Scat problems...please help!!! 3/20/08
Hi,
<Hi Michelle, Pufferpunk here>
I have two scats in a 14 gallon brackish water tank.
<Quite small for 2 scats. I hope they are tiny. Eventually they grow as large a a dinner plate & require 50g each.>
My pH is in the mid 7s and my hydrometer reads 1.008.
<Brackish tanks require a pH of around 8. Are you using marine salt?>
I have used "Cycle" and "stress coat water conditioner",
<Cycle is only dead bacteria & does nothing to cycle a tank—only adds more waste to the water. The stuff is complete bunk & a waste of $$$. Please post your water parameters whenever asking a question about your fish’s health: ammonia, nitrite, nitrate.>
I have crushed coral and plenty of plants, although I only have one artificial stump with a hole in it for hiding. One of my fish is having spasms and won't eat, when I bought them "he" (that's what I decided it was) was the dominant fish with the darker color and larger than the paler and more docile "female" fish, now the paler fish is now darker in color and has gotten very big.
<Need water parameters.>
My sick fish stays in the stump, and the other one "visits" him.....what do you think could be causing these spasms?
<Possibly poor water conditions.>
All he does is stay in the hole and jerk around all day! Thanks
<Please write back with the proper info, so I can help your fish. ~PP>
Michelle in Charlotte

Ruby Scats
Dear Crew,
I'm sorry to bother you, but I've posted in a couple of forums and haven't been able to get an answer.  
<No bother at all, this is why we’re here. :o)>
Do ruby scats change color when they're sick/stressed?  I saw a pair I'd like to get, but they're very dark and not showing the colors I've seen on the net.
<Nearly all fish will change color when sick or stressed but don’t rule out normal color variations that occur within every species too. Do read and view the pictures at  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/Scatart.htm for more info, especially notice the color variations between the “greens” and the “rubies” and the notations beside the pictures.>
I was worried about disease and whether it would be worth bringing them home (no physical signs for fungus/bacteria/external parasites).  
<With a proper QT period you should be fine. Do ask about how long they’ve been at your LFS. If it’s only been a few days or a week, ask them if you can put a deposit to have them hold the fish until you’re sure they are well.>
I've read up on their tank parameters and feeding requirements, which wouldn't be a problem.
<Very good>
Thanks in advance!
<You’re welcome! Ronni>

Silver Scats
<Hi! Ryan today!>
I just have to say this is a terrific site. I'm so happy I found it. <I remember the feeling>I'm always looking for information. I have a 55 gallon brackish tank containing nine mixed African Cichlids and three Silver Scats. A couple of months ago two of my Scats developed something on their mouths looking almost like a pimple. I've been going crazy trying to find out what this is. I was told at first that it's a form of cancer and there's nothing that can be done about it, but was not satisfied with that. <Good> Recently one of the pimples disappeared but now it looks like the whole upper mouth is raw with a lot of missing skin & there's a lump now on the inside of his mouth. It doesn't seem to bother them but I have to know if there's anything I can do. The only information I've found was regarding Lymphocystis but my fish only seem to be affected in the mouth region.  
Please help me. I'm afraid of this getting much worse. I would be really upset if I lost them. They really are beautiful fish. Thanks, Danielle
<Hard to say without more info.  What were the results of your last water test?  What kind of equipment are you using?  What is the temp of the tank?  A picture would speak a thousand words.  Keep us posted>

Silver Scats #2
<Hi-Ryan Again>
Thank you so much for getting back to me. <Ahh, the pimpled scats, right?> I do a 25% water change every 2
weeks. <Nice regimen> For filtration I use a Fluval 304. I test the water weekly and there is
rarely even the slightest variation. Right now I have a PH of 7.8 ,  0ppm Nitrite & 0ppm Ammonia. The only variation I might get is a fluctuation in PH between 7.8 & 8.0. <Normal fluctuation> I keep the temp at 78. I haven't tested the hardness recently but that is usually the same also KH=8 & GH=6. This problem has existed for about
six months. I've spoken w/numerous pet stores & spent countless hrs. on line & reading books, but haven't seen anything like this. It started as a pimple on the top lip (for lack of a better description) and now looks like top part
of the jaw is just wasting away. I will try to get a picture to send you.<That would make this easier!>  I
have one other question pertaining to my cichlids. I have what I believed was a Johanni & now think is a Maingano. <A picture could clear this up too> I believe she is holding eggs since 6/12/03. I do not have another tank & tried the net breeder but could not catch her. <tough, but keep at it.  You've either got to remove her or all the males...which sounds easier now?  2 nets makes should help.  The recommended time to move the female is 14-16 days after she develops the brood.  You're right on time.>
So I opted for a divider. <Fry may be able to swim to their own deaths through the circulation holes> I'm worried because she hasn't eaten in all this time. <If your mouth was full of babies, you wouldn't dare eat either!  Totally normal, she'll eat like a pig once this is over.> I've read about stripping but would rather go the natural route. <Either way works, I like natural too> I've read that the incubation period is anywhere from 10-21 days.
