Hello, im new to the forum and relatively new to the aquarium hobby (tank since beggining of may 2017). My most recent addition was a bichir and he just passed away today. I just want to learn why and get some oppinions on future care. Some background, the main inhabitants are a mix of cichlids (they are still doing great), a common pleco, and a whiptail cat. I have been trying to fix a nitrate problem in my tank that started about a month after i added my bichir because of the addition of new foods that i was giving him, i started using nitrate/nitrite detoxifyer and water changes but it still persists. I added the bichir along with a plant around early October and he was doing great, feeding well and everything until yesterday morning when i noticed he was on his back but breathing. This of course panicked me and i didnt have much time to do more than top off the evaporated water with fresh water and put some nitrite/nitrate detoxifyer in the tank. When i got home he was upright i did a about 60-70% water change and tried to clean the crushed coral bedding ( which i have been putting off) as best i could and refilled with fresh tap water with tap conditioner. He seemed weird through the whole process swimming funny but upright. This morning i looked and he was upright and breathing and looked normal so i thought that might have been it. But when i got home he passed, upon removing him i took a look at him and he looks bloody and bruised. It makes me wonder if he hurt himself somehow on a rock in my tank or if he was bullied by the other fish? Im slowly learning from my mistakes and i want to avoid this in the future if i decide to add another one to my tank. Any advice or opinions are welcome. Pictures are of him healthy and after his passing including one of his bruise? Also one of the setup
