Pike is coughing

[Ang]

Well obviously i know he isn't coughing. But that is the motion he is making.

It looks like a cough. He has stopped eating since a few days ago.

He looks interested in food, but before trying to take any he does this coughing thing.

Could there be something lodged in his throat or something

The last things he ate were some bottom feeder wafers. Those little green wafers. He saw them and just went for them.
No he doesnt want anything. And I noticed this weird behavior


Should I take him out and look down his throat? Not sure what to do.

He is otherwise acting normal. He'll swim around exploring and being normal. His fins are clear, scales are clear, eyes are clear.

All other fish are eating. Except my Oscar who is normally a male Diva that goes on fasts when he is pissed off about something.


Nitrite - 0
Ammonia - 0
Nitrate - 10

Temp is up to 82,
Tank is 125 gallons.
2 Fluval 404's,
1 Fluval 304

Have been doing water changes every other day since he stopped eating.
Added aquarium salt to the tank.


So should i take him out and look down his throat?

 

[dragonfish18]

i think something might be loged in or just a cut at the roof of the moth. i had my cichla do that for a few days apprently a piece of something was stuck after it threw up in the bag it was shipped to me in.

 

[jcardona1]

i'd take a look. i had a cichlid do the same thing and he couldnt close his mouth. dummy tried to swallow a huge scale that fell off my silver aro and it was stuck in his throat

 

[knifegill]

Yep. Try getting a look behind his gills, too. My O sometimes gets cricket legs in there and does a sort of choking, coughing motion until he gets it loose.

 

[Ang]

i'd take a look. i had a cichlid do the same thing and he couldnt close his mouth. dummy tried to swallow a huge scale that fell off my silver aro and it was stuck in his throat

that is so weird.



ok, i'll try and look.. EEk.. i hate taking fish out of the tank.
(it makes me feel bad, like they wont trust me anymore)

 

[Ang]

Ok, i got him out. Now i feel terrible.
But while i had him out i measured him and took some pictures.

I DID open his mouth and look all over. I just dont have pictures of that, cause i couldnt hold him, hold the camera at the same time, he would fight.



BUT I DIDN'T FIND ANYTHING.. Now i'm back to square one. What the heck is his problem?

Here's some pictures in case any fish Doctors on the site can see anything wrong that I can't.


There was this little dimple. Felt a little hard under it. Don't know if its bone there or cartilage.
It would help to know fish anatomy.

 

[mbeatrice]

my ebjd started the same thing coughing then stoped eating but he acted like he was intrested in eating and acted normal for a coupel more days . it ended up being blought or a internal parasite because of the long stringy white poo and the fat belly....

 

[Ang]

well, here's some more history.

My oscar has been fighting of HITH for a while now. Just a hole here and there, that quickly heal. I dont get it, but whatever.
(i've been through the list. no carbon, got a ground probe, 50% water changes each week, adding salt, good filtration, raising temp)
I've even treated with Metro before EXCEPT that I dont think i dosed enough the last time i did it.

So I got some Jungle parasite treatment to kill off any possible Heximita. Did 4 rounds of treatment per the directions, turned off the UV. Etc etc.
and did 25-50% water changes before each dose.

Treatment is now done. I did a 50% water change after the last dose.

everyone looks fantastic and I've been dosing the tank with Melafix/Pimafix just to kill off anything else that might be lurking.

I'm on the 3rd day of Pimafix/Melafix. Everyone, like i said is looking fabulous. My Oscar is looking better than ever.
And everyone is eating.... .Exept my pike.

I dont get it. Nothing I did should have made one of my fish sick.

And he LOOKS good. Except for the not eating and coughing thing.

 

[Ang]

BTW. He doesnt "cough" non-stop. Its here and there and mostly when I feed. He'll SEE the food and start "coughing". Wont actually try to take any of it.

and the not eating is definitely not normal. He would eat anything before this and would eat every day.

 

[mbeatrice]

check its crap and what does it diet consist of..