[AquariumNoob]

So, the other day 1 of my bala sharks was eaten by a peacock bass. Im thinking it died and was then eaten as i cant see how it possibly swallowed it. Bala shark is 2.5" or so, peacock bass is maybe 4". I Knew it was him because he had a lumpy stomach. That being said, just now i saw one swimming around funny (upside down and stuff)? figured its swim bladder disease and in a short time got so bad he cant even stay swimming and just sinks to the bottom (doesnt float. Really odd as normally they'd float i think?). I Pulled him out and put him in a bucket. The other 2 have some sort of discoloration. Doesnt look like any sort of fungus and seems like its under the scales or theyre missing scales or something of the sort. Anyone got any idea? Ill try to get pictures tomorrow morning :/. Im not sure how it progessed so fast but im hoping fasting and then feeding peas will help. Not so sure, though as it seems bad. Theyve been acting funny a few days now since i got them but i dont now why. I Figured maybe it was stress being afraid of the peacock bass but they swim around him no problem so i dont think its that. I haven't seen em eating much at all and they kind of just hang out and dont move around much at all.IDK if to pull the other 2 out and quarantine in a clear plastic bin i have or what :/. Any ideas?

 

[AquaAurora]

Swim bladder can make them sink or float, depends on how it gets messed up. I had a Madagascar rainbow (runt) that unfortunately was bullied to death and spent her last day with swim bladder stuck upside down on the bottom of the tank. I set up a temp hospital tank (using original tank water and an old HOB that I stuffed some of the active HOB's media in).
I suggest you make sure your hospital tank has plenty of oxygen in the water (air stone) and a filter with active BB (beneficial bacteria) so there's no rise in ammonia or nitrite. And do daily partial water changes to remove nitrate.
What are your current water parameters including ph, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate (for the tank it came from and just to be safe check the water params for the hospital bucket).
I may have read this wrong, but it sounds like your fish with issues were very recently added? How did you acclimate them before putting them into the tank, and for how long? Is there a lot of hiding spots for them to get away from other residents they feel threatened by? Where these fish put in a quarantine tank after being bought before going into the main tank?

 

[AquariumNoob]

hi there. I didn't quarantine them as the tank had previous occupants that i moved out into a 50g. It was already long cycled so i moved the old fish out and put these guys right in (they all came from the same store, so theyve all been exposed).
I Put them in a bucket and using an air hose had the water from the tank slowly run into the bucket. Whenever it got on the fuller side i'd take some out with the bag they came in and kept that going for quite some time. Im very picky with acclimating. Its just like drip acclimation only its more of a constant stream than a slow slow drip.
Id say yes there are hiding spots. Plenty of caves and driftwood and plants because the catfish like hiding but it seems like they are never hiding. They just hang out like dead center in the tank and dont do much.
As for the guy with SBD, unfortunately he passed shortly after removal. He must have been bullied to death i see no other explanation. One of the other balas looks like in a spot his scales are raised and stuff.. IDK what to think of it. Just going to keep a close eye on em. And if i get new sharks im definitely going to look for something nice and bigger than the bass they are with to ensure they dont get bullied.

*edit*: By recently added, i mean about 1.5-2 weeks or so since i introduced them to the tank.

 

[AquaAurora]

Sorry your other one didn't make it. Hopefully the fish with raised scales does not have dropsy.. that can be a ugly mess to deal with.