Brought 2 spotted Gar in Australia 2 weeks ago these fish where is such bad condition one passed away.. the other started eating but was having swim bladder issues and is bloated in the tail end. The Gar is only 12cm or 4.7inch... the vet cant help i tryed, this is an exotic species here and cost me $700 for the 2.... any advice i know these are lung fish... He is surface stuck and deteriorating fast.
Spotted Gar issue please help.
- Thread starter Witness83
- Start date
Lower the water level asap. So it won’t be too pressured from the water. If able to keep in a qt tank then do so. Epsom salt 1tbs per 5gallons then add prazipro and any broad spectrum abx. Don’t feed for now and re-evaluate.
Are you able to post a video of it swimming?
It sounds like it might be a spiral valve infection. Treatment for this would be tetracycline.
It sounds like it might be a spiral valve infection. Treatment for this would be tetracycline.
Added Epsom salt, broad spectrum ABX, cant quarantine or lower water levels..but he is solo in his tank so can treat with out upsetting any other fish. Also thank you very much for the help, Gar are unheard of here and they are such a beautiful animal it would be a crying shame to have this guy also die. I brought them from a dodgy bloke in sydney Im spewing about the condition of the animals dont worry i let him know all about it... think hes a Triad but so dont wanna go too far with it.
Major surgery to lower water levels more than 25% my tank is amazing but also has some issues as the custom Aquadecore background dictates where my heater sits and also not sure how my filter will feel with less than 75% water... i did notice that was your first piece of advice... lower water level... how do they go in un cycled tanks? i could buy a small one i suppose its not a major issue but not sure if that will kill him anyway...
Lowering the water will decrease hydrostatic pressure on the fish and may allow it to regulate swim bladder better... can you turn off the heater and put another one sideways in the tank temporarily? Looks like the seller is shady, not worth complaining to especially if connected to mob
Thats a great idea... cheaper than new tank... Done... my next question is how long should i leave him in the medicated water? Im sorry for question bombing and being annoying but the information here (Aus) for Gar is non existent, My fish expiriance is with cichlids... oscars and they are 6ft and bullet proof at 2 inches long (attitude anyway). I read the bottle and it just has dose not time needed.... 500L tank or 132 gallon... added the Ebsom salt at 12noon today meds at 1pm... Pryor to this forum i have had a very hard time getting any information from anyone. (pet shops and Vets) Is this common in Spotted/Florida Gars?
