WHATS PICKING AT MY PIRAIBA???

[messesb52]

Hey guys, so ive had a piraiba in my 180 gallon tank for around 6 months, and have had him with the same fish for the whole time: a gator gar, a couple armored catfish that just hide in the driftwood and come out at night, and a rapidly growing tiger shovelnose. The piraiba is about 6 inches and the shovelnose is about 9 inches. I just started to realize that the piraibas fins are being severely picked on, and his health seems to be deteriorating fast. Water quality is good. Any thoughts on the culprit?

 

[tlindsey]

Probably that good looking Tiger Shovelnose.

 

[Beetlebug515]

Where did you get a piraiba? Want

 

[davenmandy]

My old TSN was timid as it gets so can't speak to aggressive TSN's, the armored cats shouldn't be an issue, and I highly highly doubt its the gator gar because the gator gar tries to swallow food whole and tends not to nip at things like fins, it would more likely kill it or at least you would see teeth marks on the body. If I were to guess, my guess is on TSN.

 

[boldtogether]

The armored cats could be harassing and scuffing against it during the night.....doubt it though. ..probably like said, but seems odd...TSN.

 

[Lepisosteus]

I would day the gar

 

[wednesday13]

all those cats will surely squabble over tank space in a 180 or any tank really, and fish with teeth i.e. the gator... is liable 2 snap...literally, from time to time...

id put my money on the tsn, although armored cats will line up side by side for a fight just the same. if you want a piraiba with flawless fins... house it alone. id leave it in your 180 as its slow growing and move the other cats to a different/bigger tank. tattered fins come and go in a cat community. sometimes its just a squabble when the lights go out. sometimes u find a corpse

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

It looks like only the fins are affected, hence, I'd rule out the gar and the armored cats. 99%+ it is TSN. I've had TSNs do it to other TSNs and large TSN-like Pims.

Gars are notorious biters but they'd never single out only fins. Actually, they apparently snap nondiscriminatory with respect to body parts. Neither would armored cats not touch the body and they are usually peaceful anyway.

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Besides the point, this looks to be a Brachyplatystoma capapretum, "false" piraiba, that is. My capa is pretty shy, his fins get nipped by many fish.

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I would day the gar

Of course you would. Everything about you says "gar"