<Yes, about right.  Catch this fish without stressing her too badly.  Go get yourself a 10 gallon quarantine from Petco or Wal-Mart-best 10 bucks you'll spend in this hobby.  This fish is in a vulnerable time right now, and will need time to recover without being harassed.  The fry will need a space to grow!  This doesn't have to be fancy, and a sponge filter is your best bet with small fry.  You can even seed the filter by setting it inside your display for a few days, then transferring it to your QT.  Hope this helps!  Ryan>
This was all rather unexpected so any info would be helpful. Nevertheless it is exciting. Thank you
again <anytime-Ryan>

Silver Scat Problem
>Hi,
>>Hello.  Marina today.
>I have a question, I searched through your boards and haven't seen anything related (not exactly anyway).  First let me tell you the setup.  I have a 50 Gallon Aquarium with a Fluval 404 and a Magnum HOT with a BioWheel.   I use the standard Fluval Media + 2 large bags of Chemi-pure.  I usually do about a 10% water change every 3 weeks or so.  
>>Please elaborate "standard Fluval Media", do you mean the sponge, the ceramic noodles, one of the filter bags filled with any particular media?  I might suggest making the w/c a bit larger, on the order of 30% or so, but would be cautious, and increase the volume changed by about 10% each change (next change 20%, after that 30%, so on and so forth).  However, knowing the art aspect just as well, also know that if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
>I have had the tank setup for over 6 years with minimal fish loss and am pretty experienced with maintenance and water chemistry do's and don'ts.  I currently have 2 silver dollars, 3 skunk loaches, 2 yoyo loaches, 2 silver loaches, 2 silver dollars, 4 scissor tails, 6 very small white clouds, 1 red tail shark, and a 1 Kuhli loach.   It may sound a bit overcrowded, but the fish are happy and healthy and seem to enjoy each other's company.  The only exception are my skunk Botias.  The stay in their little cave almost all day and only come out to explore and eat at night.  
They don't bother with the other fish unless one tries to go
in their cave, they are promptly warned and chased away.  
>>To be expected, they keep hours to their preference, and I've found many loaches that prefer to be in the open at night.
>All of my fish have learned to leave them alone, with the exception of the red tail shark who sometimes 'sleeps' in the cave with them.  
>>Please know that Red-tailed sharks can easily be kept with the more aggressive South and Central American cichlids; they are that pugnacious.  If you begin to experience mysterious disappearances (those tasty little White Clouds, for instance) you might look to the shark.
>No one picks at the others and healthy fins all around.  In fact, I have yet to see a red tail shark as perfect and vibrant as mine.  He is JET black and his tail is extremely bright, almost like a candle flame, but a little more red than orange.  I have very good water quality.  Nothing but de-ionized water (from Aquarium Pharm's tap water purifier) has ever been used because the tap water quality here is horrible (500+ general hardness and 8ppm chloramine).  I use Electro-right and Aquarium salt on all the water I replace during changes.
>Now to the problem - I added 2 silver scats 3 days ago.  They are VERY small (about 1" in diameter).  All of the info I have read says they are fine in fresh water for a awhile when small, then require brackish or marine later.  The store I purchased them from had about 20 in freshwater tank, all the same size.  They have had them for 3 weeks, and all are healthy and happy (I had been checking before I purchased to be sure of their health).  They have pretty much identical water stats to mine, I brought my kit and they allowed me to test the tank before purchasing.  
>>WOW!  Cool.
