Senegal Bichirs suddenly not eating.

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Ponera

Candiru
MFK Member
Nov 2, 2012
341
23
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Calgary, Alberta
Hey,

So I have three senegal bichirs. Nothing has changed in the tank in over 6 months. I have tried doing more water changes but they are pale and not eating a food that they've eaten happily for four years.

I've given them broad spectrum antibiotics and just put some prazipro in for good measure.

What could be causing this sudden distaste for food?
 
What are u feeding the group? What's ur feeding schedule? Size of your sens? How big is the tank? Ur water parameters? Tank mates? Those things I would suggest need to be answered in order to help.
 
No tank mates other than 3 black cone snails and three nerite snails, all 6 of which have been in the tank 2 years or more. Three small captive bred senegals intended to grow up in this 45 gallon before I moved them but they simply just don't grow very fast. They eat New life Spectrum medium fish formula daily and typically eat every pellet in sight. All three bichirs have been established, with the oldest being about 4 years old. They are only about 6 inches and they are increasingly skinny lately.

The water parameters I'm not sure on, but I did just do a bunch of water changes (3 20% ones this week) incase that was an issue. I even did gravel cleaning.

There are 4 plants in the tank but they are all established for about a year as well. Literally nothing in WC regimes, filter cleanings, gravel cleanings, food, tankmates, frequency of feeding or anything within my power that I know of has really changed in the last few months.
 
I would suggest cutting back on feedings. Every other day feeding. So times this will peak interest in food. They are gonna plateau for growth now a bit. Vary the diet(tilapia,shrimp,earthworms etc) and do 1-2 wc's a week (50%) and that depends on ur water numbers. But the other members will chime in for sure.
 
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That could be it but they already haven't really eaten in like 5 days cause of their fast- all the food just rots at the bottom and i have to clean it up.

I was thinking maybe some feeder fish, but every time I get feeder fish I wind up with some ****in illness in my tank. Maybe shrimp is the answer, they haven't had it in years.
 
Try some tilapia. It works almost every time.

Keep in mind 5 days w/o food is ok. Not ideal but will survive eventually starts to eat.
 
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The healthiest of the three (previously) is so sick apparently that I can basically pick him up and he flops over. He's basically gasping on the bottom. The other two suddenly are more healthy than him.
 
Definitely shouldn't be able to do that. Hope things turn around.

Aerating the tank?
 
I totally agree with kno4te kno4te . Personally I would use the time of not feeding to do a wc, and test the water parameters. I highly recommend a varied diet as stated.:)
 
I think the reason the other two aren't feeding is because they are used to being pushed aside from the dominant one. The dominant one is the one sitting at the bottom, gasping for any air.

The tank is not aerated as they are bichirs which frequently go to the top for gulps anyways. It also is planted so it's not exactly devoid of oxygen. It's something wrong with his gills and the other two are fine but just not used to eating first or something? Either way dosed with anti biotics for 4 days so far and added prazipro today.

So weird since there have been no changes in 6+ months.
 
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