BN cause of death?

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fishay12

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Dec 3, 2013
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Hey guys, my bn just died. He wasn't eating from what I saw for the past few days and he looked slightly bloated when I took him out. Is this from possibly eating the extra brine shrimp and bloodworms that fall to the gravel? Was it too much protein? His fins had a little white fuzz that I only saw when I just inspected him. His eyes also looked slightly sunken. What do I do? I really liked him even though I only had him for 2-3 weeks and i'm starting to cry.:cry: :cry::cry::cry:I am a newbie and my 6 tetras and my angelfish (soon to be returned to the fish store due to impulse purchase) are all fine and had bloodworms for lunch today. Please help, I really want to get another bn /pleco at some point because I fell in love with him in the short time I had him. Params are ph:7.6, ammonia:0ppm , nitrite:0ppm , nitrate:10ppm , temp: 77 Also, he was active just a few hours ago.
 

Manafel

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Oct 10, 2011
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Too much protein can give a bn pleco problems with digestion. Did you feed him anything else(veggie wafers and fresh vegetables)? Did you have any wood in the tank for him to rasp on?
Depending on how long he was dead in the tank the sunken eyes and fuzz on the fins could have been decay. Your water parameters are good. It could have been one of the new tank additions that brought a disease in... I would keep an eye on the current residents for internal parasites and weird behaviour..

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fishay12

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Dec 3, 2013
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Ok I will watch what I have before I finish stocking. I did feed him algae wafers and zuchinni and kale and he ate them but then he stopped eating all of these two or three days ago. There is wood in the tank. He was only dead for a few hours.
 

Star_Rider

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Dec 21, 2005
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I'm curious of the history of the tank. size, maint schedule, feeding schedule etc...
I keep BN's several species of them actually.. I've had sudden die offs for no apparent reason.

I also have a 55 that is full of albino bn's..they keep having babies..
do you know what kind of wood is in the tank?
 

fishay12

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Dec 3, 2013
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It is malaysian driftwood. The tank is a 26 gal bowfront with 6 lamp eye tetras and an angelfish being taken back this weekend. He was about 1 3/4 inches. He was fed a wafer or two every day and fresh veggies occasionally although I probably could have given him more veggies. Aout a 20-30 % water change a week and a 1-3 1 gallon changes to help keep the water clear and take out the extra food. I think i'm going to get a carnivore pleco in a few months so he can eat the extra bloodworms (and get fed some)and I dont need to watch what he eats.
 

Star_Rider

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Dec 21, 2005
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oddly, my BN's eat bloodworms as well as wafers, veggies and wood.. no issues.. tho like any other fish they can be subject to the same issues and Sx.

I really suspect the issue was just that ..some sort of bacterial issue..
as long as the BN has wood and veggies in their diets they generally will remain healthy..
 

fishay12

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Dec 3, 2013
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So he most likely had a bacteria? what is Sx?
 

fishay12

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Dec 3, 2013
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Apparently it is bacteria or something because a tetra died this morning... now to find money to set up a quarantine and wait a few weeks to get any more fish.
 

Turbosaurus

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Dec 26, 2008
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Oh Fishay, Im so sorry. Dont cry.

Give everybody a break from food for 3-4 days and keep an eye on them all. Let us know if you notice anything.
It would be strange for a fish to arrive with the fishy version of a deadly bacteria that A) first raised its ugly head 3 weeks into his new home AND B) spread rapidly enough to cause a 2nd death immediately on his heels. Its not likely.

Could it be possible you're feeding everybody too many yummy snacks or maybe just too much period? I know they come to the glass all excited to see you but...

My fish go nuts for the frozen goodies- but just like you have to force your kids to eat their veggies for their own good and cant let them gorge themselves on McDonalds fries every day- the standard flake and pellet food is really the healthiest staple. It aint chocolate cake, but its good for them. And it sounds like this might be a new tank- be careful how much you feed... when you say "Lunch" I get nervous imagining there might have been a "breakfast" and "dinner" too.

Where are you located?

My bn plecos lived long (6+ years and going strong) and spawned regularly in a tank with and a mostly carnivore diet (and lots of driftwood) - you dont need veggies every day. I used to just toss in a little tiny microwaved piece of whatever I was eating with my dinner, and I didnt do it that often (bad mommy) maybe once or twice a week- a single string bean, a small slice of zuchini, the rough green tip I cut off of a romaine lettuce leaf, and when I did feed algae wafers - all the fish liked them. I like BN because almost none are wild caught and they stay little- comparatively speaking.
 

fishay12

future fish addict
Dec 3, 2013
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I have been feeding the tetras bloodworms and brine only because only one of them even tries flakes and he spits it out. I only feed them once or twice a day in small amount and whatever hits the ground I vaccum out. I am in northern VA. They are never excited to see me they always hide :( I wont feed till monday or tuesday I guess cause their last feeding was thursday. They seem more brave now that the angel is not in there and being bossy.
 
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