>PH 7.0, KH about 100, GH about 145, 0 of the bad stuff (ammonia/nitrite) and about a 50ppm nitrate.  My nitrates are a
bit lower (40ppm), but I have a much bigger tank than the 20 gallon they came from.  
>>Ok, these readings are from *your* tank, or the shop's tank?  In any event, you mention nitrates twice, I will assume that you meant that you have 50ppm of nitrites (not nitrates), in which case you have an issue with this; persistent high levels will soon make less hardy fish ill.  You then mention the nitrates, which I will assume are, indeed, nitrates, and that they read at 40ppm.  I believe that larger water changes would be in order here, and test the freshwater for nitrates and nitrites.  If I recollect correctly, relatively high levels are acceptable for potable water (I've seen some reports with nitrates as high as 40ppm, for instance).
>The salinity is about the same, as they use he same general dosage of Aquarium salt as I do.  I acclimated them VERY slowly (about 1 hour) before putting them in the tank and they immediately began swimming and exploring and eating a bit of algae
within seconds.  I leave a small rock covered in algae for my loaches to eat, but I do not have a algae problem and the water is as clear as glass.
>>No worries there, but a question as to the ingredients of the aquarium salt.  I don't recollect many loaches that appreciate salt, but being almost exclusively farm-raised, most, though not all, f/w fishes can tolerate very hard water and relatively high pH.  Anyway, about the salt, the scats would want something similar to sea water, so check out using that instead.  Ananda would know far better than I, so I'm forwarding this to her as well.
>Last night, one of the scats began acting strange.  When they eat off the bottom (constantly picking at the gravel and algae) they point straight down head first much like my silver dollars.  One of them never came back to normal position.  I have seen sick fish before and know the signs of pH shock, parasites, bacterial infections, sever stress,  etc.  This fish shows NO signs of anything, and in fact is still putting his dorsal fin up and down and looks COMPLETELY healthy with the exception of one thing - he doesn't seem to be able to straighten back up.  He has been swimming while pointed head-down for over 12 hours now in a small corner of the tank.  It's a little funny, because he really does not look sick at all, and is still trying to eat during feeding.
>>Oh my, I feel terrible!  I've only JUST gotten this email today, 5.13.03.  Please let me know how the fish are doing ten days later!
>I have seen swim-bladder problems before, and usually the fish looks bloated and is unable to regulate the air in their bladders and float around the surface.  
>>Indeed.
>Not the case with this guy, he stays towards the bottom and his profile is fine, he's not 'bent' and his body doesn't look deformed like most ailments that affect their ability to swim
would look.
>>Can we rule out parasite?  Or...jeez.. swim bladder trouble would have been my next guess here.  Well, if he was in fresh before, try reacclimating him to fresh and see if there's an improvement.
>Any possible idea what this could be, or if/what I should try to do to help him?  I KNOW they will require 'real' brackish water within a year or so and I plan on converting this 50 gallon to brackish and moving all the other occupants to a bigger 75 or 90 gallon within a few months.  
>>Oooh!  Stop, reverse that, make the BIGGER tank the salt/brackish!  :D  (That's my vote, anyway)
>The other scat is perfectly fine, and actually tries to mimic the strange swimming pattern of the other little guy as is he is trying to school with him.  LOL.  
>>GET OUT!  Nuh uh!  LOL!!!  Such silly fishies.
>It's really not funny, but it is at the same time.  
>>I am relating with you at this moment, 1:30pm on this day.  And chuckling.
>Any ideas?  What's the best possible realistic thing I can do to try and save him?
>>Oh my, first let's find out what's happened with him in the meantime, eh?  Again, I'm so sorry about how late this message is, I do hope he's still with us at least.  Marina

Re: Silver Scat Problem
>Hi Marina,
>>Good morning, Victor.
>Sorry if I confused you with all this info, but I was trying to give you an accurate idea of the tank setup.  
>>No worries, my friend, I *much* prefer a bit too much to too little, and I would wager the rest of my crewmates would agree.
>To answer your questions, the Fluval has the ceramic "macaroni" as I like to call it, as well as the sponges AND I add two bags of Chem-pure that I change about every 3 months (supposedly they last 6).  I have had this setup from day one for about 6 years with VERY low illness and or mortality problems.
