dying baby bichir

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aznxcalikid

Gambusia
MFK Member
Oct 7, 2007
227
0
16
california
my baby bichir isnt swimming normally. it seems to have no energy. i came home thinking it was dead but when i picked it up it was squirming around in my hand. i cant get the damn thing to eat either.
i changed my sand substrate to pool filter sand and my bichir could have swallowed a piece of some because i saw him spitting some out and it seemed like he was tryin to spit more out.
the way he swims looks sorta like how a fish would with a swim bladder problem but i doubt thats the case since he was fine today. water levels are fine and temp is at 80. any help is good.
 
i hope some one can help you. i wish i could, but it is hard telling. hows the water levels, and is there any stressors around?
 
water levels normal and temp is 80. the only thing is a jardini but i know forsure it hasnt done anything. jardinis too battered up to want to do anything, it cant even fight the filter flow.
theres not much i can do though. but how easy or hard is it for a piece of pool filter sand to pass through a bichir. hes only like 2.5 inches. the pool filter sand is like regular play ground sand size.
 
Describe how he's swimming. Some bichir species are not very active, so sitting at the bottom of the tank may not be a sign of illness.
 
no its not normal. right now hes not using his front fins to swim. looks like a worm squiring to to top for air. he can still float and sink.
 
and he has no energy to try and get away from my hand like it did today. should i try to force feed it? i saw him on his back when i got home. i know thats not normal.
 
i think i figured out the problem. his two front fins are not moving at all so he cant control himself. he just tumbles around and squirms to get air.
can someone tell me how i can forcefeed it? i cant get its mouth open.
 
I've had this happen with ropefish before. Not sure what causes it, but symptoms are always paralysis in part of the body, specifically the front pectoral fins where they can barely control the direction they are swimming or get to the top to get air.

One ropefish did not eat for over a month and then suddenly recovered, however I did have a ropefish die suddenly several months later and that may or may not have been him.

The other was like that when it was shipped to me and died several days later.

I don't think there's any way to forcefeed them. They will either eat or not.
All I can say is don't simply give up on him, he may get better even if it takes a long time.
 
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