rescue with a synodontis ill-treated

stine · Post by **stine** » 09 Jan 2015, 20:58

He's doing well ! definitively ! (i will post some other pictures tomorrow (you know where now lol)

except there is still this small blister on his left eye but it's not becoming bigger ! I still dont know what it is exactly !

yeah he looks like the galinae as well !! so maybe he's an hybrid^^

now he's called "Alfred" (don't know why it's the first surname I took when i'm talking to him lol)

by the way (new question lol) I'm wondering if his bone (or pick ?) dorsal fin will grow again ?

Post by **Birger** » 10 Jan 2015, 05:37

by the way (new question lol) I'm wondering if his bone (or pick ?) dorsal fin will grow again ?

It did retain the main spine even if shorter then it should be...but it most likely will not completely regain it's full size...could be the same for other fins and it's body size will most likely stay stunted.

Recovery is going surprisingly well so far...good job!!

Birger

stine · Post by **stine** » 10 Jan 2015, 09:04

thanks for your answer birger

here are some pictures from this morning $\M/$ fins are coming !!! i'm really happy for him

you can see especially the fins which are developping day by day (especially on this picture these following = in french : pectorale, pelvienne, anale et caudale)
(well the fins "pelvienne from right : ok we can not see it on this pictures lol but there are existing, we just dont see it on this picture)

on this picture, the blister I was talking about just over his eye

jodilynn · Post by **jodilynn** » 13 Jan 2015, 01:16

The many small spots do remind me of a Featherfin but as I said all the ones I have seen are more of a chocolate brown, your "Alfred" seems a bit light colored.

There are so many hybrids, my gosh I wonder if anybody actually can get any of the hard-to-get-species without getting "tricked".

I do have a hybrid, but he was labeled as such and I love him just the same as my others! Bullitt is my baby before he went into the big tank he used to eat from my fingers.

As far as naming your little friend "Alfred", my son got an upside down catfish and named him "Fred", must be a "Syno thing" lol

!

jodilynn · Post by **jodilynn** » 16 Jan 2015, 02:41

How is Alfred doing? Please update!

YOUR FISHTANKS ARE GORGEOUS!

stine · Post by **stine** » 16 Jan 2015, 13:45

Hi Jodilynn, that's nice to ask news from our Alfred (if it's a woman, she's going to be upset about this name lol)

"He" 's going fine ! I think there's no danger anymore for him ! I'll do a picture from him with all of the news fins ! He's becoming more beautiful each day $\:d/$

Im happy you like my fishtank

I'm looking forward to see him in a "real" tank, a real beautiful place with real plant (there were some plastic plant where he was before), real friends (not alone in his tank) and in such a big place adapted to him

here are the pictures from today :

and before to compare :

all available on my blog : http://stinaquarium.over-blog.com/

stine · Post by **stine** » 16 Jan 2015, 14:29

jodilynn wrote:The many small spots do remind me of a Featherfin but as I said all the ones I have seen are more of a chocolate brown, your "Alfred" seems a bit light colored.

Bullitt is my baby before he went into the big tank he used to eat from my fingers.

As far as naming your little friend "Alfred", my son got an upside down catfish and named him "Fred", must be a "Syno thing" lol !

1) yeah i'm amazed with this cream color instead of brown color^^
2) they don't seems afraid of us (I like this)
3) this is funny we called nearly the same our catfish lol

N0body Of The Goat · Post by **N0body Of The Goat** » 16 Jan 2015, 15:53

Alfred is recovering nicely, the today shots against the first shots show massive improvements!

YouTube · Post by **bekateen** » 16 Jan 2015, 17:32

Yes, Alfred is really healing well. I commend you for your work with this little one.

stine · Post by **stine** » 16 Jan 2015, 19:38

thanks^^

the next question will be : is it a male or a female ?

Post by **Birger** » 17 Jan 2015, 03:37

I thuink it is a male...but with syno's a fish that is in not very good shape is very difficult to sex, this fish still has a long way to go for a sure recovery..it is doing surprisingly well though.

Birger

stine · Post by **stine** » 20 Jan 2015, 17:44

Hello here

So I have something strange to share with you ! As you know, "Alfred" is actually in a small hospital tank, which means : no plants, no place to hide, no sand on the floor. So as long as I have a tank nearly the same size, cycled and empty at this moment, I've decided to move alfred inside this tank (would be better for water change for exemple).