>>Yes, from your description you've had a fabulously stable setup.
>My Red-Tail shark is extremely friendly, and never actually 'hurt' any of the other fish (unless you count psychologically, from chasing them to all hell...LOL).  
>>Well, yes, I do.  This is how they kill lots of livestock by badgering constantly.
>If he does get to 'bitchy' I just re-arrange the tank a bit and his 'territory' is no longer an issue.  I've only had to do
this once in 6 years.  I've always heard the same thing you say about red-tails, and I tried keeping one with my first tank (all Cichlids) and they killed him in about 1 hour.  
>>Indeed, when small, red-tails are quite peaceable, though I've only run across a few that didn't hold their own with cichlids.  In any event..
>They were Firemouths, Convicts, and a Jack Dempsey all microscopic in size.  I gave up on Cichlids years ago, I couldn't put anything in their tank but other Cichlids and my 2 convicts started multiplying like rabbits.  :)
>>Oh my goodness YES!  And soon you end up with so many fry you can NOT give them away.
>I was referring to everything correctly.  I have ZERO ammonia and
nitrites (for 6 years straight now), and around 40ppm nitrates.  
>>I wonder which measurement you meant when you spoke of the 50ppm.  No matter, if it's been going strong for 6 years, I see little need to change anything.
>I do about a 20% water change every 2 or 3 weeks, so my nitrates usually hover between 20-40 ppm's.  Those readings were from the shop's tank, and they pretty much matched mine, except I had lower nitrates.  I only mentioned them as a reference for you.  Get it now? :P
>>I *think* so... ;)
>As far as the salt, I use Aquarium Pharm's Aquarium Salt (for
freshwater fish).  I've used a half-dose of it for over 6 years now, and all my fish are very active and healthy so I guess it either helps or at least doesn't hurt.  
>>Big proponent of salt for certain freshies here.  The only time I recommend *against* it is in the case of planted tanks.  Then I recommend the fish be moved.  Did you know that salt actually boosts effects of many antibiotics?  
>My water is between 40-100 General Hardness which is the safe range for all my fish as far as I know.  
>>Relatively soft water, actually.  Where I am my GH is more in the range of 400-500 (just add some sand, mix, and you've got concrete!).  But yes, your water is quite safe in that range.
>All my water goes through Aquarium Pharm's Tap Water Purifier (de-ionizer) which is expensive but worth the money.  
>>Indeed.  And if you've been using it from the get go, I'd have to go under the assumption that it's money well-spent.
>To give you an example of how horrible my tap water is, I only get about 20 gallons out of each de-ionizer cartridge.  If your familiar with this product, you'll realize how bad my water is.  
>>Not so familiar with the product as I am with municipal water parameters.
>I use the Electro-Rite designed and sold with the kit to replenish the 'correct' amount of hardness according to them during water CHANGES.  I don't top off much, as my tank doesn't really evaporate much in 2-3 weeks between changes (it has a full glass top).
>>Sounds all very good to me.
And yes, I was serious about the healthy scat copying his swimming
patterns.  I've never seen anything like it!  LOL  
>>Now THAT is a completely new one to me.  What a hoot it must have been (even if he was mimicking a goner).
>I wish I had thought of it at the time, I could have dug out my mini-DV camcorder and made a video of it, it was quite funny.  
>>Heh, me too!
>Don't feel bad about answering late, there's nothing you could have done.  A few days after I wrote the email to you, he finally died (still swimming and eating up to the end).  
>>Sorry to hear that.
>When I removed him from the tank after he died, he seemed a bit heavy when carrying the body to the trash.  I examined it, and felt something VERY hard in his stomach area.  This part is gross, but I got my utility knife out and 'dissected' him wondering what would cause his stomach to 'harden' so much.  
>>Indeed!
Quite simple really, he swallowed a piece of gravel !!!!!  Don't ask me how he fit it into his tiny little mouth, but he did and it was my gravel, the color matched exactly.  Strange indeed.  
>>WOW!  I am shocked, familiar with this in HORSES, but *never*, ever, in all my days a fish.  Well...I'll be..
