Strange lumps on Needle Nose Gar

gatotsu77

gatotsu77

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May 17, 2006
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Hello, I come to you with a rather strange predicament. My 55g aquarium has been up and running for 2 months now, everyone seems happy, everyone is eating, etc. I perform 10% water changes 2-3 times a week, I change filter pads when necessary, etc. My water params. are ammonia - 0ppm, nitrate - 20ppm, nitrite - 0 ppm, GH - 25, KH - 120, pH - 7.8, temp - 81 degrees farenheit. I'm running a rena xp3 and emperor 400 filter, and my current inhabitants are 3 clown loaches (3" each), 2 opaline gouramis (3.5" each), 1 cae (4.5"), 1 pictus catfish (6"), 1 eclipse catfish (7"), and 1 needle nose gar (6"). (and yes, I realize that this is too much for this tank size... they are all still quite young, but I am searching for an adequate home for the eclipse catfish. If you're in the LA area and are interested, let me know and we might be able to set something up.) My question to you all involves my needle nose gar. (hence the title) I purchased it approx. 2 weeks ago, and it has been eating very well, usually on the order of 2-3 small comet goldfish per day. It has been mildly skittish when I walk by the tank, but otherwise has no peculiar behavior. As I was performing a water change this afternoon, I got a good look at the needle nose gar from the top, and I noticed that it has several swolen areas under its skin. I did not count the number of them, but I would say there were approx. 6-8. They are not that large, but came as quite a shock. I have no idea if they might be tumors or not, I've checked around on the internet and have not been able to find something that looks similar. The easiest way to describe it would be like a fairly large pimple that is rather deep under the skin. The top of the fish is semi-translucent, but these lumps are not. I have to leave for work in 10-15 minutes, but if anyone is able to offer any advice I would greatly appreciate it. One last note, I have isolated him in my 10g iso tank, just in case whatever is wrong with it is contagious. (and I've given the other fish a quick once over and did not notice the same problem on any of them) It does not look anything like ich, but hey, if that's what you think it might be, by all means, please speak your mind. (and yes, although I know my tank is a bit overstocked, feel free to point that out and even make suggestions if you like, I am always open to new and different opinions)
 
well, get at least 300g tank when they grow up and they can all be one big happy family, and as for the bumps, i'm not really sure. they could be tumors,:huh: or just benign cysts. consult a vet.
 
I am planning to build a custom 200g acrilic with a 50g sump, but that won't be until late next summer. It is not the fish he'd recently ate, because he had not eaten yet when I noticed them, nor do they look like the swells that goldfish in his gut cause. They are smaller in diameter, very pronounced, opaque, and almost like a small bb under the skin. They are mostly on his sides, a few on top, and one or two underneath him too. Like I said, they look a lot like a pimple that's kinda deep under the skin still, but since his skin is translucent, you can see the opaque orb under his skin. I hope that they are benign and not malignant, but I don't know... I do greatly appreciate your responces. :-)
 
Hrm, I'm pretty sure needle nose gar are brackish water fish, not freshwater. However there are other types of gar that are sold under the wrong name. You might want to check the Brackish Forum here for posts on them and a proper ID.

If it belongs in brackish water, then the lumps could be tumors developing.

Roan
 
To the best I can tell, it is a Xenentodon Cancila, and to what I am reading, yes, they do seem to preffer slightly brackish water, though some sources say that they are ok in fresh also. What would you recommend I do? Also, several sources I've checked say that my eclipse catfish will only get to be 6-8" long, but a few sources, planetcatfish.com being one, say that he will get to 18" long. Should I trust this? If so, I will probably need to find him a new home, as I will not have an adequate size tank for a minimum of another year, perhaps a year and a half.
 
There two gar species called needle nose gar. The species gatotsu77 has will only grow to about 8 to 15 inchs depending on whether it's a male or female "females growing larger." sorry gatotsu77 that i cant help
 
gatotsu77 said:
To the best I can tell, it is a Xenentodon Cancila, and to what I am reading, yes, they do seem to preffer slightly brackish water, though some sources say that they are ok in fresh also. What would you recommend I do? Also, several sources I've checked say that my eclipse catfish will only get to be 6-8" long, but a few sources, planetcatfish.com being one, say that he will get to 18" long. Should I trust this? If so, I will probably need to find him a new home, as I will not have an adequate size tank for a minimum of another year, perhaps a year and a half.
Click to expand...
When people say "they are ok in fresh also" that usually means they'll live for a short period of time -- MUCH less than their normal lifespan.

Frankly, it's a brackish water fish, so please consider getting him a brackish tank or finding him a new home if you can't.

Roan
 
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