On June 7, 2010, I found one of my bichirs (a Polypterus endlicheri) with a wound on the bottom part of its body. I thought she scratched herself on a rock or driftwood. It seemed to be bleeding, but when I touched the wound, it wasnt bleeding anymore. Maybe it had stopped. Here is a picture I took on that day:
Because I thought the wound would get better by itself, I didn't give it any treatment. I also didn't want to cause panic by taking her out of water. I tried to observe her everyday, but it got difficult after a few days because she was always hiding behind a driftwood. She's still eating normally, even until now.
Two days ago, I noticed that the wound wasn't getting any better. It was still red and was not showing any improvement at all. Here is the latest picture:
Therefore, I took her out of water and first I applied a few drops of 70% alcohol to the wound and then gave her a dip treatment with 2 mL of Sera Baktopur. I repeated this treatment yesterday. I've also isolated her in a separate tank now. Other than the wound, I dont see any other problems with her. She's still active and eats normally.
Any ideas what could have caused this wound? I keep her in a 540L/142 gallon tank with 13 other Polypterus (4 senegalus, 2 palmas, 2 delhezi, 2 lapradei, another endli, 2 ornatipinnis) but I doubt if another Polypterus bit her because she's quite dominant in the tank. There are also 2 brushmouth plecos in the tank.
Another thing I should mention is that I've found small worm-like creatures sticking to the glass of the tank. They're about 5 mm long and have white color. Could they be causing the wound not healing? Here's a picture:
Any advice?
Because I thought the wound would get better by itself, I didn't give it any treatment. I also didn't want to cause panic by taking her out of water. I tried to observe her everyday, but it got difficult after a few days because she was always hiding behind a driftwood. She's still eating normally, even until now.
Two days ago, I noticed that the wound wasn't getting any better. It was still red and was not showing any improvement at all. Here is the latest picture:
Therefore, I took her out of water and first I applied a few drops of 70% alcohol to the wound and then gave her a dip treatment with 2 mL of Sera Baktopur. I repeated this treatment yesterday. I've also isolated her in a separate tank now. Other than the wound, I dont see any other problems with her. She's still active and eats normally.
Any ideas what could have caused this wound? I keep her in a 540L/142 gallon tank with 13 other Polypterus (4 senegalus, 2 palmas, 2 delhezi, 2 lapradei, another endli, 2 ornatipinnis) but I doubt if another Polypterus bit her because she's quite dominant in the tank. There are also 2 brushmouth plecos in the tank.
Another thing I should mention is that I've found small worm-like creatures sticking to the glass of the tank. They're about 5 mm long and have white color. Could they be causing the wound not healing? Here's a picture:
Any advice?