>Anyway, the other scat was still very healthy, but he was so
lonely he started schooling with my Silver Dollars !!!!!  They were not happy about this, and were constantly trying to get away from him.  It got to the point were he got aggressive and started picking at the Silver Dollars.  Also kinda funny, since the Silver Dollars are almost fully grown (at 5 1/2 inches) and he was maybe an inch, if that.  Gutsy little guy.  Anyway, this was not a good situation, so I returned him to the shop and took to baby Silver Dollars instead.  Now I have 4, and the original 2 are MUCH happier for the Scat leaving and even more so gaining 2 more of their own kind.  I decided to wait till I actually HAVE a more suitable 'real' brackish tank, then I will get some scats then.  They are very fun to watch, and seem more 'aware' then normal
community fish.  Much like Cichlids, but less nasty.
>>Agreed, and they can be housed with other beautiful brackish fish (including the black mollies and Monodactylus).
>Thanks again for trying, but honestly, what can you do for a tiny fish that swallows a piece of gravel, other than hope it passes it?  LOL.  
>>Holy cow, yeah.
>Surgery is not on my list of hobbies, so he was doomed anyway.  And by the way, cutting open a dead pet fish is not only disturbing, but very gross !!!!!!  At least I know it wasn't bacteria or a virus though, I HATE medicating fish that aren't sick.
>>LOL!  I agree, we shouldn't medicate if it's not indicated.  Glad to hear that everything's worked out for the best (excepting himself, of course).
>The rest of the tank is healthy and happy, so I guess it's a
'semi-happy' ending?  LOL
>>Very much so.  Glad that all has settled down on the watery home front, and best of luck to you, Victor.  Marina

Scat With Acne - 06/03/2004
I was reading a question posted regarding a silver scat that developed a pimple on his upper lip. Then it developed into the entire upper lip getting infected.
<Mm, could be a number of things.... Lymphocystis comes to mind first, also perhaps Columnaris, or HLLE/hole-in-the-head, even perhaps mycobacteriosis....>
The same exact thing happened to my scat. He developed the "pimple" then died about 3 weeks later.
<Do you happen to have recorded your water parameters? Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, salinity? Any other fish present in the tank? How large a tank? How large/old was the scat? Any other tankmates exhibiting symptoms?>
I asked my fish dealer about it, and he said that sometimes the fish will bang into something that will cause the infection. Is this possible?
<Well, yes, but not terribly likely.... the 'pimple' you describe, was it a pit, or a raised bump? Color? Texture - fuzzy? cauliflower-like? I would not be convinced that an infected injury/wound caused this, but possible that it was bacterial in nature. Without some in-depth details, it will be tough to pinpoint what, exactly, caused the fish's death.>
It seems too simple for something like swimming into something will cause the fish to die.
<If the fish gets wounded badly enough, and is in poor condition to begin with (or in improper water quality), it is quite possible for the wound to become infected, ultimately killing the fish. But the 'pimple' as you describe doesn't sound like an injury site, to me. Please do respond with more details, if you'd like us to help get to the bottom of this with you. I'd be delighted to be of further assistance.>
- Frank
<Wishing you well, -Sabrina>

Scat With Acne - II - 06/14/2004
Thanks for getting back to me. The "pimple" looked like a pinkish raised bump on the side of his mouth, that spread across his entire upper lip.
<This does sound classically like Lymphocystis, to which scats are quite prone.>
He was the lone scat in the tank. About a year and a half old, and about 5 inches long.
<Still kinda small, eh?  ;D>
I never noticed any health problems with him in the past. In fact, he always looked extremely healthy. No other tank mates had the same symptoms. My water quality has always been good.
<'Good' is subjective.... it seems to me that, in nearly all Lymphocystis cases I've seen, there has almost invariably been quite a nitrate issue.  I, personally, like to keep my nitrates *very* low - I urge others to try to maintain them at less than 20ppm.>
My Ph tends to get high sometimes, but not much, and I try to keep it constant as much as possible.  
<pH should not have affected Lymphocystis, so no worries there.>
I did, however, kept him in a 30 gallon, freshwater tank.
<Yeah, that's a bit of an issue.>
I always thought that this size tank might become a problem, plus not having him in brackish water.
