shedding slime coat
- Thread starter aidenb
- Start date
SLIMECOAT
Is a mucous created by the continal replacement of glandular cells know in the fishes skin that produce a glycoprotein which is called mucin. This when mixed with water forms the mucus that makes up the slime coat of fish.Fish with poorly developed scales tend to produce more of this slime coat.. The slime coat does threee basci things- it reduces turbulence for the fish when swimming by smoothing over the areas between the fishes scales-it helps regulate the internal/external ionic balance and the efficiency of gases exchanged through the skins surface-ie-osmoregullation and it provides a slipery surface that in it's sloughing off prevents bacteria from attching themselves to the skin. Bacteria is simply washed away from the skin with this process. It also aids in acting as a wound bandage.Stressed fish have a change in their slime coat-either too much or too little.One sign of a stressed bichir is usually overproduction of its slimecoat
loss of slimecoat can be caused by stress,bacterial infection or parasitic infestation
of costia.keepyour water chemistry as good as possible the slimecoat should return in 24-36 hours.Is all the slimecoat gone or just patches? and what tankmates are there?
Is a mucous created by the continal replacement of glandular cells know in the fishes skin that produce a glycoprotein which is called mucin. This when mixed with water forms the mucus that makes up the slime coat of fish.Fish with poorly developed scales tend to produce more of this slime coat.. The slime coat does threee basci things- it reduces turbulence for the fish when swimming by smoothing over the areas between the fishes scales-it helps regulate the internal/external ionic balance and the efficiency of gases exchanged through the skins surface-ie-osmoregullation and it provides a slipery surface that in it's sloughing off prevents bacteria from attching themselves to the skin. Bacteria is simply washed away from the skin with this process. It also aids in acting as a wound bandage.Stressed fish have a change in their slime coat-either too much or too little.One sign of a stressed bichir is usually overproduction of its slimecoat
loss of slimecoat can be caused by stress,bacterial infection or parasitic infestation
of costia.keepyour water chemistry as good as possible the slimecoat should return in 24-36 hours.Is all the slimecoat gone or just patches? and what tankmates are there?
Hey Anne, when a bichir over-produces its slime coat due to stress does it cloud the water? Cos I just took out my 10" ornate to prepare its new 4x1.5x1.5 home, currently housing it in a 2x1x1.5 tank (sorry I don't use gallons in Singapore, will try and convert later) for afew weeks. Things are quite stable as in he doesn't seem to be too agitated, I also tend to leave him alone. I even turn off the filter every night to give him about 8hrs of total silence. The water is significantly cloudy despite 20% water changes once every 2-3 days and I'm wondering if it is due to the slime coat. I'm also wondering what else I could to to relieve his stress while I hurry to finish his home? Thanks..
I'd know about the slime coat, but you could give him a cave to hide in. How much are you feeding him? And I don't think turning off the filter is a good idea when the water is cloudy, the BB my be dieing and having to start over again the next time you restart the filter.
Yes leave the filter on and cutback waterchanges to 20% weekly.Odds are the cloudiness is source water truning into tank water(there is a diffeence) and your water change schedule coud be messing up this natural process.The cloudiness is kinda of white correct?To dbl check put some tank water in a white cup.if theres a green tinge to it,its algae if it stays white its a bacterial bloom
''she also tried to eat a pleco and failed before she shed'' I'm betting the source of the stress is in quotes