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I bought 5 banjo catfish (Bunocephalus coracoideus) a few weeks ago and I lost one a few days later. I figured it was just unable to cope with the freight and new tank adjustment as I tested the water in the 124 ltr (actual water amount) tank and it was ammo 0, nitrite 0, and nitrate 5. There are about 8 juvenile bristlenoses in the tank with sand substrate, large internal filter and canister filter. This is an established tank so I didn't think anything of the one banjo death as these things sometimes happen, especially after the stress of air freighting.

Now another banjo is looking ill. It is not flattish like the other 3 banjos and yesterday looked like it was swollen and about to blow up. Its breathing was also laboured but other tank mates were fine.

I took him out, along with a large 20 ltr bucket of the existing aquarium water and placed him in a hospital quaranteen tank, which I had not long taken a pakistani loach from. The loach was a new one and had been in quaranteen for a few weeks. I took out a large bucket worth of water from the quaranteen tank, and added the banjo and the water from the banjos tank to the tank.

I dosed the tank with a full dose of Clout medication as I heard it was good to treat flukes which I suspected might have been 1/2 this banjos trouble.

Today the banjo is just as lethargic but around its head, the normal dimples are showing up instead of full on bloat. By the way, this 33ltrs (actual water) tank has an undergravel filter, a sponge filters and a tiny internal filter with a spraybar so it has very ample oxygen and filtration.

I have done a very small 8 ltr water change today mainly to syphon out the rest of its uneaten sinking pellet I fed it yesterday.

I got a couple of pretty good photos of the banjo and the thing which is disturbing me. On the enlarged photo, on the black gravel, does it look like parasitic worms?

I have never had to deal with worms before and I am not sure what I should do. Do I move the banjo and try to siphon around where its sitting to take out the worms?

Do I re-dose with Clout meds today, or leave it a couple of days and do it again?
I do have a small 9 watt internal uv filter I could add if you think it may have any benefit.


Affected banjo


Normal banjo
[link]

Close up of worms?

mmm,he dosent look rite does he.id add the small 9 watt internal uv filter,ive had great success with these,also my next door neigbour uses them to,and we both swear by them.
id aslo probly do the small wc,then wait a few days b4 the next 1.
as for the worms,id be trying to get them critters out,firstly incase they try to get back into your banjo,and secondly trying to identifi what type of worm it is,then get the rite meds for treatment.
as for the redosing,i havent actully used the clout meds yet,but i think some meds can be renderd useless by the uv light,and i dont know if this is the case with clout meds.
so really i cant help you on that 1.
however,ive used para-cide tablets b4,and they worked great with my uv filter.
para-cide is like a broad med,it kills a few things in one,it will kill,anchor worms,skin and gill flukes,and even fish lice!
the dose rate with this product,says to calculate your tank,dose,then wait 7 days b4 a redose,keeping all filtration going normall.
maybe give that a go,its cheap and you can get it all over aus.
sorry i cant be of more help.

Beauty, thanks Hokese. I just wasn't sure if I should do anything else or wait and see. I will add the uv in straight away. And do some more googling on this Clout stuff as I don't know if its a one off med or a daily thing. I know it makes the water a lovely green.

I found the Clout is a daily dose for 3 or 4 days so I have treated day 2 and held off the uv in case it negates any of the medication effects.

I have kept the lights off the banjo and only peeked in occasionally and he seems to have bucked up a bit and is getting around the tank although I don't think he's up to eating much yet. His color is improving so fingers crossed.

anytime,sorry i cant be of more help,just a side note you said that the clout meds turn your water green,most of the meds that do turn your water,green blue,whateva,give your bio filter a thrashing,and sometimes this can be even harder on the fishy.i avoided doing this by ether using protozin,or if i HAD to use a med with die that did thrash my bio filter(methylene blue,malachite green)i would use a top quality bio booster while treating..
just something to think about...
maybe add some,it cant hurt...

how is he today,and better..

He was still alive yesterday, I have no idea right this minute as I just got home from a marathon fish auction.
Started 4pm yesterday and I left after 1.30am this morning.

3am Just put 18 new fish into a 2ft Quaranteen tank but thats another story. Recounted, make that 20 new fish. I need some beauty sleep bad.

Monday he did a relapse and we are definitely dealing with bloat as he was floating!
Started a 5 day course of Clout and by evening he was happily back on the bottom.
He now has a little mate, a male blue ram who came off second best in fighting for girls in the rams tank. He is either malnourished or is having a parasite attack of some sort. His belly is concave.

After the 5 days of Clout, they will both get a dose of Levamisole in the form of Big L wormer.