hurt senegals and some advice needed

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A

alexpie001

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 21, 2010
761
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south africa
Hi guys, today i bought two new senegal birchirs which are just under 20cm, they seem fine it the tank but didn't eat tonight which is understandable as i just got them, however i noticed that their faces seem a bit bloody and their external nostrils are missing, the one also has a patch of red in-between a few of its scales behind its bottom end fins. To me these injuries are minor however these are my first birchirs and want to take good care of them. I am confident that the injuries are not from any of their tank-mates as i have been watching them all day today and must be from transportation as my LFS had just got them in when i bought them. I was also wandering if they mind light or not are they nocturnal ? They are in my 475 gallon tank, temp is 28 Celsius, ph is 7,2 0 ammonia 0 nitrite and nitrates are always under 25ppm. Tank has a sand substrate with driftwood, rock and fake plants, lighting is 5 Ho t5 bulbs (blue and white). Tank mates are 2 22inch clown knives a big jag a red devil two black demons or barred red devils and a bunch of malwais that are breeding. All fish are pretty much fully grown with almost no aggression, i also have three blood parrots.

Thanks Alex:):):)
 
Your sens are around 7" and they are in with a 22in CK, that might be the problem right there, sounds like something tried to eat them, CK might have though they were worms maybe. One of your larger fish tried to eat it head first and either the Sens got away or the other fish gave up and spit it out.
 
all of my fish are pellet trained and do not eat live even when offered, like i said before the injuries are from transportation or occurred at the LFS and not from tank mates as i have watched them carefully, what i was trying to ask is weather the set-up would be suitable for the fish (keep in mind they will not be eaten) and weather they would recover from their injuries, like the missing external nostrils. Also what kind of lighting conditions do they prefer? Thanks for your comment.

thanks alex
 
Listen to others on here. You wrote " their faces seem a bit bloody and their external nostrils are missing". If this happened at the LFS, I imagine you would have noticed before purchasing. I am relatively new to bichers but now own 15+ bichers and I have had several of them "thrash" in the bucket while transporting. The worse damage has been some peeling on the mouth, but nothing close to a bloody face or missing nostrils. I agree with the previous post.... a 22" CK with a 7" bichir? A bad plan from the start. I assure you the missing nostrils did not come from transporting. I recommend putting in a separate tank, let them heal, and let them grow larger before attempting to put in your main tank. You have watched them carefully? When the lights are out? Set up a night cam and you'll be surprised how fish behave differently when the lights are out.

So to answer your q, no your set-up is not suitable for the bichirs.... and in general bichirs prefer dim lighting. good luck.
 
Thanks for your response. I have only had the fish for a few hours, therefore i am confident that the fish was not harmed by its tank-mates. I am worried about their nostrils as you have said that it is not a minor injury, what could i do to help them out ? I have a 180g tank that i can set-up if it seems like the other fish are giving the birchirs a hard time. I cant wrap my mind around my ck trying to eat them as i have 1inch malwis swimming around just fine. My LFS notified me about the fish just as they came in, and as my mom was in the area she collected them for me so i didn't get a chance to see them myself and noticed the injuries about 10mins after adding the fish to my tank and inspecting them. I have spoken to my mom know after showing her the injured fish, she did tell me that when catching them the one did fall on the floor which could explain the displaced scales. I really want to get these fish in tip top shape like the rest of my collection, what could i do about the missing external nostrils, as they are not a minor injury i would therefore expect a complicated treatment process to bring the fish back to health?

thanks for all of your comments they are appreciated !
 
The nostrils might or might not grow back. Usually they do, but it's not a guarantee. Keep the water clean, feed them well and keep them stress free and they should heal up.
Bichirs like subdued lighting. If your tank is bright, give them some shaded areas and some good hiding spots.
 
Sorry for the late response, but totally agree with JamesF.... to add..
Even with dim lights give it good hiding spots to reduce stress...and add 1 tablespoon of aquarium salt for every 5 gallons of water. ... until it gets better.... once its better no need to to continue using salt... only replace amount taken out during your water changes.
 
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