weak ornate

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
deangelo

deangelo

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Apr 13, 2006
1,449
3
36
50
Pilipinas/ Los Angeles
hi all....My juvy ornate is acting strange lately, before he was a ball of energy swimming around the tank goin up and down. I noticed lately that his movement is not that much anymore preffering to stay at the bottom of the tank almost catatonic, and i'm getting worried since i love my bichirs i dont want them to get sick but i dont know if this is normal behavior. He was skitish before when i would sweep the tank with a net to get debris but now i hit him with the net with hardly a struggle, and he hasnt been eating lately but i do see a bulge in his stomach he must probably be full. help please anyone, i'm really worried cos i dont know whats wrong? and i'm also worried for his tankmates but they all act like before except for the ornate...:confused: :confused: :confused: :( :(
 
A picture would help-Anne
 
The eyes are nice and clear and no discoloring on the body no redness right?
The racing around when new to the tank is common.And just laying there is not uncommon in fact i can pick mine up (big help huh).
How big is it?
is it active when the lights are off?
 
i had the same with all my new bichirs. i think they just do that when they are new in the tank and start behaving normally after a while once settled.
 
shes about 4-5 inches..there are no red marks and the colors are still the same..i took the second picture in the dark..my endi hangs around the bottom too but he is skittish and his fins stand up when you go near him or even look at him but the ornate i dont know he is the same in the light and the dark, i took him out of the water and into a hospital tank with nary a struggle..i will observe her there, its like she has a bad case of depression:( :confused: :( :confused:
 
One of my ornates was about that size when I got her and she hid in the plants for months the only reason I knew she was even alive was the food was gone in the morning.Ornates tend to be the most nocturnal of the bichirs.
So it may be all over the tank after lights out.Once mine hit 12 inches she became very
outgoing.-Anne
 
if it's just acting depress and not showing any signs of any other abnormalities or illnesses then i think it's just acting normally. i have a delhezi that's acts exactly the same way as you describe and there's nothing wrong with it. before i had to poke it with my finger to get it to move from where it was resting just to see if it's still alive. ornates are not that very active either so that swimming around up and down against the glass is probably due to it being stressed under the new environment.
 
my ornate swimms around in the daytime and as it gets later or when i approach the tank he goes to his driftwood cave and awiats food, for a while mine was rather innactive i thyink its just a temporary deal....... im no expert tho but im sure its nothing to worry bout.
 
Hello deangelo,

On Your pics, I see the ornate with hardly any aquariuminterior. A bichir needs places to hide. If he has that possibility, he will feel more comfortable, become relaxed, and nosy.

If he has no hiding places, his stresslevel will make him potential victim for diseases and even death.

You may say, You want to see him, when he hides, You cannot see him. That is true for the beginning, but with time he will come out more often. Also the main direction, he wants to hide from is from above. So put in some shelter, that is partly open to the front, and closed from the top. Or put in some large roots. That helps a lot.

BG
Thomas
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom