Oh NO! What happened here?

[rivka]

I have a well established, heavily planted 15 gallon tank with a pair of A. cacatuoides that have been living very peacefully together until a few days ago. Two days ago I spotted them in one of the many caves available to them and since then the male has been hiding and very still. This evening I finally saw him out in the open, his fins are severely ravaged, he is barely moving and drifting upside down. Clearly he is near death. I didn't see the result of their mating, but I assume that the female must have attacked him and driven him away after they spawned?

Also in the tank are 1 C. lalia and a small pleco. I recently added a small school of cardinal tetras. I noticed yesterday that they are showing signs of ick and began treatment today by raising water temps and adding 1.5 tbs of marine salt. Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates are all at zero. PH is slightly acidic and the water is soft. Temps are usually at 72 degrees, although they are rising now for the ick treatment. I don't have a quarantine tank where I can move either the tetras or the afflicted apisto.

SO WHAT DO I DO? Is there anything I can do to save my apisto? Is the ick treatment likely to worsen his condition, should I hold off for a couple of days and see if his condition improves? I DO have a 10 gallon tank in another room I could move the female to, but its pretty fully stocked and she doesn't seem to be bothering her former mate anymore, nor do any of the other fish. If the poor guy doesn't make it, can I replace him with another male, or am I likely to find the same scenario all over again? Sorry for all the n00bish questions... I did do a fair bit of research before getting this pair and I was under the impression that a single breeding pair with plenty of room and hiding spaces would do okay in a tank this size. Two days ago I was so happy and excited to see them spawning and today I am just morose and depressed to see quickly my healthy fish has been brought to deaths door

Thanks in advance for your help! R

 

[georgedv]

Desperate time require desperate measures. you don't need a tank to house a sick fish. I have used pots and pans when I got caught with my britches down starting out in this hobby. Any kind of plastic container and an air stone will do. Now don't get something the size of a matchbox!!!

Float it in your tank for temperature control....and treat.

let me know how it turns out...I just started with Apistos and Cacs are my first!!!


good luck


g

 

[rivka]

Good point... I have a bucket and an airstone, without knowing what treatment to offer however, I don't see much point in stressing the poor creature by moving him to his own bucket just for the sake of it. His tail is almost completely gone, he can't seem to swim and he is hovering upside down. I'll be surprised if he makes it until morning, I feel terrible leaving him that way all night since it seems unlikely he will be able to recover. If he hasn't righted himself or died by lights on I will euthanize him

 

[georgedv]

You are a better judge on your fish condition. At a distance it sounds like it has taken a beating from the female or another fish. But if is still alive and you want to try....

One fight at a time.

Get your bucket fill it with water from the main tank. Add air stone and a heater to raise temp...i usually go for 82-85F. Put the fish in there and add Melafix or another med that helps with damaged fins, cuts and open wounds.

If you can figure out how to get a second bucket get a little more water from the tank to make a small water change later. Fill tank back up.

Follow instructions on the med for dosage. At some point make the water change (med instructions will direct you, Melafix says 7 days).

Once you feel he is strong enough, you can start treating for ich. The raised temp will help fight ich while you try healing the fish.

good luck


g

 

[rivka]

Thanks for the advice, but the poor lad didn't make it

I'm treating for ich by raising temps and adding aquarium salt, once that is done I need to decide whether to introduce another male.

Thanks again for your help. R

 

[elpaninaro]

Sorry about your loss.

When I got my cacatuoides a year ago, he and the very small pleco species in my tank did not get along. Seems that the cacautoides female and the Pleco liked the same cave and it got ugly. I had to remove the pleco.

Just offering that as a possible reason for the physical damage since I had the same trouble. From day 1 my LFS said no pleco belonged in my tank (37 gallon at the time), but they have a ton of the various species there and suggested one of the smallest ones when I really wanted to try it. It did not take long for him to start growing and getting very mean.

So my suggestion for the long term is to not have a pleco. I am in a 65G now with all live plants and I have 2 Farlowellas and 3 Otos on permanent duty- plus I will add juvenile Siamese Algae Eaters for a few weeks whenever I get outbreaks of stringy algae that need dealing with (but they have to come out and get traded in when they get 3 inches long or so and start bullying.) Those are the species I would recommend for algae control- and they keep the tank incredibly clean. I have to engage in almost no manual cleaning of algae. I love plecos, but never again for me- unless I win the lottery and can have a pleco tank.

If you remove the pleco now, when you get a new cacatuoides- if he gets beat up you will know it was the female cacatuoides that was the problem before you make another big investment in a 3rd male.

As for ick, I keep my tank at 80 all the time and have not had an outbreak since I started keeping it at that level. Apistos don't seem to mind it one bit.

Anyhow, hope this helps and I am sorry again for your loss. I lost my cacatuoides just 2 weeks ago after a year when I accidentally overdosed my tank with a bunch of new live plant fertilizers. I lost many fish, but losing the cacatuoides really hurt.