Syno barbel problems.

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Eupterus

Eupterus

Gambusia
MFK Member
Dec 11, 2006
934
2
16
Bennington, VT
About half of my Syno. Eupterus group are having barbel problems. In one case, the barbels are more then half gone. They seem healthy otherwise. I'm already planning to change the substrate, but I doubt this is the cause since they've lived on this substrate for years, but half of them have no barbel problems.
Planning to test the water to rule out any water quality issues, but once again, water problems would affect them all too if there were any.

Brief details:
There are six of them, they live in a 150 species tank with a Fluval FX5 for filtration.
Any ideas of what is up?.
 
barbel burn is an indicator of poor water parameters. i would also gravel vac the bottom also. Could they be fighting?
 
Concerning water quality problems, I just hope not. Because that means they'll need even more filtration on top of that huge canister filter and the power filter I forgot to mention in the last post.
As for fighting, they seem to get along well. They seem to shoal together loosely sometimes.
 
Barbel loss in catfish is usually a bacterial problem caused by poor water quality. Increase the amount and frequency of your water changes. Clean the substrate during water changes.
 
I took out about1/3 of the gravel and rinsed it in a bucket...Too afraid to disrupt the cycle to clean it all at once. Also added in some marbles.
 
OK, I tested the syno tank water today for nitrite, nitrates and ammonia. Checks out fine. Only thing I found of note is detritus in the flowerpots.
 
Ammonia started raising after I cleaned the filter . So I did a couple of large water changes and added in zeolite. I don't think this helped out at all as he was already doing badly when the water quality was good. Have since moved this syno into the same thirty gal sick tank and now don't know what to do further.
This syno is skinny, was resting on the bottom, breathing heavily and now appears restless after being moved into the sick tank. .I have just noticed his anus appears a bit swollen, though this might be because he's very thin. Need a diagnosis of what is going on with him right now *ASAP or I think I'll lose him.
Should I be treating for parasites or bacteria?. I took some pictures with my phone, but I don't know how to attach it to a computer, only know how to send it to other people via their phone number.

* Just want to save him right now, then I'll continue to troubleshoot whatever made him sick in the main tank. He's going to live alone in that sick tank for a while if he makes it.
 
He's still hanging in there. Based on info on the internet, I have diagnosed him an internal bacteria infection. It's been very tricky to find out which meds are safe to use. I don't even know if the antibotics that I put in are the right ones for internal infections or if they are working.
 
He's still alive, but skinny and my fear is if the infection is not stopped , he'll starve...Which did happen to me with a female betta who recovered from dropsy treatment and then never resumed eating and died despite that the dropsy was cured.
 
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