The reaction was very strange and Alfraid afraid us, so after one day inside this tank (to see if he get used to it) I moved back in the hospital tank Alfred because he changed totally his behaviour. He's the changes :
1) he became very dark instead of cream color
2) his backfin (always raised) was down all the time
3) he was down the tank, in a place and did't move at all (the fins were all motionless)
4) and he looks afraid (usually he always come to see us by the front of the tank)

so I did't recognise at all his "usual" behaviour ! the water was ok (I verified with PH, KH, NO2, NH4, NO3...) at the beginning a little colder but after the same temperature
I did'nt understand what happened.

So now he's back in the hospital tank, as we always knew him, not afraid by us, not hidding, with a clear color, backfin raised, and moving a lot as he alway's did since I've got it at my home ! I put a flower pot broken in the tank to put something to hide into, now he's always head down inside lol (very funny to look at)

so what happened ? now Im a little worried about : and will he react the same way the day I'll put him in a very big tank ? was the light annoyed him ? if you know theses signs i'll be happy to learn because I have no explanation ! We thought we were loosing him !! it was awful ! never again that's for sure !

jodilynn · Post by **jodilynn** » 20 Jan 2015, 20:49

It may just be that with everything he has been through the sudden change stressed him. While I do know we are not supposed to attribute "human" feelings to "lower" animals, I think it could just be that he went from a place where he got love, attention, and food, a place he felt safe, to somewhere unknown that may have stressed him into feeling he was going to back in a situation that there was no food and abuse.

I would leave him your hospital tank as long as possible. it may be better that he is alone, he feels safe, he doesn't have to compete for the food he so very desperately needs, and it is a place of refuge for him.

Just my .02...

stine · Post by **stine** » 20 Jan 2015, 20:55

precious 0.2 ! thanks

very interesting point of view !

I didn't think about this ! (but in this other tank I tried to put inside, he was just on his own, no other fishes)

Viktor Jarikov · Post by **Viktor Jarikov** » 21 Jan 2015, 00:28

Sounds like he could have been merely stressed from the move. On the other hand, something is always different in a new tank and it is not always easy to understand what. That newness was stressing him. Short term for sure. Long term? We won't know as he was moved back. Perhaps for better. But it does not mean at all that he is averse to any new tank. Things may be just fine, if not immediately, then in some days, when he goes into the big tank.

The dimmer the tank, the more relaxed he'd be.

Up side down is part of their normal behavior.

stine · Post by **stine** » 21 Jan 2015, 05:41

Than you for your answer

N0body Of The Goat · Post by **N0body Of The Goat** » 21 Jan 2015, 11:39

My only Mochokid catfish that used to tolerate light was Troy, my Synodontis cf. budgetti, I guess because he came from a 4-foot tank with daily lighting for real plants. Having said that, my group of 11 Synodontis cf. nigriventris were very active a few summers ago during the daytime, when they had my 620T to themselves (I cannot remember now if I was using the 18W T8 lights or just direct sunlight for the Anubias).

Can you get a big pipe for Alfred to hide in, if he wants? Maybe add some floating plants to block out some of the tank lighting too, if you had lights on during the temporary move from the QT.

YouTube · Post by **bekateen** » 21 Jan 2015, 13:46

Or you can add a spawning mop if you can't or don't want to add live plants. My upside down cat hides in the spawning mop that I use for my Corys.

stine · Post by **stine** » 21 Jan 2015, 17:56

the future tank will be not a lot lighted because it's a WAC tank so plenty of plants on the top of the water (plantes de surface) ! I hope he'll feel secure and well in it when i'll put it inside but he's not ready to live with others fishes actually, I wait a little more to be sure he's out of danger^^

thanks for your advice, they are precious to me. I'm looking for books concerning the catfish behaviour but it's very hard to find this (i'm really surprised) It would be great to understand why he's becoming darker, why he's not moving at all ... and everylittle things explaining their behaviour ! If you know some, do not hesitate to give the information (I rather like french books but I can read english ones

)

So now he's in love with his small flower pot ! he's always going out - going into it (head down lol) it's really funny to see him, seems like a kids playing all the time with his new game ! lol

jodilynn · Post by **jodilynn** » 21 Jan 2015, 23:27

That is what is good about this place, there are many very wise people here for someone like me (who is constantly second guessing herself and comes here to ask all kinds of dumb questions

) looking to find solutions and make the best life possible for her little finned friends!

