Skinny Senegal

[Fishy412]

so ive had a senegal for about a year now. hes grown a lot. from 4 inches to about 10. hes in a 55 gallon tank with plenty of swimming and hiding space. but hes skinny. i know he's eating. he eats bloodworm, catfish pellets, beef heart, brine shrimp, and plankton every once in a while. also maybe once a month i'll throw in a goldfish or a few tuffies.

the thing is that hes very small bodied. when he eats his stomach bulges out but after he digests it he goes right back. i'll snap a pic today of him. hes got a little bit of a bulge since he ate a goldfish yesterday. hes just not as big around as most bichirs his size are and i dont know why.

 

[nmonks]

One immediate idea if you have a fish that eats a lot yet never gets fat is intestinal parasites ("worms"). These do sometimes come with wild fish, though not often, and it is therefore possible your specimen has had a parasitic infection since day one.

More likely, though, is that if it does have parasites, they came via the feeder fish. Unless you raise feeder fish yourself (e.g., by breeding mollies or guppies) then using cheap ornamental fish, such as goldfish, as feeder fish is a high risk strategy. Luckily, a bichir can do perfectly well without live feeder fish.

Checking for intestinal parasites is difficult and treating them without speaking to a vet first is a bit hit-and-miss. There are some "over the counter" cures, any one of which might be worth trying to see if it helps.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[beblondie]

A good pic would be great-Anne

 

[Fishy412]

im working on getting a good pic. he doesnt really like the camera so i'll try for one when i feed him tonight. i hope he'll come out for food. hes pretty much a killing machine. he took down two goldfish bigger than his head.

this is the first time i gave him goldfish but hes had tuffies before.

what are some signs of intestinal parasites? and besides being small what are some symptoms? he acts normal. hes very active and growing. when he eats he gets fat.

its really hard to explain how he is. he gets "fat". hes just skinny. think like a ropefish and thats what he's like. his body is proportional and his stomach isnt sunken in or anything. he just isnt full bodied

 

[Bichirs man]

okay, since I am like obbsesed with bichirs, I know what to do. this is a well known bichir cure.

anyways, you want to first do a water change. after the water has been replaced, buy Metronidazoil tablets. follow the derections, and you should be good. Also, put in some Ich medicene. Try to get ich med with Formulin in it. and a little rock salt will do. repeat for a couple days. ich med kills worms I think

here is the site that I got the cure from.
http/www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/bichirfaqs.htm

 

[Fishy412]

thanks i appreciate it. i have pictures and am uploading them now. only thing im worried about is my pims. since theyre scaleless i should do half doses right?

 

[Bichirs man]

thanks i appreciate it. i have pictures and am uploading them now. only thing im worried about is my pims. since theyre scaleless i should do half doses right?

bichirs get bumpy sometimes after eating. the best thing to do is get the pics posted.

so I don't know what is wrong with him yet.

 

[Fishy412]

still no pics as of now. Hes really really scared of the camera. But i just read that they dont digest mammal fats well. so Could it possibly be that hes fed mostly beefheart? Im still prepared for the internal parasites and am not looking forward to treating for that. Im thinking the beef heart might be contributing to it though

 

[4ftguppy]

It may not help much, but if you can't get hold of the anti-worming medicine (I got levamisole - a sheep drench fairly easily, and 1 bottle will last your whole aquarist life) try adding garlic to their beefheart.

Anecdotal evidense suggests this is good against internal parasites (though maybe not as good as nuking them with chemicals)

Worth a try if you have no other option

 

[Fishy412]

It may not help much, but if you can't get hold of the anti-worming medicine (I got levamisole - a sheep drench fairly easily, and 1 bottle will last your whole aquarist life) try adding garlic to their beefheart.

Anecdotal evidense suggests this is good against internal parasites (though maybe not as good as nuking them with chemicals)

Worth a try if you have no other option

I'll give it a go. I just dont want to start adding meds and stuff to my tank until im sure that it IS internal parasites. SO garlic should be ok