<Look at a good sized dinner plate - that's about the right size of an adult scat.  Moreover, scats tend to be social - and really deserve fully marine conditions as healthy adults.  I would guess that, yes, the small tank was likely an issue, as well as not giving him brackish water, increasing in salinity with age.>
Most people I've talked to say that keeping scats in fresh water shouldn't be a problem.
<My best assumption is that the folks you've talked to haven't had them past juveniles....  These are very large, long-lived fish in the wild and, if kept properly, in captivity as well.>
He was doing so well, so I figured everything was OK. Anyway, I've recently bought 4 new baby scats and all are adjusting well to my tank. I'm looking into purchasing a larger tank soon. What size is recommended for Silver Scats?
<As large as you think you can manage....  Scats are hefty waste producers as adults, which can lead to health complications if you're not careful - as they age, you will need to observe your water parameters, and plan on hefty water changes, if you don't go with something quite large.>
The other fish in the tank are:
2 Bala Sharks (about 6 inches each)
1 Banded Leporinus (about 7 inches)
1 Angelica Catfish (about 4-5 inches)
1 Leopard Pleco (about 3-4 inches)
1 Red Tail Shark (about 3-4 inches)
All the fish seem to get along with one another, and don't seem to overcrowd each other.
<.... and this is in a 30 gallon tank, along with four juvenile scats?  I daresay, unless you're doing some big water very frequently, I would be surprised if you don't have nitrate issues.  This is a very hefty bioload.  Also, the worst long-term issue, provided the fish all do tolerate the water conditions (or you do very large, very frequent water changes), is that none of the above list is truly compatible with the scats' continuing needs.  We're really talking about a marine animal that is born in fresh water, and none of the above list will tolerate the increasingly saline conditions that the scats may die without.  Please do take a look at Bob's very informative article regarding these neat fish:  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/Scatart.htm .  Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>

Convulsing Scat  10/7/04
Hey there.  <Hi, Pufferpunk here>
I just read through your article on scats at http://www.wetwebmedia.com/Scatart.htm, and I wanted to contact you about a pair of Scats I've kept for about a year now.  The most peculiar thing happened to the one I have now (the first one died unexpectedly) that I'm at a loss as what to do.  I observed him one night having what I can best describe as a convulsion.  He darted about the 26 Gallon brackish tank for a while, perhaps 45-60 seconds and then began to float upside down, unable to correct himself.  He would then twitch violently and sink to the bottom to lay there stiff.  He laid there a while, while I prepared to put him into a hospital tank, until it seemed he was dead.  I removed him immediately and put him into a small transport tank to take him across my place to the office.  But he did not move, so I kept him in the little plastic tank.  After a good 30 minutes or so, his gills began pumping and he started moving around, but still flat on the bottom.  I put him in the hospital tank and observed him at the bottom, sometime violently twitching and convulsing.  I decided to euthanize him, and as I prepared to do something, He steadied himself and began swimming upright.  Intermittently he swam well and convulsed a little bit, but after a day, he was normal again.  Fearing for wasting disease, I medicated the tank with Paragon 2 for a few days.  I kept him in the hospital for about a week or so, without a single incident.  I returned him to the main tank (2 silver dollars, 2 silver shark catfish, 2 tiger barbs, 1 albino tiger barb, 2 Corys, and a small frog) and he was fine for about 2 weeks, than another episode.  I've had him in the hospital tank for just over a month now and have not seen him have another episode.  I know they are brackish high PH fish, but my hospital is about 7.4
and the main tank 7.8.  I'm not sure what happened, but it occurs to me that the first fish, whom I found on the bottom of the tank when I came home, assuming him to be dead, may have had the same condition.  Any ideas or directions would be appreciated.  I got to figure out a way to get him out of that small tank...
<The 1st thing that comes to mind is that if the fish improved in a separate tank, the water conditions in your main tank must not be suitable for your fish.  That tank is way overstocked & none of the other fish in there are BW fish (except the silver shark catfish).  Scats & silver sharks actually require a high-end BW environment (made with marine salt) & a SW environment towards reaching adulthood.  Just those 3 BW fish will eventually require at least a 75g tank.  I think you need to decide if you want BW or FW, 1 tank or 2 & rethink your stock of fish--fast!  In the meantime, large water changes & consistent testing for ammonia, nitrItes, & nitrAtes will be necessary.  ~PP> --
Dariush

Miserable scat
I am new to this stuff.  Had a scat, that had obtained ich.  did a salt dip for him yesterday.  Seems that he is really stressed out.  Now he is lethargic and appears to have difficulty swimming.  Is eating but not as voraciously as before.
