Ok, I thought it was just an accidental one time thing, but my bichir just started looping around in a circle to bite the €%#@ out of his own tail. He has never done this before, now he mutilating himself.
No signs of illness with him or the other 2 fish. He is not under-fed.
Ph: 6.4
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0 (Planted with frequent water changes)
He eats earthworms, silver sides, shrimp, squid, bloodworms, Omega cichlid pelets, the latter 2 being leftovers of his roommate.
Tankmates: Female blue acara, atabapo pleco
Only change within the last week is he started getting earthworms for some meals.
Is there some disease that would make him bite himself?
His tail looks like caca. It's like he is trying to consume it.
Bichir is biting his own tail *Again :(
Forum rules
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
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sevenyearnight
Bichir is biting his own tail *Again :(
Last edited by sevenyearnight on Wed Jun 08, 2011 2:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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sevenyearnight
Re: Bichir is biting his own tail
Ok, I removed him and have him in a bucket right now to take a better look at him. I also put some pimafix, melafix, and a bit of epson salt in the bucket water. I'm noticing some inflation of some sort by his vent. Like it's bulging, but it's not hard. I don't know if he's been pooping or not. He is trembling at his lower end, I imagine his self inflicted bite would is hurting, or it's something else, and that is causing him to bite himself.
I added epson salt incase he is constipated.
I added epson salt incase he is constipated.
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Pufferpunk
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Re: Bichir is biting his own tail
Awwww... poor fella!
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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FADE2BLACK_1973
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Re: Bichir is biting his own tail
sevenyearnight wrote:Ok, I removed him and have him in a bucket right now to take a better look at him. I also put some pimafix, melafix, and a bit of epson salt in the bucket water. I'm noticing some inflation of some sort by his vent. Like it's bulging, but it's not hard. I don't know if he's been pooping or not. He is trembling at his lower end, I imagine his self inflicted bite would is hurting, or it's something else, and that is causing him to bite himself.
I added epson salt incase he is constipated.
Sounds like a good treatment. If he is eating at his tail and the bulging going on, could be constipated. Btw, did alittle research on him and ph should be 6.5-7.5.
Chris,
He who knows best knows how little he knows - Thomas Jefferson
He who knows best knows how little he knows - Thomas Jefferson
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sevenyearnight
Re: Bichir is biting his own tail
Yeah, that's why I'm trying to get the ph raised, thank you for the suggestions on that!
I'm going to repeat this treatment each day for about a half hour, hopefully it will help.
The lump or swelling is on the right side, in between the last two fins, before his anus, but not right next to it, about <1 cm before it.
I'm going to repeat this treatment each day for about a half hour, hopefully it will help.
The lump or swelling is on the right side, in between the last two fins, before his anus, but not right next to it, about <1 cm before it.
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sevenyearnight
Re: Bichir is biting his own tail
Instead of taking him out everyday, I'm going to set up a hospital tank for him, that way I can see if he is pooping or not.
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FADE2BLACK_1973
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Re: Bichir is biting his own tail
sevenyearnight wrote:Instead of taking him out everyday, I'm going to set up a hospital tank for him, that way I can see if he is pooping or not.
If you want it done right then it would be wise if you have the room.
Chris,
He who knows best knows how little he knows - Thomas Jefferson
He who knows best knows how little he knows - Thomas Jefferson
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sevenyearnight
Re: Bichir is biting his own tail
Set up a hospital tank last night for him, panicked at this morning at the ammonia levels, thought I didn't clean the fake plants well enough. Did a water change, pulled out the plants, cleaned the plants, tested the water, still the same.
I forgot that my #$&@ tap water has ammonia it already!
Arrg.. so I just stressed Mortimer out for no reason.
I forgot that my #$&@ tap water has ammonia it already!
Arrg.. so I just stressed Mortimer out for no reason.
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sevenyearnight
Re: Bichir is biting his own tail
He's not happy about being in the hospital tank, but he had at least stopped biting his tail. It's not bleeding anymore, so he's either too disoriented being in a different tank with no substrate, or the medicine in the water is making him at last comfortable enough for him not to try to bite at his owie.
My husband and I spent hours trying to find info online, it seems to be constipation/impacted food or a small rock. He's been constipated before, finally pooped after refusing to eat for 2 weeks. This just doesn't seem the same.
However, the person online said that their bichir never passed whatever was lodged and died.
My husband and I spent hours trying to find info online, it seems to be constipation/impacted food or a small rock. He's been constipated before, finally pooped after refusing to eat for 2 weeks. This just doesn't seem the same.
However, the person online said that their bichir never passed whatever was lodged and died.
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Pufferpunk
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Re: Bichir is biting his own tail
Keep up with the Epsom salt.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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FADE2BLACK_1973
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Re: Bichir is biting his own tail
Yep. My frontosa stopped eating for about a week and a half last year so I treated him with epsom salt and he finally started eating but started out eating slow and only small pieces of krill but no pellets or larger pieces of krill until acouple of weeks later. Now he eats his pellets and krill normally now 
.
.Chris,
He who knows best knows how little he knows - Thomas Jefferson
He who knows best knows how little he knows - Thomas Jefferson
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sevenyearnight
Re: Bichir is biting his own tail
The thing that is different, is he didn't stop eating, appetite is the same. Just the bulge, and the biting the tail. He curves around to bite his tail on the side that has the bulge, so it must be bothering him.
I haven't fed him since he's been in the infirmary, what if it's not constipation? What else could it be?
I haven't fed him since he's been in the infirmary, what if it's not constipation? What else could it be?
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FADE2BLACK_1973
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DP's
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Re: Bichir is biting his own tail
Could be some sort of bacterial infection that could be causing the bulge. So your treatment that you are giving him should do it.
Chris,
He who knows best knows how little he knows - Thomas Jefferson
He who knows best knows how little he knows - Thomas Jefferson
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sevenyearnight
Re: Bichir is biting his own tail
I tried to feed him tonight, but he didn't want anything. He is really hating being in there. 
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sevenyearnight
Re: Bichir is biting his own tail
Mortimer ate a red worm yesterday morning, first day since being in the hospital tank, he has pooed today, so it's not constipation or food impacted. Still has the bulge, he's been holding his pectoral fins to his body often, and it would appear that he is still biting his tail. I'm going to abandon the melafix/pimafix since this seems too much for that to cover.
I'll do a huge water change and start treating him with an antibiotic, or something, any suggestions?
I'll do a huge water change and start treating him with an antibiotic, or something, any suggestions?