need help with sick gar

[smartlove_518]

hi guys

one of my gars has been sick for 5 days now..it was originally in my 180 gallon tank with 2 other gars an aro and 2 bichirs. around 5 days back i came home to see it upside down bt swimming properly. it was weird because it didnt look sick but just wasnt asble to keep itself upright. i transferred it to a smaller hospital tank with water level just enough for the gar to be in water so it can breather easily. now the gar is upright again but whenever i increase the water level it flips again upside down. its not eating but again strangely it dosent look like a sick gar..i am not able to add any heater an filter to the tank due to the water level. i make water changes daily though. what else can i do to make sure my gar gets better.

thank you

 

[angryinsect]

heat would help alot, add some salt to the water aswell

 

[smartlove_518]

heat would help alot, add some salt to the water aswell

the water level is so low the heater would not be able to submerge fully. i tried a heater. if the heater does not submerge completely the glass will crack and shock the fish. if i raise the water level a little more the fish goes upside down. is adding salt safe for gars?

 

[E_americanus]

don't worry about the heat as long as the water is near room temperature in this case. salt is fine with gars, but keep a lower concentration...in this case go with 1 tbsp per 10g of water...so adjust for your water level.

may want to keep an aerator in the tank so there is plenty of O2. this is a very strange situation, so hopefully it is just some sort of equilibrium imbalance and it will snap back to normal soon. keep us posted, and good luck--
--solomon

 

[smartlove_518]

don't worry about the heat as long as the water is near room temperature in this case. salt is fine with gars, but keep a lower concentration...in this case go with 1 tbsp per 10g of water...so adjust for your water level.

may want to keep an aerator in the tank so there is plenty of O2. this is a very strange situation, so hopefully it is just some sort of equilibrium imbalance and it will snap back to normal soon. keep us posted, and good luck--
--solomon

thanx solomon for the reply. i have added a very small amount of salt in the tank. it does look like an equilibrium imbalance. but the fish hasnt been able to snap out of it as yet. its into day 6 right now. still looks healthy but not able to stay upright. actually yesterday night i filled the tank half full with water and noticed that the gar was able to stay upright. i left the water level high for about 30 mins and decided to lower it again. this could mean gar is recovering right? will keep monitoring and will keep you posted.
thank you

 

[smartlove_518]

this is an update of my sick gar..after a month and 23 days my gar has finally eaten for the first time..i really dont know how it stayed hungry that long..the balance seems to have got better..the gar look thin but it has started to eat today..