Hello, I’m new to this website! My bichir has an abnormal swimming pattern and tends to float up to the surface instead of sinking to the bottom of the aquarium. I noticed his belly was ROUNd. I must’ve accidentally overfed him! His primary food source is tilapia fillet. One day, however, I might’ve left too many pieces for him to eat before going out for vacation. I wasn’t able to supervise him while he ate like I usually do. Upon arriving home, his stomach grew and he hasn’t been able to swim properly. Everything looks normal except his stomach. Eyes are bright, he’s still active, etc. My aquarium was cycled for 6 weeks before he was added and I’ve had him for about a month now. Water parameters are safe and stable. I don’t know what to do, I’m so worried for my little guy. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Bloated Bichir. Please help!
- Thread starter _Apricot_Seed_
- Start date
Hi Welcome to the forum. Would love some pics of the bichir to properly diagnose. Additionally, "safe and stable" aren't very helpful. Do you have a test kit that can give the PPM of the Nitrate, Nitrite, and Ammonia? My experience is bichirs can experience bloat from overeating or the water quality. Even if the water looks good, many of the captive breed bichirs are still susceptible to bloat. I recommend doing a 50 percent water change and stop feeding for a few days. You can also add aquarium salt and epsom salt as a laxative to help the bichir pass food, but I would start by testing the water and getting the numbers, then doing a large percentage water change, and getting a photo so that it will be easier to diagnose the issue. Hope this helps
Thank you! I’ll send pictures as soon as I can. To answer your question, yes I do have a test kit to test the water parameters. Last time I checked was 2 days ago after a water change. Water parameters show 0 ppm for ammonia and nitrites, and 25 ppm for nitrates. As I mentioned before, he didn’t become bloated until I fed him right before going on vacation. He’s been like this for about a week now. I forgot to mention he lives with one ghost shrimp. Should I move him in a separate quarantine tank, keep him in his current tank, or move the shrimp elsewhere?
Got it, thank you! Do you have any product recommendations for epsom salt? I just want to avoid products that might be harmful.
Any pure epsom salt should work. Make sure it’s fragrant or chemical free.
Alrighty
Also, should I move him to a separate quarantine tank for treatment? Or do I keep him in his tank?
If easier to dose then can move to a quarantine tank.