lima shovelnose catfish

[kevinw818]

i'm new to the site and i joined because i'm worried that there is something wrong with my lima shovelnose catfish. I've had him for probably 6 months now and he''s seemed fine but recently i notice him sitting in the corner of my tank at the surface with the tip of his nose out of the water and he's not eating like he used to. i used to put small feeders in the tank and he would gobbel them up. Recently though i havn't seen him eating at all when i put feeders in there they don't get eaten. He never gets a really fat belly like he used to and i don't understand why the sudden change in eating behaivior. Any ideas why?

[Silurus]

Did you test your water?

[kevinw818]

i havn't tested my water recently no, all my other fish seem to be doing just fine...he is the only one that is acting differently.....that's why it's really weird to me.

[Richard B]

A water test is the first & most obvious thing to do - levels of nitrite/nitrate etc affect different species differently , some being far more sensitive than others. The sorubim as a scaleless pim will be one of the first to show symptoms of something being wrong.

Apart from testing the water, what size is the tank, what other fish do you have, what filtration do you have? With some specifics about your set-up we will be able to advise you better

[kevinw818]

i have a 75 gallon bowfront tank set up with an aqua-clear 110 and an aqua-clear 50....prob. upgrading to another 110 this weekend when i get some more $$. i keep the water temp between 77-80 degrees. I also have two oscars about 6-7" in length a pike cichlid about 6" a small lukanani maybe 3" two plecos and two irridescent sharks. they all seem to get along really well and none of the other fish seem to be acting funny. I do regular large water changes about 40-50% every two weeks and i've cut back on feeding a little bit. All my fish seem to be happy i've just noticed that the shovelnose (snoopy) is acting different and not eating like he used to. i don't get it.?

[Richard B]

Your tank contains some fish which are big waste producers but you do have a good water change regime to counter this. Everything you state seems ok - have you measured the pH, NITRATE, NITRITE etc these would be the next obvious points to look at.

[kevinw818]

i'm gonna test the water tonight i had to wait to get my test kits back from work. but i did do a 50% water change....when i say water change i'm vaccuming the gravel too....and since then my shovelnose seems like a whole new and happy fish. i guess i just skipped a water change maybe and i didn't realize it. also is there a difference between water changes and vaccuming the gravel cuz i just thought that they were done at the same time?

[Richard B]

When keeping (larger) predatory fish which produce lot's of waste, larger scale water changes are needed & things can slip quickly into unfavourble conditions. Solid waste naturally will build up at the bottom of the tank so vacuuming or gravel cleaning is very good in ensuring the effectiveness of water changes.

[kevinw818]

so i'm back with an unfortunate update.....after doing a water change and vaccuming the gravel my shovelnose seemed very happy for a couple of days swimming around and hanging out like he used to a few months ago....now just days later he's back up at the top of the tank sitting in the corner not moving...i put some feeders in the tank tonight and i don't think he ate at all....this behaivior is very strange to me it seems unlike him and i'm really not sure what to do about it. i appreciate all the help before but anymore ideas?

[Bas Pels]

If a fish reacts very good on a waterchange, but relapses after a few days, perhaps you found the longest interval between waterchanges.

So, I'd suggest a waterchange - 50 % or so

[Richard B]

If the fish is unhappy he's not likely to feed - you need to find & remedy the primary cause of your fishes unhappiness - have you measured the pH, nitrate, nitrite etc - these are the most common causes of symptoms you illustrate.It could be something else affecting the water, maybe like (for example) fumes from domestic cleaning products, paint fumes etc

It always pays to remember that just because the water might be nice & crystal clear it could contain all sorts of things not visible to the human eye. Remember to a fish, their water is like air is to us & if somethings smells bad to us we can move away but a fish is stuck in the tank with nowhere to go.

[artemis1]

first off, your tank is too small for that fish. limas have the potential to reach two feet in length, however in aquariums 16'' is considered big. nevertheless, your tank is too small, and the bioload is too large. do some more water changes, and try and find a bigger tank.

good luck,
art

[Birger]

I keep the same size bow front and because of a move (months ago now) it still is overstocked (I think so anyway) but not stocked as heavy as yours...everyone is healthy and getting by quite fine

I have two aquaclear 110's and a canister filter on this one...my point is that if I miss a "weekly" water change it is very noticeable to me

You may have to go to weekly changes as it seems to make a difference to this fish and it is probably your most sensitive to water conditions

Birger

[Richard B]

Any results from testing the water?

[kevinw818]

does anyone know anything about parasites on a shovelnose?
i was recently looking at an empty bottle of fish medicine that my girlfriend had and it was to cure ich, velvet and parasites. it said the symptoms for parasites were flashing, and itching on the bottom and i'm not sure but after careful examination of my shovelnose i think that it is a possibility with him? this might be why he's been acting so funny.....i'm gonna check it out and see if i need to medicate him today. any help would be great.

[Richard B]

Parasites could cause those symptoms - can you visibly see anything on the fish? Has it been flashing/itching/scraping itself on objects? I think if it was parasites other fish would also be affected. Have you asked your girlfriend if she has treated for parasites or i am misunderstanding what you were saying - ie you only read the symptoms from the bottle, not that you think thr fish have been treated for them?