Senegal bichir lump on stomach

[Irecruitfish]

Does he get to a point where he stops eating or does he just keep gorging himself? Maybe get him super full first and then feed the cats. I wonder if you can train him to eat on one side of the tank and the cats on the other. At least so they can get some before he gobbles it up.

Do you ever feed cut up tilapia fish, silversides, live earthworms, or krill? Bloodworms are more of a treat type food for these guys.

He seems to scour the entire tank for food and eventually finds all hiding spots. I feed bloodworms once a week or so. Never fed tilapia fish, silversides, live earthworms, or krill. I'll definitely try some of those soon! Thx for the suggestion. With spring around the corner there's bound to be tons of earthworms that will wash up in my driveway. Are those safe to feed? I'm assuming I'd need to wash them off possibly quarantine them too.

 

[ShanerBock888]

He seems to scour the entire tank for food and eventually finds all hiding spots. I feed bloodworms once a week or so. Never fed tilapia fish, silversides, live earthworms, or krill. I'll definitely try some of those soon! Thx for the suggestion. With spring around the corner there's bound to be tons of earthworms that will wash up in my driveway. Are those safe to feed? I'm assuming I'd need to wash them off possibly quarantine them too.

It depends on where you live, whether you use pesticides or any chemicals on your yard, or if there's any reason they might be contaminated. I live in a rural town, have a lot of woods, never use any pesticides or anything on my yard, so I feed worms to my fish all summer and never have any issues. Some people might disagree though. Still, you might be better off digging through a leaf pile instead of finding them on your driveway which is more likely to have contaminants

 

[ShanerBock888]

Oh and be aware that earthworms are (or contain) a laxative, so you don't want to over do it

 

[Irecruitfish]

It depends on where you live, whether you use pesticides or any chemicals on your yard, or if there's any reason they might be contaminated. I live in a rural town, have a lot of woods, never use any pesticides or anything on my yard, so I feed worms to my fish all summer and never have any issues. Some people might disagree though. Still, you might be better off digging through a leaf pile instead of finding them on your driveway which is more likely to have contaminants

Good point! I do use fertilizers for my trees and grass so I'll scratch the idea of using my bloodworms.

 

[Irecruitfish]

The lump is back. I've tried Epsom salt again but this time I just used tank water mixed the salt in a cup. Is that ok? I have had this bichir for 2 years and growth has been extremely slow so I feel like something isn't right. It's fed decently. Carnivore pellets, shrimp pellets, and occasional bloodworms.

He's always hungry but after it eats pellets you can still see the lump there 24 hours later.

 

[kno4te]

Wouldn’t worry if it’s occuring after eating and acting normal. Can add a one time dose of Epsom salt. Would just make sure it doesn’t overeat. This seems to be the cause. Just make sure it’s not due to the gravel. This is a big problem with cb polys, overeating.

 

[Irecruitfish]

Ok thanks!

 

[Irecruitfish]

Wouldn’t worry if it’s occuring after eating and acting normal. Can add a one time dose of Epsom salt. Would just make sure it doesn’t overeat. This seems to be the cause. Just make sure it’s not due to the gravel. This is a big problem with cb polys, overeating.

So the Epsom salt didn't work. I soaked it's food in it. I starved it for 3 days and the lump is oddly still there. I do have gravel and sand in my tank. But the worst thing is I noticed a long string of white colored poop from the bichir.

Should I treat the tank with prazipro? I'm assuming there is an internal parasite? Or if this is the cause of eating gravel how do I stop it from doing this?

 

[kno4te]

If it’s not better then maybe from a defect in the fish belly. Wouldn’t treat with prazi as it’s not from a parasite.

Would change the gravel to sand. As long as it’s acting normal then just watch when being fed.

 

[Irecruitfish]

If it’s not better then maybe from a defect in the fish belly. Wouldn’t treat with prazi as it’s not from a parasite.

Would change the gravel to sand. As long as it’s acting normal then just watch when being fed.

Thanks so much for confirming! What a bummer. I really liked the gravel/sand setup. I've seen it suck pellets up from the gravel floor but never witnessed it. Something definitely is happening when I'm starving it though. Any chance you think the lump could be from MTS's? maybe it's snacking on those?