Synodontis Lateral Line Erosion?

[bekateen]

It's the same food, just applied to a rock or hard surface before it gels: The video below explains how to do this. The video is by Ted Judy, who is a member here. Enjoy your Repashy food. Eric

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUdMQKXL2vE

* Note: I tried using the youtube code to embed the video when writing this post, but I received an error message. So I just changed it to a URL link.

[jodilynn]

Cool beans! Thanks guys!

I actually am attempting to propagate some algae covered rocks in a small container that my brine shrimp came in, I have a small piece of lettuce in there and some "fish water" from the 55 gallon. Just for giggles! That water in there ought to be pretty er, ripe.

Is it possible for fish to have double chins? I was looking at my Alberti and my Decora, and they're looking a bit tubby. Don't even ask about the other two!

[FeatherFinMama]

It's the same food, just applied to a rock or hard surface before it gels: The video below explains how to do this. The video is by Ted Judy, who is a member here. Enjoy your Repashy food. Eric

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUdMQKXL2vE

Wow, great vid!! Lots of ideas there. I just mixed my first batch tonight and I love this stuff! I will love it even more if it lasts a fair amount of time before I run out...

[FeatherFinMama]

Answered a post in another thread and as long as I'm here thought I'd do a quick update on the cats and the LLD and Repashy Soilent Green. Started it on the 11th of Feb so just about 2 weeks in now. Really can't see any noticeable change yet. But am hoping it's just too early. Am feeding quite a bit of it daily, supplementing only minimally with other foods, just because I want them to eat a lot of the Repashy.

I did notice in reading more about it that it is 25% Spirulina/green algae... which means the green algae content is only 12.5%, since it has equal amounts of each according to Allen [Repashy]. I'd really like a food that is 100% green algae... or at least a lot more than 12.5%. Like at least 50%. B/c it seems inefficient (as grateful as I am to try the Repashy), to pay $13+ after shipping and tax for a food that is only 12.5% of what I need, and will only last 5 weeks (YMMV). Buying a bigger bottle would help, but that's hard to justify when the green algae content is what it is.

I should say FTR here that Spirulina is better nutrition-wise than green algae, so I am by no means faulting Repashy for not making it heavy on the green algae side. Soilent Green also contains other ingredients that are most excellent, and is an outstanding food in general. It just so happens for LDD green algae is the ticket... and happens to be the hardest thing to find in commercial fish food! Which makes me think again about growing my own algae in a separate tank. But that isn't convenient. So will continue to look at other avenues for green algae sources... like health food stores perhaps. Maybe I will buy green algae powder and mix it into homemade fish food.

IAC will report back if I see a change, or if not, at the end of the Repashy trial when I run out of food. By then I hope I have found a more concentrated source of green algae. In the meantime I am grateful for the Repashy!

[Barbie]

So why not just order spirulina powder and add it to the mix when you make it? You can't feed straight spirulina without causing issues. While it's a good food source, it is not a natural food source at all. The protein content will be too high, I would think. I guess what I'm asking is WHY do you need the % to be higher if it does the job?

Barbie

[FeatherFinMama]

So why not just order spirulina powder and add it to the mix when you make it? You can't feed straight spirulina without causing issues. While it's a good food source, it is not a natural food source at all. The protein content will be too high, I would think. I guess what I'm asking is WHY do you need the % to be higher if it does the job?

Barbie

Hey Barbie,

It is not Spirulina that heals LLD... it is specifically green algae and/or Vit C. Spirulina is easy to get in fish food. I have wonderful Zoo Med Spirulina flake. And of course they need a varied diet. But right now their diet needs to be heavy in green algae... if I had it on hand, I'd make 50% of their diet green algae until this clears. When the LLD goes away, then 12.5% green algae might be fine to keep LLD at bay. I'll have to see.

But at 12.5% it doesn't seem to be working in my case, so far. However I will give it another week before looking to get some algae powder or another source of green algae and adding it to homemade food.

[Barbie]

The food has additional vitamin c added, not just what is in the algae itself. I would check into those levels and what exactly is required before I skewed the ratios, personally.

Barbie

[FeatherFinMama]

The food has additional vitamin c added, not just what is in the algae itself. I would check into those levels and what exactly is required before I skewed the ratios, personally.

Barbie

Imo the more green algae (GA) the better until LLD is reversed. (Like the paper said, it can be reversed it in as little as 3 weeks, though I imagine with a much higher ratio than 12.5%.) As for the "added Vit C" more GA would bring to the party, I have zero worries that would boost it too high, even considering Allen adds Vit C to Repashy.

Of course if Soilent Green works in 3-4 weeks for you, then 12.5% was good enough! But in my case it looks like if it works at all, it will take months. Again, not knocking Soilent Green... it was not designed for reversing LLD, AFAIK... it simply helps b/c it contains some GA.

