Severum not eating/lethargic

[cmsbthebest]

Hey guys,

For the past 5 days, one of my Severums (2 year old 8 inch Green) has become very lethargic and not eaten at all. He shows no visible signs of disease, injury or stress.

He's in a 125 gallon tank and I do 60% water changes weekly. There hasn't been a fish added to this tank for about 7 months, and everyone else is great, including my other Severums who just finished breeding again.

I'm wondering if he may be constipated. I feed a variety of prepared foods (NLS sinking pellets, Hikari gold floating pellets, NLS flakes, NLS algae pellets) and have tried feeding greens(lettuce, zucchini) to him multiple times, but he always spits them out. He also is not very into the algae pellets. I know Severums need a plant heavy diet and he is clearly not getting that even though I have been offering them to him.

Would treating the tank with epsom salt be a good idea? If so, how much per gallon?

Thanks

 

[kno4te]

Would check ur water parameter numbers. You can add the Epsom salt, 1 tbsp per 5g. But I’d try feeding some hex shield soaked in garlic or bloodworm juice. If not then dose some api general cure and see if it can eat and feed some hex shield.

 

[A&A]

Would check ur water parameter numbers. You can add the Epsom salt, 1 tbsp per 5g. But I’d try feeding some hex shield soaked in garlic or bloodworm juice. If not then dose some api general cure and see if it can eat and feed some hex shield.

You learn something new everyday! I did not know you could purchase bloodworm juice. I'm sure it is not great for water quality but I may try to use some at some point to get my piranha onto pellets.

 

[kno4te]

Can’t buy bloodworm juice. But buy some bloodworms and soak it in the thawed out bloodworms.

 

[cmsbthebest]

Would check ur water parameter numbers. You can add the Epsom salt, 1 tbsp per 5g. But I’d try feeding some hex shield soaked in garlic or bloodworm juice. If not then dose some api general cure and see if it can eat and feed some hex shield.

Thanks for the advice.

When I got home from work today, I went to watch the tank and see how he was doing. He seemed a bit more active so I took the container of pellets and shook it in front of the tank to see if he would react and beg for food, and he did, just like normal!

Seeing this I put a few pellets to see if he would eat, and he immediately went for one, grabbed it, tried to bite and then spit it out and shook really violently. He then settled down facing the glass and I could see in his mouth that there is some kind of growth on one side, which could be an infected wound or maybe a tumor(?).

I am going to make sure I pick up the pace on water changes and add some aquarium salt, and see how it does over the next few days. Today was the first day he's even attempted to go for food so he may be feeling a bit better

 

[duanes]

Take a pic, focusing on getting a clear view of the growth.

 

[..puSkar..]

Thanks for the advice.

When I got home from work today, I went to watch the tank and see how he was doing. He seemed a bit more active so I took the container of pellets and shook it in front of the tank to see if he would react and beg for food, and he did, just like normal!

Seeing this I put a few pellets to see if he would eat, and he immediately went for one, grabbed it, tried to bite and then spit it out and shook really violently. He then settled down facing the glass and I could see in his mouth that there is some kind of growth on one side, which could be an infected wound or maybe a tumor(?).

I am going to make sure I pick up the pace on water changes and add some aquarium salt, and see how it does over the next few days. Today was the first day he's even attempted to go for food so he may be feeling a bit better

Updates?

 

[cmsbthebest]

Updates?

Kept up on water changes and added aquarium salt

Still no visible signs of stress, he's a little lethargic but not as much as before, but still not eating....

His mouth looks a little better, I want to get a photo but its basically impossible, its inside and like a light red. He definitely had a lip wound a few weeks ago that has healed and idk if it is related to this. I'm also still a bit concerned it could be a tumor of some sort.

Everyone else is in the tank is doing great, no weird poop anywhere either.

If he doesn't eat by Tuesday I'm going to pick up a tub of General Cure and treat the whole tank.

 

[cmsbthebest]

So I spent some time trying to get a photo, and this is the best I could get. You can clearly see something is up on the outside of the lip, a few weeks ago it was more red and damaged (lip locking injury). If you look inside his mouth (which you cant really see here), there is red inflammation. I really lean towards it being an infected injury, and I’m hoping it gets better with clean water and salt, but so far that has not worked....

 

[..puSkar..]

Yes it indeed is a lip injury . If it's just from lip locking or maybe a bash on something , it must heal by itself without any meds. But if it's some kind of pathogen it will require meds. Sorry but I've not yet dealt with it , maybe others with 1st hand experience could help. kno4te Charney