 |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
|
Mystery Texas Cichlid Death
11/11/11
My sick fish... Cichlids... need
data 6/8/11 Still Learning...Help my Cichlids
please........... Re: Cichlids slowly dying
5/10/11 Suspected Septicemia weird acting fish Water changes, cichlid sys., hlth.
2/1/2010 Cichlids With Cloudy Eyes -- 1/27/10 Cichlid Sick or Non-compatible
12/28/09 Re: Cichlids? New Tank Cichlid Problems 12/11/09 Cichlid help please
Cichlid problem, hlth. 8/17/08 Hello again, My T-bar cichlid has got hole in the head, all my fish are scratching, twitching and have all there fins down. <Likely caused by Hexamita, and almost always trigger by environmental or dietary deficiencies, i.e., overcrowding, high nitrates, lack of fresh greens. Treatment is only possible via Metranidazole, couple with correction of water quality/diet. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/metranidazole.htm > They are all eating normally except my T-bar with hole in the head and they have been doing this for 3 days now and they have no signs of any spots so it cant be white spot. <Hexamita is most common when cichlids are overcrowded. Quite possibly latent in all cichlids, when their immune system becomes weakened the protozoans spread from the digestive tract into the body and out to the lateral line. It's the ones in the lateral line that cause the distinctive pits and lesions.> What could be wrong with them all? Thanks <Review environment, diet, and act accordingly. Cheers, Neale.> Re: cichlid problem 08/18/2008 Hello, When you said "review environment" what did you mean? My tank has lots of bogwood and a few plants with fine gravel. Thanks. <Simple. Take a look at all the requirements for the fish you have. Look in an aquarium book (or search this web site) to find out more about each species. Note things like water chemistry (pH, hardness), diet, space requirements, compatibility with other fish, etc. Write all these things down. Then compare them to the environment in your aquarium. Any differences between what your fish need and what you are providing will be likely sources of potential problems. Also check nitrite and nitrate; nitrite should be zero at all times, and with cichlids nitrate should be as low as practical, ideally less than 20 mg/l. Cheers, Neale.>
Cichlids Breathing Heavy And At The Top Of The Tank 07/07/08 Hi there , I am relatively inexperienced when it comes to cichlids , although my water quality is checked regularly I am worried about the behaviour of some of my fish. My tank is 6 foot in size and I have many cichlids of varying size and colour. I recently added 4 new cichlids to the tank, and after doing so almost my entire population are constantly swimming near the surface of the water ? Why are they doing this is this common or not ? And what can I do to prevent them from doing this as they all seem to bunch up , so you cant really see them , kind of defeats the object of having them ! Any advice given would be greatly appreciated Many Thanks. < The fish are at the top of the tank because they are not getting enough oxygen. Start by increasing the aeration. If you use a power filter then make sure the return breaks the top of the water to increase the oxygen exchange at the surface. Check the water temperature. The higher the water temperature the water has less oxygen carrying capacity. Lower the temperature to the lower part of their acceptable range. Check the ammonia and nitrites. They should be zero. If these are present then they can "burn" the cichlids gills and impede their ability to absorb oxygen from the water. Treat for gill flukes with Fluke-Tabs. These parasites attack the blood rich tissues of the gills and block the water from coming over the gills and interfere with respiration.-Chuck>
sick cichlid, poor English, reading 6/27/08 hi there <Micaela... the beginnings of sentences, proper nouns like your name, the pronoun "I"... are capitalized...> i have a 55 gallon tank with three parrot fish, a ghost fish, <What is this?> and a electric blue Johanni, <Not a good idea to mix Mbuna with neotropical cichlids> which i got about 3 months ago. usually the electric blue runs the tank and is very active. yesterday he began to be very listless and didn't eat when i fed them frozen bloodworms, which is very unusual. he continues to defend his area of the tank, but does not swim around much any more and even let a parrot fish get close enough to nudge him. also, not normal. I did a water change about 4 days ago and added ammonium remover, <... water should be pre-mixed, stored. Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwmaintindex.htm the second tray on "treating tapwater"> as I always do. I did not add anything else after the water change. This is obviously not the first time I've done a water change since I got him. Do you have any ideas as to why he might be acting this way? there is no physical evidence on his body. thank you Micaela <Read. Bob Fenner> re: sick cichlid 6/27/08 thank you for the advice. p.s. as an english teacher who just received a master's degree, i won't take offense to the grammar advice. <... !? Set an ejemplo amiga! RMF> I possibly have sick cichlids 5/30/08 Hi, my name is Emily. <Hello Emily,> I have a 65 gallon fish tank with two AquaClear 110 filters. Ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, pH are at the correct readings, and the temp is always around 80 degrees. <Slightly on the warm side; aim for 25C/77F unless you expressly keep fish that need other conditions. Do also remember that pH is largely immaterial; fish care about a stable pH but the number itself isn't important (within reason). What matters is hardness, particularly carbonate hardness where cichlids are concerned. Lots of aquarists make this mistake and test pH but have no idea what the hardness of their water supply is.> I have had this tank for over a year, the fish I started with were tiger barbs, a blue African cichlid, a Firemouth, a jewel, and Chinese suckers. <Not really a compatible selection of fish. The Jewel needs soft/acidic conditions; the Firemouth moderately hard, neutral to slightly basic; and "African Cichlid" covers a lot of ground but I'm assuming Pseudotropheus zebra, a species that needs a high level of carbonate hardness and a pH around 8. Chinese Suckers (Gyrinocheilus aymonieri) don't belong in this system because of their aggressiveness and tendency to suck the mucous from large fish; and really neither do the Tiger Barbs because of their predilection to nip fins.> Basically since I put these fish in they have been flashing (they had no signs of ich, parasites, velvet, or any disease at all). <When fish "flash" for no obvious reason, assume an issue with water chemistry and/or water quality. The water irritates their gill membranes, and this is what makes them "flash", i.e., dart about, scratching their bodies against the sand or rocks.> About 3 months ago, my Firemouth's eye turned bright red, almost magenta. <A secondary infection; possibly caused by water quality, but likely a direct result of fighting. Firemouths are *not* fighters: they use bluff almost entirely when settling territorial disputes among their own kind. Their jaws are relatively weak, being adapted for sifting sand (which is why you keep them in tanks with sand, never gravel, substrates). When they get into fights with other, more aggressive cichlids, they invariably lose out. Firemouths are best kept on their own or with cichlids that are smaller and/or less aggressive than they are. Jewels we beat the heck out of them, as will virtually any Mbuna.> He, nor any other fish, showed any signs of discomfort or loss of appetite, however the flashing still continued. I then removed the tiger barbs into a different tank because of my high interest in cichlids. <A wise move; it's now time to decide how to streamline this collection by adding compatible species while removing incompatible ones.> About a month into the Firemouth's eye issue, the red turned into a silver color (must be blind in that eye). <Indeed.> All of my fish eat Hikari cichlid pellets, frozen blood worms, wafers, and feeder fish. <Stop with the feeder fish! Unless you're deliberately trying to make them sick, feeder fish serve no purpose. None of these cichlids is a fish-eating species in the wild. All of them feed on algae and small invertebrates, particularly insect larvae and small crustaceans. Goldfish and Minnows are loaded with Thiaminase and fats that make predatory fish sick in the long term, and unless you are breeding something like killifish or livebearers at home, the cheap feeders aquarists tend to use are "parasite time bombs". Think about it: if fish are sold for a few pennies a piece, just how much effort do you think the producer is putting into keeping them healthy? Once you start feeding even standard tropicals like Neons and Guppies week after week, these are likely to bring in whitespot, bacterial infections, Camallanus worms and so on. In short, one of the most foolish things any aquarist can do is use feeder fish.