Nathanm187 Posted December 23, 2012 Report Share Posted December 23, 2012 so, i got a barra bout 3 days ago and i need help, he's still not eating, he's scales are all dark, they where nice and had lots of random marks now all his body is gone shade of dark grey, even the stripe on his head is gone unless i put my hand in the tank and hold him (he seems to like to get pats and to sit on my hand, and im aware of his spines and razor gills lol) then it comes back for a while, he just floats around for a bit then goes and lays on the bottom near the plants, i have 2 snails in the tank to try keep it cleaner and they seem to be fine. barra is 10/12cm eats pellets, same as what he ate in the pet store, well, thats what im trying to feed him, he wont eat filter on, brand new filter pad too, airrater on, heater in the tank if it drops below 26', themometers (2, one in the tank, one stickon) both at ~32 (hot day) ph is bout 7.0 tank is 35X20cm 20cm deep, will get a big 4ft real soon tho, its on its way lol light is on a auto cycle of 13h on 11h off (i work odd hours so its needed) its about sunrise to sunset, off at night, on at day what am i missing? i don't want this little guy to die on me, should i be worried? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster94 Posted December 23, 2012 Report Share Posted December 23, 2012 Barra love high PH, because they breed in saltwater which is high in ph. Other then that I don't have a clue, maybe try some live food? Or smaller pellets? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sclero p Posted December 23, 2012 Report Share Posted December 23, 2012 Brand new filter pad ? maybe tank is not cycling. Get a 15 or 20 litre white bucket fill it with neutralised water put the barra and the airstone in it asap. If you have sea salt put a big handfull in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathanm187 Posted December 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2012 the barra died sorry, just as you guys replied =/ i really shoulda looked sooner, altho i didn't see anything about salt water so maybe if i get another ill try that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sclero p Posted December 23, 2012 Report Share Posted December 23, 2012 Maybe best to wait tlll you have the 4 footer set up and cycling. 12 litres of water is not the ideal home for a Barra. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inkozana Posted December 23, 2012 Report Share Posted December 23, 2012 Check your gH levels are well, people often forget how important they are - Barra like relatively high gH above 150dgh. I'd say that a temperature of 32 wouldn't have helped though.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathanm187 Posted December 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2012 (edited) it was a hot ass day, cauz i woke up at 12 i couldn't turn the ac on quick enough, i plan to wait till i get my 4ft before i try again, this one was given to me cauz it ate my gf's friends silvershark, that day i put down $600 for a 4ft tank, just waiting for it to get here lol, then i have like 4-5 months (i think) to build a pond trailer, im lookin forward to building that one lol and whats gh level? is there meant to be a kit to test and alter that? should barra live in salt water? i have no problems with that lol, just can't have snails, salt water would be better i would think cauz it'll kill allot of bugs that would prob thrive in fresh water Edited December 23, 2012 by Nathanm187 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster94 Posted December 24, 2012 Report Share Posted December 24, 2012 Not live in salt water but put aquarium or pool salt in there. I used to put double the recommended dose because it's meant for all fresh water fish. It boosts there immune system and gives them a thick slime coat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaninja Posted December 25, 2012 Report Share Posted December 25, 2012 I kept two barra in fresh water. They were picky eaters when it came to pellets, but went nuts for live food and even mince. I had two enormous crayfish in there with them, and the bigger barra ate the smaller cray. His pincers were sticking out of the barra's mouth for like 2 days. I felt so bad! He bit the leg off the other crayfish too and killed him. One of the crays was the same size (the one he ate), and the other was a lot bigger than he was. They loved being scratched too. They'd come up and sit in your hand so you could rub their bellies. Mine were very affectionate fish. Lots of fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QldAquariumDesign Posted December 25, 2012 Report Share Posted December 25, 2012 (edited) Barramundi can live in either fresh or full saltwater. They will travel to the sea at about 6 years of age (from memory) to mature into females and spawn. I would suggest you try live food. In the wild that is basically all that they eat (mostly fish and prawns), though farmed fish are raised primarily on pellets, but if you are trying to entice the next one to eat, then live food will be the best way to go, I think. Keep a highish pH (around or just above 7.5) but be careful of the increased toxicity of ammonia especially with such a heavy feeder at higher pH's. General Hardness is the level of dissolved mineral salts in your water, primarily magnesium and calcium, and Barramundi like it fairly high like Inkozana said, around 150ppm. Even 32 degrees is not outside the realms of possibility in the wild, so as long as it isn't there for too long or gets there too fast then you shouldn't need to worry too much, plus your new 4 foot will stay cooler much longer. It's worth noting that whenever I used to sell them, the juveniles would always be huddled together in a school and would be relatively elusive. Maybe add some thick plants until it settles in. Apart from that (which I would try first) you can research Viral Neuronal Necrosis or bacterial Peritonitis which also offers some of the same symptoms you were describing. Also sodium chloride (aquarium salt) will irritate the skin of the fish and reduce osmotic pressure. It will get a nice thick slime coat yes, but you can add some slime coat in a better way (like buying Stress Coat), in my opinion. If you are going brackish I would use marine salt (salinity - approx 1.010 - 1.015), as it contains extra buffers and vitamins that the fish will like. Aquarium salt won't contribute to your true GH or provide that much vitamin to your fish. Edited December 25, 2012 by QldAquariumDesign Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
