Two weeks ago or so I noticed that my subdominant adult male Orangehead was showing a bit of HiTH and had a cut on his side. I decided that the cut was likely from being chased into the broken sharp edge of a thermometer that I discovered had broken (I swear - the next thermometer or heater I find that is truly reliable will be the first). I removed the broken piece, made sure the temp was steady at 84 (OHs get HiTH below 82, in my experience), and added salt and melafix.
Then I went to the Super Bowl.
When I came back, he had at least 4 more scratch-like wounds around his face, the HiTH was more like a crater in the head, and he was swimming listlessly, kind of tilted over slightly to the right.
I kept a close watch on them for a bit and noticed that the meanest fish in the tank is the lead Juvenile - I have 2 adult males, 1 adult female, and 8 adolescents in the tank - and he was really getting after him, as well as being a real jerk to the rest of the bunch too.
So I kind of wonder if maybe he was hurt/wounded initially and then his weak state led to him being picked on (not a new phenomenon), or if he just got picked on by a breeding pair (the other adults breed regularly, and the lead juvenile has attempted to as well). But I'm totally confused by the fact that these wounds look like knife cuts, not bites.
Anyway, I netted him out and put him in a 20g growout where I had 6 orange Uaru that were too big for that tank anyway and 5 of the smaller orangeheads. I dumped those 11 into the main tank and gave him a nice clean home that is warm, salty, and aerated. He was still feisty when I tried to net him out, which is a good sign, and he seems happy in there, aside from the gaping red cuts.
Meanwhile, the new orangeheads are being harrassed mercilessly by the alpha juvy, who is darting around chasing everyone and lip locking with the one who was the alpha in the growout. I swear, I have more aggression among my peaceful orangeheads than I do among the demasoni I keep in a smaller tank in the kitchen. Seriously.
Has anyone else experienced this? What about cuts on a fish? Could my suspicions be wrong? Is it possible that another fish is the culprit? Do ghost knifes ever cut/attack? I've just never seen wounds like this on a fish.
Stock list:
2 adult OH (m,f)
13 juvy OH (sexes unknown, 5 added after removing this guy)
5 Satanoperca (4 leucosticta, 1 red lip)
1 big female Uaru A
6 young orange Uaru (added just now)
1 ghost knife
1 black arowana
That's a lot of fish but before yesterday it was just 3,8,5,1,1,1.
Then I went to the Super Bowl.
When I came back, he had at least 4 more scratch-like wounds around his face, the HiTH was more like a crater in the head, and he was swimming listlessly, kind of tilted over slightly to the right.
I kept a close watch on them for a bit and noticed that the meanest fish in the tank is the lead Juvenile - I have 2 adult males, 1 adult female, and 8 adolescents in the tank - and he was really getting after him, as well as being a real jerk to the rest of the bunch too.
So I kind of wonder if maybe he was hurt/wounded initially and then his weak state led to him being picked on (not a new phenomenon), or if he just got picked on by a breeding pair (the other adults breed regularly, and the lead juvenile has attempted to as well). But I'm totally confused by the fact that these wounds look like knife cuts, not bites.
Anyway, I netted him out and put him in a 20g growout where I had 6 orange Uaru that were too big for that tank anyway and 5 of the smaller orangeheads. I dumped those 11 into the main tank and gave him a nice clean home that is warm, salty, and aerated. He was still feisty when I tried to net him out, which is a good sign, and he seems happy in there, aside from the gaping red cuts.
Meanwhile, the new orangeheads are being harrassed mercilessly by the alpha juvy, who is darting around chasing everyone and lip locking with the one who was the alpha in the growout. I swear, I have more aggression among my peaceful orangeheads than I do among the demasoni I keep in a smaller tank in the kitchen. Seriously.
Has anyone else experienced this? What about cuts on a fish? Could my suspicions be wrong? Is it possible that another fish is the culprit? Do ghost knifes ever cut/attack? I've just never seen wounds like this on a fish.
Stock list:
2 adult OH (m,f)
13 juvy OH (sexes unknown, 5 added after removing this guy)
5 Satanoperca (4 leucosticta, 1 red lip)
1 big female Uaru A
6 young orange Uaru (added just now)
1 ghost knife
1 black arowana
That's a lot of fish but before yesterday it was just 3,8,5,1,1,1.
