L330 weight loss

[dillon]

Hi,

i've got a 7" l330 that ive had for just under a year now. Never had any problems feeding it, he would jump on courgette and cucumber as soon as it was dropped into the tank - and would even fight off other fish to get to mussels and prawns.

Recently i noticed him up on the glass and his stomach is really hollow! So much that i fear for his life. I think he may have been getting into scraps with my sailfin pleco (which is now up for rehoming). I have had him in 3 foot tank with 2 small fish that i am growing on, he has been in there since friday and hasnt moved out of one corner stuck to the glass. I have placed fresh courgette in everyday along with mussles - he has shown no interest in either.

Any suggestions? I dont want to loose him :-(

 

[matubula]

You mention that you recently moved him. Is the new tank much different water chemistry wise? How did you transfer him?

 

[dillon]

You mention that you recently moved him. Is the new tank much different water chemistry wise? How did you transfer him?

I set the tank up a week or more before hand, i filled it with 50% water from the exisiting tank and the rest from the hose. I also pulled a filter from out of the existing tank.

As for transfering him, i simply caught him in a net and placed him in the new tank.
I noticed that the existing tank had slightly raised levels of ammonia but i have been stepped up the water changes to help combat this. You think that this may be the cause? All the other fish are fine and acting completely normal

 

[Lornek8]

Have you added any new fish to your tanks recently that the L330 was exposed to?
Could have been from the stress of the Gibby.
Did you transfer it because of the thinness or did the thinness come about after the move?

 

[dillon]

Have you added any new fish to your tanks recently that the L330 was exposed to?
Could have been from the stress of the Gibby.
Did you transfer it because of the thinness or did the thinness come about after the move?

I had added a couple of new fish = just some additional silver dollars.
I moved him because of the thiness, i've just done another water change tested the water before and ammonia was only around .25 ppm

 

[Lornek8]

I had added a couple of new fish = just some additional silver dollars.
I moved him because of the thiness, i've just done another water change tested the water before and ammonia was only around .25 ppm

The new fish were added before the thinness?
I'd consider worming using avitol or something similar.

 

[dillon]

The new fish were added before the thinness?
I'd consider worming using avitol or something similar.

I had only realised the thinning this weekend, whereas the new fish were added the previous weekend. I wouldnt have thought that he would have lost this much weight in a week - would he?

I currently have him in a tank with three other fish, would a worming medicine cause any stress to the other inhabitants?

 

[scatz]

worming shouldn't cause any problems for other fish in your tank.
has to be worth a try i think

 

[dillon]

worming shouldn't cause any problems for other fish in your tank.
has to be worth a try i think

I cant seem to find the product previously suggested, can you suggest a product available in the uk that would be suitable? perhaps some formaldehyde?

 

[scatz]

try here mate:
http://wormerplus.co.uk/shop/index.php?categoryID=1

 

[Lornek8]

I cant seem to find the product previously suggested, can you suggest a product available in the uk that would be suitable? perhaps some formaldehyde?

Sorry thought I remembered talk of that in the UK. The stuff Scatz provided should work. Formaldehyde is for external parasites, won't do much for worms.

 

[dillon]

thanks for your help
So are we all fairly certain it is worms/parasite - just that none of the other plecos in there seem to have any problem, suppose it wont do any harm to worm him

 

[GrubbyGirl]

You need to get your water under control. He's not well and by moving him he is now having to cope with poor water quality as well. Do you use prime? If not then get some because that will help couteract the effects of ammonia

 

[Doodles]

Im not certain its worms but as said it won't hurt to deworm him anyway.

Have you witnessed the sailfin preventing him from eating at all?
How often was he having mussell and prawn? and were the shells removed from the prawns? He shouldn't really be having much meaty foods at all.
Have you seen any poop?
Have you tried garlic?

 

[scatz]

you can try some courgette (skin left on) with some garlic juice or crushed garlic rubbed into the skin to try to stimulate his appetite to get him eating again.
like Lisa said, hard to be certain over the exact cause, its worth worming anyway but its more likely that he has been put off eating somehow, possibly from aggression from tankmates

 

[Lornek8]

Not certain its worms however as mentioned in ongoing threads here, healthy well-fed plecs can go weeks without eating to no real ill. However for it to get thin as described its either been off feed for quite some time or its a combination of things. Often there is an ambient level of internal nasties that all fish have. During times of stress the plec's immune system weakens & allows the nasties to gain headway & the plec's health takes a hit. Worming often helps the plec by at least eliminating one more ill.

 

[dillon]

thanks for all your advices.
I shall purchase some de-worming gear and try the garlic infused courgette idea.