<The reason this fish is not doing well is that Scatophagus argus is a Brackish/Marine fish and needs to be in a brackish environment.  When given proper water conditions these big boys eat like there is no tomorrow. You will need more info on these fish and how to properly care for them.  WetWebMedia has a good article dealing with this fish here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/Scatart.htm
There also is a FAQ section to help with your questions.>
He is in a freshwater tank with a couple tetras, Chinese algae eater, Cory catfish, coolie loach, and a peacock eel.  All other fish are doing well.  No signs of ich on scat since   salt dip.  Now he is at surface of tank almost on his side.  Appears to be gasping for air, rapid gill movement.  Any recommendations.   
< My suggestion is to immediately set up a Quarantine tank, if you don't already have one set up already.  This fish really should be in brackish environment, and I don't think that this fish will get any better without it.  Once the tank is set up with the appropriate heated brackish water then you can think about adding medicines.  I found that many of the Mardel Laboratories medicines work quite well on these fish.  For example Maracyn-Two cured my scat of bacterial infections.  Hope that helps, and I do hope the scat gets better. -Magnus>

Mottled Coloration in Scat  8/22/05
Hi WWM Crew,
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
I need your expertise. Does this look like Velvet to you?
See how about 3/4 of my Scats body is dark brown? Is this normal coloration based on mood in Scats? I can't tell if they were like this when I bought them and I'm getting paranoid or if they are sick.
The facts... I have a 55g BW tank, about 1.007 specific gravity with 2 Colombian sharks, 3 mollies, 3 platies (starter fish, moving to a new home when I have the money for the tank), a milk spotted puffer, a Betta (neighbor didn't want him anymore, had to adopt), 3 green scats and 4 glass catfish. Before you lecture me about being overcrowded, they are all juvenile and will be split up into separate tanks as I can afford to set them up.
<Just to let you know (so you can start saving), the scats will eventually need around 50g/fish & require SW as adults.  The puffer will also require salt water.  The Columbian sharks are schooling fish that grow quite huge (up to 18") & need marine conditions as adults.  Please put the Betta in a 2g bowl (or larger).  It will be killed with the aggressive fish you have & will not appreciate the salt.>
Ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate about 20 PPM and PH is about 7.6 to 7.8.
<BW fish are best kept at a steady pH of around 8, generally by using aragonite as substrate.>
The water is clear and everyone seems happy and healthy, with the exception of the scats. One of them appeared to be very sick yesterday. He was hanging out behind the power head and would not eat.
The other two scats were beating up on him real bad and he was doing nothing to defend himself. I looked all over the net for info about what might be wrong before finally deciding that he was probably just getting picked on too much. I cut the top off a 2 liter coke bottle, cleaned it up real good and poked holes in for water flow. I caught him in it and dug it down into the gravel. This protected him from the other two Scats. I checked him this morning and he seemed much better. I let him out and fed everyone and he ate and was his normal racing around the tank self. Now he's doing it again, and I've been watching him close all day, there hasn't been any excessive aggression by the alpha. This coloration issue may be new or it may not be, I'm not entirely sure.
I've never seen velvet before, can someone help? Oh, and I did a 50% water change today.
<I would say this is stress coloration, due to his being picked on.  You could try moving  the decor around a bit to alter territories.  Make sure there is plenty of decor to break up lines of sight & ample room for everyone to have their own territories.  I'm afraid, even though you are aware of the fact that these fish need larger tanks, it will be sooner than you think.  Scats grow quickly, are messy eaters & high waste producers.  ~PP>
Thanks,
Erik in Oceanside
P.S. Two of the three Scats have this coloration, the third is all green except the spots. The alpha, one of the discolored ones, has shown no signs of stress, neither has the third that has no discoloration.

Green Scat Question  9/28/05
Hi,
<Hello, Justin with you here.>
I've had a brackish tank for over six months now with a large green scat, a green spotted puffer, a mono, and a white cheeked moray.
