Tank setup for handicapped convict

[Industrial]

Just out of curiosity, how much do vets normally charge to X-ray fish? I had a black moor with a severe swim bladder problem that I was considering getting x-rayed.

That is awesome that you set up the special tank for him. Really nice looking convict too, do you know what kind he is?

 

[mike b]

thank you for not giving up on your con I too have a soft spot for cons they are one of the most under rated and abused cichlids Ive seen its awesome when some one comes along thats willing to put forth the effort to care for their pet regardless of what it is although it being a convict is pretty special

 

[Natalie]

Can't you implant some styrofoam where his swim bladder used to be to get him closer to neutral buoyancy?

Sorry I just saw these newer posts...

I tried using tissue glue to glue a bit of styrofoam to his dorsal fin. I thought maybe if I could get him up and off the bottom of the tank, that he'd recover more quickly. WRONG! It was a disaster. He's such a feisty fish that I couldn't hold him still long enough for the tissue glue to dry. He fought me the entire way. He ended up with some tissue glue on a few of his scales which caused a nasty inflammatory reaction, so I said, "Forget it." He would have needed sedation to put the styrofoam on, and from what I've heard, the styrofoam tends to fall off every few days with that method. I didn't want to have to sedate him every few days.

Just out of curiosity, how much do vets normally charge to X-ray fish? I had a black moor with a severe swim bladder problem that I was considering getting x-rayed.

That is awesome that you set up the special tank for him. Really nice looking convict too, do you know what kind he is?

Thanks for the comment! This guy is a marble convict (also called "calico" by some). They're pretty hard to find in the aquarium trade, which is a shame because they're my favorite coloration.

Radiograph charges will vary but I would estimate somewhere in the range of $40-75 for the cost. If you go to a teaching hospital, it may be more, or less, depending on if they can use the pet as a teaching case. If sedation is needed, price can also go up.

thank you for not giving up on your con I too have a soft spot for cons they are one of the most under rated and abused cichlids Ive seen its awesome when some one comes along thats willing to put forth the effort to care for their pet regardless of what it is although it being a convict is pretty special

Aw thanks, I love convicts too. They are one of my favorite cichlid species!

There is good news in this update. My convict is actually getting better! Ever since I moved him from the 29g to the 40g, he's thrived in the extra space. He no longer lies on his side (ever!). Now he sits upright on his chest and can swim throughout the aquarium for up to 20 seconds at a time. He always has to rest on the bottom, but he looks like he's getting "lighter", if you know what I mean. It takes no effort for him to swim, whereas he used to get exhausted just trying to get off the bottom. I truly believe he will eventually be back to 100%!

I'm also updating his tank with a 3D background! I bought this...

It's an Aquaterra Amazon Tree background. Hopefully it'll get here soon. I also took advantage of the Petco $1 per gallon sale and bought a new 40g breeder tank to replace the one I currently have which has tons of scratches and crappy silicone.

On the forum, I found a really cool thread with suggestions for making bare bottom tanks more realistic looking. The solution is to spray the outside surface of the bottom with a textured stone spraypaint! It supposedly makes the tank look like it has a sand bottom (even though it's still bare). I bought some today at Lowe's and I'm going to test it out on a 10g. If it looks good, my 40g will be sprayed as well. Can't wait to get the tank finished!

 

[xrayjeeper83]

That is a really cool xray, I may take one of my crayfish to work and xray it one day. Or my betta.

Would love to do it with my puffer but it will have to wait till he dies, since its so dangerous to take them out of water.

 

[Younglin]

The solution is to spray the outside surface of the bottom with a textured stone spraypaint!

In my experience the end result never looks like it says it will on the can. By that I mean the color it turns out to actually be, doesn't really look like the can says it will.

 

[JK47]

Start growing your pothos plant now (that is what I use and what is pictured above) it will take a couple weeks to get it converted to aquatic use and start thriving. Live plants do WONDERS in a tank, especially for fish who need supremly clean water. House plants consume ammonia before nitrates, avoiding the nitrogen cycle all together and massivly lowering your disolved organics. Using your filters for more mechanical capabilities will help since its bare bottom. Have you thought about a 3D bottom? < never seen it done before.

(I have a pleco tank that has no filter at all, only houseplants. Cleanest tank in my house and I only top it off. No water changes) great job with him Natalie!

 

[Natalie]

In my experience the end result never looks like it says it will on the can. By that I mean the color it turns out to actually be, doesn't really look like the can says it will.

I was concerned about that, so I'm testing out the paint on a 10g before I commit to the 40g. So far, with 3 coats it looks pretty good. I want to see it with water in it and LED lights shining before I decide this is the right color.

Start growing your pothos plant now (that is what I use and what is pictured above) it will take a couple weeks to get it converted to aquatic use and start thriving. Live plants do WONDERS in a tank, especially for fish who need supremly clean water. House plants consume ammonia before nitrates, avoiding the nitrogen cycle all together and massivly lowering your disolved organics. Using your filters for more mechanical capabilities will help since its bare bottom. Have you thought about a 3D bottom? < never seen it done before.

(I have a pleco tank that has no filter at all, only houseplants. Cleanest tank in my house and I only top it off. No water changes) great job with him Natalie!

Hmm never thought about adding a house plant... Does the tank have to be open top?
I did briefly think about a 3D bottom but the texture on most of them is like sandpaper, haha. I wouldn't want him to get injured since he's always on the bottom.

That is a really cool xray, I may take one of my crayfish to work and xray it one day. Or my betta.

Would love to do it with my puffer but it will have to wait till he dies, since its so dangerous to take them out of water.

Crayfish x-rays are cool. If you do it, post some pics.

 

[JK47]

Hmm never thought about adding a house plant... Does the tank have to be open top?

Does not have to be open top at all. They only need a very small space to enter the tank. My focus has been going away from breeding rare fish and more on the biology side and trying different filtration aspects of the hobby. Here are some pics of some of mine for ideas. A 40 gallon is a perfect size tank for this type thing. I could biologically filter that tank with only plants and a powerhead with a WC once a month just for fun..

Open top example. Two different species of pothos (common name sorry)









Example two, tank with lid. You only need a hole twice the size of the stem. I use a hole one in the lid when I propegate a new one.







I use all types of plants and have beeen able to convert a number of species over. This tank has an AC50 with all mech that gets sink rinsed once a month. ammo=0, nitrite=0, nitrate=0. I honestly wonder why more people are not doing this.

 

[Natalie]

Interesting, thanks for the info Justin! That's pretty awesome to have a tank with no nitrates, even.

 

[JK47]

Interesting, thanks for the info Justin! That's pretty awesome to have a tank with no nitrates, even.

Sure thing Natalie! BTW that tank is for my handicapped little BN pleco. Good on ya for taking such good care of of your con.