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my BGK just seems to lay on the bottom of the tank and breath thats about all it does, and i have not seen it eat at all.

it has been like this for about a month now

i did have another BGK in the tank, and i think it may have been bossing it around, because they would occasionally fight, but i took the other BGK back to the store about a week ago, and he has not improved at all

what should i do?

Hi,
You don't tell us allot about your tank or the accommodations
that you have made for them in the tank. They require
hiding places and/or definite territories, one for each.
They are frequently aggressive against their own kind.
Frequently folks use a piece of plastic pipe or even a
chimney from a light fixture for them to be safe in.
Some folks use the glass because you can view the fish
within it, others use a piece of plastic pipe that they
glue gravel to so it does not stand out like a sore thumb
in the tank.

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile66.html

I'd expect the more aggressive one to pick the "nicest"
choice spot and maybe even try to stake out more than one
leaving the less aggressive one to fend for itself.

Frank

-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

thanks, i pretty much know that, im just not sure if there is something wrong with it or not

they used to get into little fights, then one of them had a bit of a growth spurt

im just not sure if it is normal for a BGK to be laying on the ground like that.

it will usually lay on its side, and just breath like it is dying, sometimes it will be upside down, but still touching the gravel.

from my experience with them, i usually see them just hovering, but this one is laying down on the gravel.

if it was getting bossed around, how long would you think it would take for this BGK to go back to normal? or is this normal behavior for one?

i mean, i see my clown loaches doing this all of the time, but i also know it is completely normal for them, im not too sure about the BGK's though

Hi,
From your reply to my post, I gather that you have provided
something similar to a piece of pipe or chimney for each one to use.
Additionally, with the growth spurt, I
gather that one has become dominant and has been giving
the other a hard time.

If that is the case, and your water parameters are within
norm for a BGK, then the fish would seem to be ill or
injured.

based on that, I'll move your question to the Hospital
section where you should get some more, helpful, replies.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

so is there anything i can do?

all it does is lay either on its side or upside down and breathes fairly hard

the other knife hasnt been in the tank for a while now, i would at least think this one would perk up a bit if it was getting bullied around

There probably is something you can do for it but before we can help you any further we need to know some details about your tank, and your water quality.

Tank size
inhabitants
pH
ammonia,
nitrite
nitrate.
How long has tank been set up for?

Refer to this link. http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/threads/8698.1.htm?0#

---

Before you criticize someone walk a mile in their shoes. That way you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

thank you, but your link doesnt work for me

tank has been set up for over 20 years

Lindy, not sure why the link didn't work...
Try this link instead im http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/threads/8698.1.htm?0.9832427#.


You need to answer the questions before we can suggest what steps to take im, otherwise we do not know what is going on in the tank and cannot give advice on how to proceed.


^_^

How odd.. that link works for me. *shrug*


The tank has never been broken down in 20 years??

If you can give us as much info from what has been mentioned, especially water quality then we will be able to help you more.

---

Before you criticize someone walk a mile in their shoes. That way you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

ok it's working for me now too



I blame adam






^_^

well it died about 15 minutes ago, so i guess it doesnt matter.

water levels are fine.

Babel

And imverystupid, it does matter, what about the other fish in the tank? You say the water is 'fine' but its obviously not or your bgk would not have died. You keep skirting around the information we want in order to help you, and we will just become more reluctant to help in the future.

Surely someone who has kept fish for 20 years can appreciate the importance of water quality tests? If you dont we can help you to understand their importance.

---

Before you criticize someone walk a mile in their shoes. That way you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

well, the BGK died because it was getting bullied around, not because of bad water quality

the other fish are perfectly fine

and i understand the importance of water quality, and in my other post, i said they were fine.

Hi,
Please don't take offense by our earlier comments.
Those of us who have been here for any length of time read
comments such as "my water is fine" dozens of times.
Usually from newcomers to the hobby, with no idea, and
sometimes from experienced hobbyists who have some how
made it through the years without even a test kit.
One time one had a test kit that was 10 years old, with
reagents waaay out of date.

"My water is fine."
We hear this so often, it's kinda like the old saying
"If I had a nickel for every..."

You could have avoided the comments, and helped us zero
in on the problem by simply listing the pH, Ammonia,
Nitrite, and Nitrate readings. The GH and KH would also
help.

You are probably right. An aggressive BGK can really
get up a head of steam and thump into the side of another
causing serious internal damage. In that case, short of
surgery, there is nothing "we" can do except ease the
fish's passing. Usually the situation is reversed.
It is the new fish getting clobbered by the long term
resident.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--