<Mm interesting choice of tankmates, hope it works for you and also hope its a big tank with good filtration.  Those particular fish are waste heavy other than the scat.> A little over a month ago, both the moray and the scat developed a half inch long white mark on their sides, and the scats gills are completely white inside.
<Sounds like either a fungus or Lymphocystis. Either way do several water changes and treat with an antibiotic mix of nitro and fuzo based meds if the area is cottony looking.  Most are premixed together for you to better use them. Jungle products makes one called fungus eliminator.>
I'm not sure if they were like that before the mark got there or not. I didn't think it was Ich, since I had a pretty high salinity level at the time. <No parameters of your tank to work with here so a simple high salinity doesn't help me.  WE really need ammonia, nitrite, nitrate ph, and salt, as well as anything and everything about your tank to really help narrow it down.>
After a week or two, the moray's mark disappeared but its been weeks now and the scats mark is still there, and he is showing a slight decrease in activity. I treated him for ich with no result. Any suggestions?
<Hmm  well with so little information its hard to be sure but I think you should try these things.  First do major water changes, clean out your filters and vacuum the gravel.  The best way to keep fish healthy is to maintain the highest water quality possible.  In that regard feed your meat eats less too.  if the scats on their food that's fine but once every 2 hours for now is a lot better for the tanks health.  Next get your salinity slowly to 1.012.  The reasoning for this is that ich both freshwater and marine seem to have an incredibly hard time maintaining virulent levels in that salt amount.  Too low for marine too high for fresh. As for the lines id try the antibiotics listed above on the scat in its own tank set up as a q/t.  Also keep an eye on the puffer if the lines are curved the puffer may be nipping on them.  The last thing it could be based on your information is maybe a nutritional deficiency.  What are you feeding your fish? Is it the same foods all the time?  If so please consider getting a vitamin supplement to add to the water and try other foods to vary the kinds of foods given.  That should help as well.>
<Justin (Jager)>

Sick green scat  - 4/11/2006
Hi.  Almost a month ago now I bought two green scats from a pet store. I gave one to my mother and kept one for myself.  I didn't notice until
a day or two after I bought them, but they both had small white flecks on their tails.  The flecks later grew into a fluffy white fungus.  The
fungus spread to all the fish in my mothers tank before she noticed the scat was sick.  She successfully treated all her fish with MelaFix and
PimaFix, but her scat didn't get better.
<Is this a brackish system?>
She put it in a hospital tank, increased the salinity (I don't know by how much) and used a stronger antibiotic instead of the MelaFix with the PimaFix.
<These are not antibiotics... just tea/extract homeopathics>
  The scat seemed to get better at first, but it still died.  My scat has been in a hospital tank since I bought it.  I've tried treating it with
MelaFix, chemafix, PimaFix, MarOxy and Maracyn (not all at the same time) and nothing has worked.  I'm not sure what to try next.
<I am>
In addition, my dojo loach was bitten on the tail, and so I put in in my brother's empty hospital tank to treat it.  It's fine, but when he
gave it back to me he used the water from his aquarium tank to bag it with.  A day later one of his fishes died from ick.  Now two figure 8
puffers, and  a clown loach have 2 or 3 tiny crystals on them.  The crystals don't look like the ones on his fish, and they are very small.
  I took the puffers, and clown loach out and started treating them for ick, but I wanted to know if you think it is ick, and if so should I
treat my whole tank for ick, not just the puffers and the clown loach.  
Sorry the letter is so long, and thank you so much for your help.
Jenna D.
<Jenna, quarantine new livestock to avoid such problems... Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/scatfaqs.htm
Sorry for the late reply. Bob Fenner>

Scat with Mouth Problems  3/2/06
Hi,
<Hi Ellen, Pufferpunk here>
Despite no change in care for the past 5+ years, my scat suddenly appeared to become the victim of what looks like lock jaw.  More specifically, his mouth is open all the time to the point where you can see his tongue moving up and down.  At times, his lips and tongue have turned bright red but always return to their natural color. He appears to want to but is incapable of eating.  He also makes jerky movements on occasion but can still negotiate the tank fairly well.  Can anyone help me save this fish?
<It would help to know a few things: tank size, water parameters (ammonia, nitrIte, nitrAte, pH & SG), water change schedule & tank mates.  ~PP>
Thanks, Ellen Kortum