Pimelodus tetramerus: Loss of barbels

[Acanthicus]

Hi,

three months ago I got 6 Pimelodus tetramerus, quite a rare catfish.

Two weeks ago I lost one, the biggest one. I couldn´t figure out the reason for its death, but the belly was really huge. So I guess this could be the reason, the night before I fed them with fish. Maybe he ate to much.

Yesterday I realized that two others lost their barbels. They are now about 2cm, before more or less 6-8cm.

I keep them in a tank without sand or gravel, cause I am moving a lot at the moment. No light, no plants. But plenty of wood and places to hide. All eat normal and move like always. They don´t look sick or something.

Might the missing gravel be the reason?
Bacteria?


Thanks, Daniel

[Bijn]

Any tankmates?

[Acanthicus]

When the one died, there was a Acanthicus adonis with them in the tank (200 litres). But it is is completely harmless against the Pimelodus. Since a week the Acanthicus is in an other tank.

[Viktor Jarikov]

Can you please snap a pic or two, Daniel?

[Acanthicus]

I´ll try! Not the easiest fish for taking pics

[sidguppy]

I think your water quality went down the hatch caused by using feeders, then the bad water quality caused both a nitrite spike killing your biggest fish (the bloated belly's a give away) and the growth of the wrong kind of bacteria; and that bad water quality is now causing loss of whiskers in the other 2.

Pimelodus don't need feeders. they can be kept perfectly on flake food, granules and a range of smaller frozen foods like krill, mysis, bloodworms etc

also: don't overfeed them. overfed fish often suffer from bad water as well.

polluted water caused by too much food and waste products thereof and inadequate filtering/waterchanges kill more ornamental fish than all the aquatic diseases together!

[Bas Pels]

While I fully agree with sidguppy, I would further like to point out lack of substrate (please use sand instead of gravel) will have 2 adverse effects:

1 sand is a good substrate for good bacteria, which transfer nitrite into nitrate - making the nitrogen a 1000 times less harmfull. In an average tank, a similar number of bacteria is found in the tank vs in the filter - so the tank itself does do guite a lot

2 sand reduces stress, and thus improves all immunity, making the fish less vulnerable for any disease

[Acanthicus]

Hi you two,

I think your water quality went down the hatch caused by using feeders, then the bad water quality caused both a nitrite spike killing your biggest fish (the bloated belly's a give away) and the growth of the wrong kind of bacteria; and that bad water quality is now causing loss of whiskers in the other 2.

I don´t think the water quality was that bad when the one died. There were only those six Pimelodus and one Acanthicus in 200 litres. Furthermore I do change 100 litres every third day. And the filter is a good one as well.

Pimelodus don't need feeders. they can be kept perfectly on flake food, granules and a range of smaller frozen foods like krill, mysis, bloodworms etc

Yep, I know. I don´t only feed them fish, they get lots of different kind of food. It´s about once a week they get fish and they seem to like it. On the other hand, Pimelodus do like everything they can get into their mouth....

sand is a good substrate for good bacteria, which transfer nitrite into nitrate - making the nitrogen a 1000 times less harmfull. In an average tank, a similar number of bacteria is found in the tank vs in the filter - so the tank itself does do guite a lot

This is what I meant, which was my idea as well. So, I gonna put sand into the tank tomorrow. Of course it will be sand, I don´t use gravel in my tanks. Don´t know why I´ve written gravel also.

Last question: Will they grow again like we know it from Corydoras?

Thanks!

[MatsP]

I have had regular Pimelodus pictus loose a barbel (which I'm sure was poor water quality, by the way, as it happened while I was moving from one house to another, and slightly neglected water changes...). It grew back again, couldn't spot which one after some time. When I moved them, I also had to cut one free from the net by cutting a little bit of the pectoral fin, and a few weeks later, there was no way to tell any difference.

--
Mats