First of all. Please excuse my English. Its not my first language.
I bought 2 Spotted gars, around 6 inches, about 7 weeks ago. Live feeding isnt allowed here ,nor wanted, so they have been living in a bare bottom 20gallon tank so I could establish them eating before I move them to a bigger tank.
First month none of them ate anything. I tried different sort of white fish, shrimp, pellets, krill, live earthworm. One of them turned very skinny (called him Needle) with a bent back. He could swim fine tho so I wasnt sure if he had hit a wall or if it was malnutrision.
The other one was just as fuzzy bout the food, but he was in better shape in the first place.
Then after a month the biggest started to accept shrimp. 2 days later Needle started to eat as well. They have been eating very fine for 3 weeks. Needled prolly double the size (in width) and the bent back became better. They still only accepted shrimp, nothing else, but have eaten it very willingly.
Last week they both started to become paler. I didnt think too much about it until they stopped eating with 1 day between them. They also seems more skittish and they movements are more rapid and almost like spasm sometimes. Needle has also an S-shape body now and some issues swimming it seems. He swims and move all his fins, but sometimes rolls around and it almost looks painful to move.
I have done 30% water change every other day since i got them and cleaned up any debree from the bottom at the same time. The filter was well established in another tank before I put them in. I did have a major glass scrub 2 weeks ago, but i changed 80% of the water right away and then 50% the day after and then back to 30%. I was so relievd when they started to eat and gained weight, but now im actually more worried than earlier. Starvation is one thing, but im wondering of they are sick.
Any suggestion to what I should do, dont do, could do?
I bought 2 Spotted gars, around 6 inches, about 7 weeks ago. Live feeding isnt allowed here ,nor wanted, so they have been living in a bare bottom 20gallon tank so I could establish them eating before I move them to a bigger tank.
First month none of them ate anything. I tried different sort of white fish, shrimp, pellets, krill, live earthworm. One of them turned very skinny (called him Needle) with a bent back. He could swim fine tho so I wasnt sure if he had hit a wall or if it was malnutrision.
The other one was just as fuzzy bout the food, but he was in better shape in the first place.
Then after a month the biggest started to accept shrimp. 2 days later Needle started to eat as well. They have been eating very fine for 3 weeks. Needled prolly double the size (in width) and the bent back became better. They still only accepted shrimp, nothing else, but have eaten it very willingly.
Last week they both started to become paler. I didnt think too much about it until they stopped eating with 1 day between them. They also seems more skittish and they movements are more rapid and almost like spasm sometimes. Needle has also an S-shape body now and some issues swimming it seems. He swims and move all his fins, but sometimes rolls around and it almost looks painful to move.
I have done 30% water change every other day since i got them and cleaned up any debree from the bottom at the same time. The filter was well established in another tank before I put them in. I did have a major glass scrub 2 weeks ago, but i changed 80% of the water right away and then 50% the day after and then back to 30%. I was so relievd when they started to eat and gained weight, but now im actually more worried than earlier. Starvation is one thing, but im wondering of they are sick.
Any suggestion to what I should do, dont do, could do?
