channa aurantimaculata disease help plz

[kno4te]

Hi guys
i added epsom salt since monday my initial dose was 1 gram per 10 liter tank water.
after 48 hours i added another dose.
lets say totally 2 grams per 10 liter tank water.
currently he seems a little better and moving better (not sure may be bacause of lowering water height) but still has the deformity.
my experienced friend says i should do 30% pwc every 48 hours and double the epsom salt dosage until 2 weeks or significant fish recovery.
i see a lot of dosage guides in the web such as 1 tablespoon per us gallon( if this is right my dosage would be very little!)
please help me. is my dosing approach correct? and do you confirm doubling it every 48 hours? since i think water TDS would be raised to a dangerous level!

Check and keep an eye on your tds while dosing. The dose isn’t unreasonable. I wouldn’t double it. Cont with prolonged exposure to the mag sulfate. Just IMO.

can anyone tell me why this deformity happened? my friend says possibly is due to gastrointestinal tract spasm or constipation.
but he seems to have it since 4 months ago and gradually got worsened.but he says he has experience such condition with one of his juvenile arowanas.
some says he got distal body paralysis or muscle weakness but i didn't hear such a thing from anyone before!
i don't know but somehow i think this is because of his relatively small tank.
i hope this condition would be reversible.
i insist there is no history of physical trauma!

Not sure how it happened. Not fully clear of what’s going on. Hope it passes some feces and things improve.

 

[Abominus]

This case is quite particular and rare, as I’ve never seen or heard of a snakehead with a hunched or broken back like gars or arowanas. Is it possible that the snakehead might have sustained some damage to its nervous system from jumping too hard, possibly even breaking its backbone like gars?

I think that’s the most likely explanation, especially if the snakehead wasn’t hunched like that before. kno4te , if it were a deformity, it would have been noticeable from the start.

 

[kno4te]

Some deformities can happen later. See it in Senegalus sometimes but that’s cause of bad genetics assumed. Likely we’ll never know a cause. Lean toward injury.

 

[Abominus]

Some deformities can happen later. See it in Senegalus sometimes but that’s cause of bad genetics assumed. Likely we’ll never know a cause. Lean toward injury.

just saw the video, kno4te , and you're right. It doesn't seem like an injury to the nervous system or backbone, as it's swimming just fine.

However, OP, I suggest adding some artificial plants to give it a sense of security and places to hide. You could also dim the light. The snakehead’s coloration looks healthy, and it hasn’t grown skinny, so I don’t think it’s starving or in poor condition.

 

[kardaloria]

Thanks
This is short videos of his condition
And feeding 2 mealworms today

 

[Milingu]

Bigger channas can develop muscle atrophy when they don't swim enough. This can happen due to too small tanks and typical leads to hanging tail and a hunched back. Since aurantimaculata are more active channas (they like to dig etc) the small tank could be an explanation for this kind of symptoms.
A bigger tank and some current may help.

Is your fish wild caught?
If it is, it may stick to it's natural feeding regime. During this time of they year they tend to eat less because in nature there's less small fish, invertebrates and insects to prey on. Their metabolism slows down as they need to safe energy for the winter/dry season.
Normally I would recommend to slowly cool the tank down and reduce feeding. But since you fish maybe already weakened it makes no sense to make him go through a simulated winter.

 

[kardaloria]

thanks
my auranti is not wild caught i think
he ate dry food since came to me .
but i think i overfed him and as very reasonable explanation of yours this tank is small for him.
his new tank plus plant and sand decoration will be added in 2-3 weeks.
although he should recover somehow to move to his new tank.
i added short video of his today feeding in my last reply above.
here is another short video of today.

 

[phreeflow]

I’m not sure what you’re trying to treat with the epsom salt...are you trying to treat for gastrointestinal issues or as a muscle relaxant?

If it’s been that way for 4 months, I’m not sure the Epsom salt will do much more than it already has.

That fish seems to be nearing its max size or may already be as big as it’s going to get so I’m guessing it may possibly just be old age. Beautiful fish…wish we could have them here. Good luck

 

[troublesum]

I'm sorry about your fishes condition i have ZERO experience with snake heads i just wanted to say that, that is a beautiful fish and i can see why people would want to keep them Now i want one.

Good luck to you and your fish

 

[jjohnwm]

I have zero experience with any Channa aside from micropeltes; that species is so tough I'm not sure it could be killed with a hammer. And I am woefully lacking in knowledge regarding medications in general for fish illnesses.

The only reason I am sticking my oar into this water is to warn you regarding something you have already commented upon, i.e. losing track of the amount of Epsom salt in your water. I think you should clarify with your local source exactly what he is saying regarding this. It sounds as though he is suggesting that you continue to add the salts while also doing frequent partial water changes; if so, it is surprisingly easy to lose track of exactly what the concentration of salt is in your tank. Between adding salt and removing/replacing water, you can only rely upon math for so long before you should actually test, using something along the lines of a TDS meter, to confirm you have the concentration you desire.

Good luck with whatever treatment you choose; that is indeed a lovely fish!