Help with my tiger shovelnose!!!

[tbone87]

Hello guys,

I recently got a tiger shovel nose catfish. He was around3 inches in length when i got him from the LFS. I put him in a tank:

Length = 35 cm
Width = 20 cm
Height = 20 cm

I used sand as a substrate, a hob filter, and an air stone connected to an air pump. For over 2 weeks he was in there, he seemed happy and fine. I fed him feeders and frozen blood worms (kinda failed teaching him to eat pellets). He grew about 1.5 cm after 2 weeks. I bought a new tank:

Length = 60 cm
Width = 30 cm
Height = 30 cm

I did not use any substrate, but i got a bigger hob filter (300L output), a corner filter, and an air stone. I transferred the fish over. At first he was fine, swimming around. The second day onwards he just floated on the floor, not eating at all. He used to act like a vacuum cleaner when i fed him blood worms. 3 days have passed, there are red streaks on his body, his fins are clamped. His tail looks like it was bitten (no other tank mates). The worst is the skin abrasion. On one side it looks like he rubbed himself against sandpaper, there is no more coloring, just white flesh. I tested the water for ammonia, as his symptoms show a classic ammonia poisoning as I read on the internet. I am glad to say I have 0mg/L of ammonia in the tank, as shown by tetra test for ammonia.

I used the old smaller tank, filled it with fresh water, added water conditioner and small amt of aquarium salt (my hospital tank). I transferred my fish over. Now the lights are off, and I can see him swimming, though slowly around in the small tank.

Pls, tell me what is wrong with my fish and what I did wrong in the new tank. Hope you guys can help, sorry for the long post. Thank you, best regards.

[Richard B]

It sounds like a reaction to the water in the new tank.

How long was the tank set-up prior to putting the fish in? Did you use a mature filter or cycle the tank? Did you treat the water before use?

A Tiger shovelnose is, in my opinion, not really a suitable fish to be kept in tanks - you will need a minimum tank size of 2 metres by 4 metres to keep one properly.

I prefer to not use feeders where the fish will accept other items - you can wean the fish away from these - try pieces of mussell, clam, shrimp or live earthworms/nightcrawlers & remember that a predatory fish that eats these types of food needs a powerful filter as massive amounts of waste are produced coupled with frequent large scale water changes to keep the fish in good health. The tanks you have used so far are far too small & any deterioration in water quality will quickly affect the fish

[Back]

Have you checked PH, KH and such things?
Could the tap water in your area contain something unhealthy?

And of course it also depends on how much you've fed it. New tanks can be sensitive to such things due to unestablished bacterial cultures - those who deal with waste products.

Not sure how similar a tiger shovelnose and Sorubim lima are in terms of water requirement/sensitivity but I've noticed that my Sorubims are quite sensitive to something - which I believe is nitrate (NO3) - thus needing frequent and rather big waterchanges.
I haven't experienced NO2 or ammonia (at least during measures) so I don't know how fast that affects them - probably very fast.
The caudal fin is the first indicator on my Sorubim. It gets red dots and starts to "disintegrate". That calls for urgent water change. And it gets that kind of fin when many other fish still would consider the water as a pure health cure.

[Richard B]

Just another thought...

his symptoms show a classic ammonia poisoning as I read on the internet. I am glad to say I have 0mg/L of ammonia in the tank, as shown by tetra test for ammonia

Is this test kit accurate? They do go "off" over time & shops have been known to sell old stock - do you have a measure for Nitrite & Nitrate?

[sidguppy]

Maybe one of the mods want to relocate this post

unless large herds of Pseudoplatystoma somehow managed to cross the Atlantic and invade the Congo, all by themselves, that is

[MatsP]

Good spot. Thanks for pointing it out. As you can see, now moved.

--
Mats

[tbone87]

Hey guys, thx for the replies. My fish is much better now, his fins arnt clamped anymore and he swims around his hospital tank too. Made my day when i came back from work and my fish started swimming around once he saw me. My family said he just laid in the corner all day b4 i came home. Im treating him with fin rot medicine for his fins and tail. But what do i do about the part near his tail? Its pure white now, all the skin has dropped off. And 1 more thing, my fish still looks like he is gasping, and i noticed he opens his gills much bigger now. He also wont eat much. Appreciate it if you guys could help. Thx.

[Richard B]

Having great quality, highly oxygenated water is most important for the recovery of the fish & such small bodies of water need careful monitoring to ensure this.

It is important to remove uneaten food & it would be very useful to monitor the pH & Nitrate. Ths skin erosion can be treated with something like melafix as long as there are no infections setting in

[Richard B]

When the fish recovers, have you considered what to do about the fact the fish will outgrow the tank in a few months?

[tbone87]

1) are there any classic signs of infection i shld look out for?

2) i was nt informed of the monstority of the fish size by my lfs, however do not worry, i will make sure he gets a proper home. Either i get a monster tank, or i will donate him to a fish farm.