FishProfiles.com Message Forums

I was thinking of passing it through the water like that, but i wasnt sure if i should (B4 shin posted) and i asked on chat and was told it would just stress the fish more, so i didnt. I dont like how he is moving like a brick though, makes me wonder if some internals are damaged.

i liked that fishy i hope my bichir could eat stuff like yours!!! sry for the loss lunker

Sorry Lunker, I thought he might had made it.



[span class="edited"][Edited by TigerAngel 2004-07-03 23:26][/span]

Sorry to hear that lunker. It happens, but just remember that you did your best.

Bleeder's Forum
http://silentlucidity.s10.forumsplace.com

very sorry for your loss.

sorry lunker....it sucks to lose a fish you like. I saw a pic of him on another thread....he was really interesting.

PS. I have brought a bass back from almost dead by doing the CPR thing when I was kid...didnt know what I was doing, but it made sense to pass water across the gills by swishing it back and forth in the water. I was always trying to save something when I was little. My dad ended up killing it and putting it on the dinner table and I was crushed

[span class="edited"][Edited by songbird1963 2004-07-03 12:09][/span]

It happens! and I agree with jason the "fish CPR" doesnt do the bichirs much good since they breath air! they just need to be keept moist! this same thing happened with my friends DOJO and he got swim bladder ( being the dojo) and later died so make sure that great fishy dont see no stress for a while! good luck!

He didnt pull through. Oh well, I guess these things happen, but i feel like an idiot for going through the process of completely sealing the tank for any gaps but never weighing the hood

We are all aware that bichirs breathe air from the atmosphere like gouramis and bettas do right? So long as they remain moist, bichirs can survive out of water for, so I've read, up to a day or 2. This is of course not in the bichirs best interest, but they can survive. So for future reference so far as bichirs are concerned, I don't think there would be any need for moving him around in the water. With other fish that do not have the ability to breathe atmostpheric air though I would try this method of 'fish CPR'.

I'm sure your bichir will be fine...he might be a bit traumatized from the experience but I'm sure he'll snap out of it soon. I would make sure that the bichir does not undergo any stress at all over the next few weeks and I'm sure he'll bounce back.

Jason

[span class="edited"][Edited by jason_r_s 2004-07-03 00:13][/span]

I know this belongs in hospital but i know more people frequent this forum and this isnt something that can wait. My big bichir must have opened the lid because my tank is completely sealed but i have just came home to him lying on the floor, with barely any moisture left. I thought he was dead until i felt small contractions when i picked him up. I got him back into the tank and he is breathing but at a very very slow rate and not moving at all. What can i do, what could i try???


[span class="edited"][Edited by 2004-07-02 20:50][/span]

He should be fine. For future reference, do what Shinigami said. Pushing them back and forth through the water is almost like CPR is for humans. There was a pretty dried up WCMM at the store, and it wasn't even moving--no vibrations or anything. I had read about this "fish CPR" on FP so I decided to try it (just for the heck of it--I know playing with dead fish bodies is sick) and I came back 20 minutes later and he was swimming around in the cup!

It sounds like you are doing what you can. It also sounds like your fish is a fighter. If he is eating, then it sounds like he has a will to live. Best of luck, keep us posted on how he is doing.

Ok well after monitoring him closely for hours i dropped in 4 ghost shrimp. I crushed 2 so they couldnt move and he took one of them. I turned the lights out and came back 45 minutes later and he is moving around some. It doesnt look like too good though, he is swimming to the top like he normally would except now once he reaches it he drops back down like a brick, instead of floating down like he used to. Poor guy probably has no energy and is probably still recovering from being so dried up.

I hope that your bichir is going to be alright. If you have an air pump, maybe you can try using it for now, at least temporarily till he's better.

Recently my catfish did a leap of faith too. Not sure how long he was lying on my carpet, but it might have been hours. I was worried that I might have lost him for he wasn't moving, but he came to life again when he's back in his tank.

He is fine and dandy now. They sure are hardy fishes.

[span class="edited"][Edited by bleeder 2004-07-02 20:04][/span]

Bleeder's Forum
http://silentlucidity.s10.forumsplace.com

His breathing rate is much faster now than when i first put him back in. I also noticed his fins have a reddish coloration now, blood i assume.

I'm so upset with myself right now. I know they are strong and great at escaping, i completely sealed the tank yet i never weighed the lid.

This does happen to bichirs. For one you gotta cover the tank, and if it's already covered you want to weigh it down.

One thing that people have done that sometimes helps is to push the fish forward through the water. I have not done this, seen this, or had an exact description of this, so I'm not exactly sure how this is done. In my opinion, this will only stress the fish more if you go after it again to do this; this is usually done right after the fish is picked up off the floor and put in the water. However, with the water moving over the gills it'll help get oxygen into it. Of course, aeration will help. Some people might dose Melafix or Stress Coat for this; I'd only do a little since that stuff is pretty potent.

--------------------------------------------
The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.