Viktor Jarikov · Post by **Viktor Jarikov** » 22 Jan 2015, 15:46

stine wrote: It would be great to understand why he's becoming darker, why he's not moving at all ...

Coloration, even in a normal, healthy fish, is affected by many variables: genes, color and type of substrate / bottom, amount of light, diet, mood, stress or lack thereof, courtship, rivalry, curiosity, being asleep or awake, sitting or moving, cruising or foraging, the surroundings that affect the need to camouflage, state of health, water chemistry, water turbidity, etc. But most are rather minor factors.

Behavior is also complex and with experience, an aquarist will learn to understand what the fish tell him, if they pay attention and strive to this knowledge. At the first approx., it is not that complex as we humans are also driven by instincts in part and do understand them. If you are sitting quietly and motionlessly in the corner all the time and are afraid to even sneeze, even when the time is to move around and look for food or a "fight" (like at night for most catfish), then something's wrong doubtlessly. Unless, again, you are very new to this "house" and will adapt in some days. Then this becomes understandable and normal short term.

jodilynn · Post by **jodilynn** » 24 Jan 2015, 03:22

BUMP!

How bout an update on Alfred?

stine · Post by **stine** » 24 Jan 2015, 09:05

As I can see, i'm not the only one looking after this catfish

Well he's fine ! but it's the first time I could see a lot of excrement from him ! in fact I think, his stomach start only now to work properly ?

About his "skin" on his head, the process of renewal stopped for a few days then start again since yesterday ! the mucus start working again on the last small circle without "skin" on his head"
I'll do some pictures this afternoon !

by the way, I would like to thanks for every explanation that you all here gave me all this time long ! It helps me a lot to understand little by little this amazing fish

Post by **Birger** » 25 Jan 2015, 05:57

Well he's fine ! but it's the first time I could see a lot of excrement from him ! in fact I think, his stomach start only now to work properly ?

That was the idea behind why I mentioned earlier to only feed in little bits at a time....the internal system has to get used to the food....it is easy to damage the system with too much....good job so far!!

Birger

stine · Post by **stine** » 25 Jan 2015, 09:32

ok birger I'll reduce a little the food ! don't want to damage his stomach !!

here are the pictures from today !
My two worries : the "cotton" on his front head (it was always working to get back again but I could'nt remember this kind of "cotton" ! don't like this !! and always his blister of his left eye but no more on the top, most in front of now

here's on the picture : in red my worries, in black what I suppose it would not repair and stay like this forever (hope i'm wrong)

what I love : his pectoral fins

jodilynn · Post by **jodilynn** » 27 Jan 2015, 21:00

Hmmm, I am a bit concerned about the spot on his head...that may be the beginnings of a fungal infection.

I am not trying to scare/worry you dear, but I would be remiss to not tell you.

Can you take these pictures to the local fish store? If worse comes to worse I can go to my LFS have them bring up this thread and have them take a look at it. I have been going there since I was a child and they are an amazing resource. I am very very lucky!

I am unsure what treatments you have available in France, or how aggressive you want to be. There is Pimafix, which is made from natural ingredients, but the opinion on how good a job it does and if it is even safe varies greatly.

Use the search tool here and I am sure there are many threads with info on fungal infections on Synos. You can also Google it I'm sure and see what treatments are available in your area.

FINGERS CROSSED FOR ALFRED! He's looking great! $\:d/$

YouTube · Post by **bekateen** » 27 Jan 2015, 21:06

Jodilynn, I'm sorry but your link doesn't work.

Eric

jodilynn · Post by **jodilynn** » 27 Jan 2015, 21:23

Yes, I can't get it to work so I edited my post. There is a thread from 2006 that deals with a fungal infection on a syno.

YouTube · Post by **bekateen** » 27 Jan 2015, 21:37

Jodylynn, Is this the thread you're referring to? http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... 56&p=99387

jodilynn · Post by **jodilynn** » 27 Jan 2015, 21:40

LOL yes that is the thread! I suck at computers!

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