnt eaten in a long time how long would you say to wait before secluding? its been 8 days since i got it.
 
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