Bristlenose Listless After A Fall

[Nightfall]

Yesterday I brought home 3 bristlenoses and 2 siamese flying foxes to distribute between 3 tanks to help control my algae. There was one albino bristlenose and since I have dark substrate and lots of driftwood the lfs owner suggested I take him. As he was scooping him out of the tank he fell out of the net and onto the floor. It was a drop of a few feet onto carpet.

I realise now I should have swapped him for another fish at the time, but while I was at the shop there was a big car accident right outside and I was distracted.

I got him home and he seemed okay, hoovering the side of the tank. However, after a few hours I lost sight of him. This evening, about 26 hours after I brought him home, I removed the plants that were obscuring the tank and I saw he was hiding in the corner. Since then I've been keeping a close eye on him and he seems very listless to me. The other two bristlenoses I brought home are doing exactly what they're supposed to and hoovering the plants and chilling on the driftwood, but the little albino is lying on his side against the bottom of the tank. His mouth is sucking the glass, but the others aren't lying on their sides or really even staying near the bottom of the tank.

I can put him in a hospital tank with a heater and filter if need be. The tank water is about 25 degrees and there's a flying fox and betta in there with him. I'm reluctant to turn on the heater during summer because the temperature quickly soars. The betta isn't bothering the bristlenose at all, so I don't think the bristlenose is hiding from him. I don't have any experience with catfish so maybe he's not acting strangely at all, but he's certainly nowhere near as feisty as the other bristlenoses.

What can I do for him? I have stress zyme, indian almond leaf and salt in the water.

 

[techen]

I suggest you leave him, He'll be in shock after the fall and may need a few days to recover and adjust to the tank. Bristlenoses can be shy overall so not seeing him much is fairly normal anyway.

 

[Nightfall]

Thank you, that's good to know. I guess my very un-shy bristlenose is the odd one out rather than the albino one. It's a bit disconcerting how he lies on his side on the ground to vacuum the glass but he is moving around so hopefully he'll recover.

 

[techen]

Thank you, that's good to know. I guess my very un-shy bristlenose is the odd one out rather than the albino one. It's a bit disconcerting how he lies on his side on the ground to vacuum the glass but he is moving around so hopefully he'll recover.

Yea, He'll be fine am sure. Just keep an eye on him. I rarely see my Bristlenose out unless the lights are off

 

[epic154]

lol just thinking of that havint seen my bristlenose in 3 days better go find him

 

[Nightfall]

Unfortunately, I just found him dead. I was cautiously optimistic when he started moving around more, but I just had the feeling he wasn't going to make it. He wedged himself in a ceramic log/cave and I left him alone, thinking he might be coming out at night (like the bristlenose in my gourami tank), but I just found him. RIP little guy.