I wish Allen (or anyone) DID have a food specific for reversing LLD... like "LLD Green" or "LLE Green" that was a tweak of the Soilent Green recipe to be 50-75% green algae. Could be fed as a staple when reversing LLD and as a supplement afterwards.

In the meantime it looks like when I get a second I will be looking at health food stores for sources of GA to add to their food. We'll see if that helps move this along. Meanwhile they are fat and happy, so no problems there!

Thanks for your input, Barbie!

[Birger]

Just a thought...between your fish and Dave's...maybe... there is a certain amount of "scarring " where some white becomes permanent ...both fish are healthy but still show some white. In Dave's fish this certainly seems to be the case.

Birger

[FeatherFinMama]

Just a thought...between your fish and Dave's...maybe... there is a certain amount of "scarring " where some white becomes permanent ...both fish are healthy but still show some white. In Dave's fish this certainly seems to be the case.

Birger

I suppose anything is possible but I don't personally subscribe to that theory for a few reasons. For one, the paper didn't mention anything about permanent scarring, which doesn't mean it isn't possible, but I haven't seen/read anything to indicate LLD turns into permanent scarring [unless injury occurs at the site]. Cells are always replenishing themselves, and while scars can lack pigment too, scarring and LLD look a little different to me, anyway.

Also, both cats have been equally affected in the past, having very wide, white lines that persisted for years, then went away completely after a diet heavy in algae that was growing in the tank (as previously mentioned). But after that long it's easy for someone to assume it's scarring. I was shocked myself when it finally disappeared. Though I never assumed it was scarring. I always thought it was diet related but didn't know what they needed.

Dave may have a different opinion of course. But I am confident with enough green algae the LLD will disappear on my cats.

I have been too busy to look for another GA source but will get around to it this week and report back again, down the line (couple/few weeks), when I have had a chance to boost the intake for a period of time. Then some new pictures will be in order. I don't expect it to clear completely in 3 weeks (though that would be nice!), but I expect it to be so much improved that there isn't any question but that it's reversing.

(OK little fishy-poos, don't make me eat crow now!)

[Allen Repashy]

How long did it take for the LLD to develop? I am guessing it developed over many months..... It can take equally as long to reverse the conditions..... I would give it a couple months before I ruled out anything. Have the symptoms gotten worse? That's the first question to ask. IMHO, the Vitamin C, as well as other supplemental nutrients, are far more important than the green algae content. If you want to make your own formula using as much Chlorella as you like, you can try my custom formulator but it is in beta mode so there is a lot of finishing to do in the way of instructions, guidelines, and recommendations.

http://www.store.repashy.com/test/index ... ula.manage
(you will need to register an account to use the formulator)

Cheers, Allen

[FeatherFinMama]

Hey Allen... thanks for responding! Have been otherwise consumed and no time to deal with the fish so did not see your reply until his moment. Can't say how long it took the LLD to develop as it's remained the same pattern/size for some 4 yrs now, so they've had it too long to remember back that far. All I remember is, they were largely ignored while I was main caregiver to a family member, and during the last year of that is when they were ignored the most and the tank water didn't get changed for months on end (BioChemZorb and massive filtration on it though), and that's when the LDD went AWAY! Completely! I can only guess from eating mainly algae in the tank. When I was able to go back to caring for the fish, in starting routine maintenance back up, slowly bringing nitrates down, doing weekly water changes of maybe 20% or so... the LDD came back pronto like over a period of 2 months.

And same thing happened the FIRST time they got LLD. They were in a 60g and only got occasional water changes (aged water was considered good then). And they looked great. Moved them to a 250g in I took meticulous care of to avoid algae growth, and they got LDD almost immediately.

Had to tear down the 250g after a year and they went back to the 60g, still with LDD. Kept up the meticulous maintenance and the LDD persisted for the next 8yrs.... until I was forced to ignore the tank again for a good year, and the LDD went away!

The SG unfortunately did not make a difference. I took pictures when I started so I could see even a subtle difference.

Love the idea of your custom formula capability!! Am still occupied otherwise (doing house project for 93yr old mother now!) so I was just coming back to this thread to say I haven't been able to follow up yet with supplemental algae. But am going to look into your custom formula capability as soon as I can see my way clear. Hopefully this week. Thanks so much for writing!

[FeatherFinMama]

I am very sad to report that one of my two synodontis eupterus (CoolJack) died today after 25 years. I am heartbroken. I went to do a routine water change and noticed he was in distress and obviously dying. He was the one with the heavier lateral line depigmentation and the reason I was here. He is survived by his partner whom he never seemed to like much, the "sweet" syno. I will now be looking for a little company for my surviving syno who is also 25 years old. (If anyone wants to make a suggestion for a tankmate or two, I started a thread to ask people's opinions.)

It was a very sad day. Twenty-five years is a long time to have a pet...

[bekateen]

Sorry for your loss.

Blessings, Eric

[FeatherFinMama]

Thanks, Eric. Appreciate it.