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I have a green severum that's not looking very well at all. At one stage he was completely black, I thought he was stressed as we recently moved, but now over a week later his lines are a jet black and his colours elsewhere are very plain. He is breathing rapidly and hasn't been eating much at all. There is no external sores that can be seen and nothing has changed about his feed or water quality. All other fish in the tank are fine.

The reason I ask if it's old age is I know that Severums don't live the longest lives and I bought this guy fully grown and have had him for about a year and a half so he could easily be 4 or 5 years old.

Could it be old age?
What else could it be?
What should I do for Sev?

Tank Readings are:
Ammonia: 0
NitrIte: 0
NitrAte: 10
pH: 6.8

ANy help or ideas would be appreciated.


Last edited by Darthannihl8or at 02-Jan-2005 23:03

is anyone going to reply to this??
I need help. This time I;ve gotr a pic of him and a possible cause.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v210/darthannihl8or/sicksevsmall.jpg

Is it possible that it could be choking on something indigestable. I say this because my Long Finned Oscar was making the same mouth movements when trying to consume a prawm that was a bit big for him.

If this is the case how can I tell and how can I get it out?

Please help.

Last edited by Darthannihl8or at 03-Jan-2005 05:38

My friend in Australia must realize that old Severums never die, they just fade away...

But before they fade away and in your case after being moved, stress has taken its toll on the trop and the reaction is a pigment change.

There's not a med in the world that will change the reaction to stress but you can try and cover the tank to darken it and promote a calm environment for the poor guy to relax.

Worth a try.

--garyroland.

Gary thanks but how does that help with the rapid breathing. Am i supposed to just let him "fade away"??

Should I put him out of his misery as he looks very uncomfortable.

Let your Severum call that shot...

The darkening may slow down the respiration and allow a calming effect for the trop.

If you believe the Severum is taking its last breath, wait awhile after darkening to be sure.

--garyroland.

I might move it to a seperate tank tomorrow. I have a 55 gallon sitting empty at the moment. It will be easier to black that out than my 250 Gallon that he's in.

Probably just another stress factor if you move him...

A large bedsheet draped over the tank for two days with a small feed inbetween, may be enough to decide if he slows down his breathing and color improves.

--garyroland.