> Their colors are still vibrant, they still have a great appetite, and still show no signs of disease, however they are still flashing once in awhile. A few weeks ago, I put a barracuda in the tank... <Do you mean a "freshwater barracuda", Ctenolucius hujeta? This is a *schooling* and extremely gentle fish that must not be kept with aggressive fish. Best kept in trios (at least) in tanks with lots of floating plants because they don't like bright light and are prone to jumping. This species does not need live fish as food, and there are lots of advantages to not using them. They "go" for movement, especially things in the water current. So use live shrimps and earthworms initially, and then wean them on to safe marine-based food items such as prawns and lancefish. Bloodworms and other insects are also popular, especially with juveniles. When kept singly they often pine away, especially if bullied by things like cichlids. Goes without saying that since they're Amazonian fish, their water chemistry requirements are completely different to your Central American and Mbuna cichlids.> ...and two high finned Plecos who are very healthy and don't flash. <The two Plecs will likely fight eventually, the dominant one skinning the weaker one alive. Do understand most Loricariids are territorial, and unless you know a species is sociable, they must be kept singly.> A few days ago I introduced a Julidochromis "gombi" into the tank and is doing great. <You're mixing Mbuna with Tanganyikans? Whoa... someone needs to sit down with a cichlid book. This is in the top ten list of no-no items. Mbuna can, will destroy Tanganyikan cichlids; the difference in temperament is just too extreme. Maybe not right now, but once the fish become sexually mature you're inviting trouble, especially if the Mbuna is a male.> I want to know if I should be aware of this flashing that the other fish have experienced and why I haven't seen any sign of disease. <Review water chemistry/quality. There's no way you have ideal water chemistry for all four species since they all have different requirements. So someone isn't getting what he needs. Check your carbonate hardness in particular, and get back to me if you need to discuss this further.> Like I stated before, all my fish are presumably healthy and eat great. <So far...> I know that the fish that are flashing aren't just itchy, even though they don't constantly do it, and if no signs of unhealthy behaviors are seen then how can this be treated? Should I bother treating it? Will it spread to the other fish? The barracuda, gombi, and high finned Plecos have not been flashing. <Yet... though to be honest the Barracuda will simply die in this tank at some point, and the Plecs really don't have the speed to flash! I'm trying to visualize my Panaque swimming fast enough to scratch... difficult. When she builds up any speed at all, she tends to just knock stuff over.> And the biggest question is what happened to the Firemouth's eye and why???? <No mystery at all there. Likely fighting and/or water quality.> I have been looking for answers for hours now and have received no input what so ever. Please write back!! Thanks so much!!! -Emily <Well, I've done my best. Not sure you'll like the answers, but at least they are honest and detailed. Do consider buying a book on cichlids so that you can understand their needs. Cichlids have a woeful track record when just thrown into aquaria... they are demanding fish for expert fishkeepers. For less experiences aquarists, Central American cichlids probably represent the best balance of hardiness, adaptability, bright colours and aggression. The milder species, like Firemouths, can work well in decent sized groups together with robust dither fish like Swordtails or the larger Tetras (such as Astyanax spp.); they also work well with Plecs. Mbuna are simply far too aggressive for anything other than a Mbuna tank, and then you have the problem of dominant males exterminating everything they don't like anyway. Mbuna are also very prone to hybridising, so you have to choose species extremely carefully. Mbuna are herbivores largely, and need a very mixed diet to do well. Tanganyikans are probably the single most difficult group of cichlids because they are extremely sensitive to poor water quality. You really need a marine-grade filtration system and extremely stable water chemistry to keep them happy. Aggression can be a problem with them as well, though to a lesser degree than Mbuna. Jewels are lovely cichlids, but incredibly aggressive when they start breeding, and are notorious for killing everything in the tank once that happens. Best kept as matched pairs in their own tank, or perhaps in very thickly planted tank with surface-swimming dither fish of some kind. Hope this helps, Neale.> Parrot Cichlid help 05/23/08 Possible Gill Flukes On Parrot Cichlids Hello, I need help. I have 4 Parrot Cichlids in a 75 gallon tank, looks like the youngest one has red like worms hanging out of his gills on both side. Everything I read stated that it was Flukes. When I checked the water, yes my Ammonia was a little high, so I pulled the carbon filters out and treated with a medication that states that it treats all types of worms. I did everything I was supposed to but nothing changed. The fish seems to be "normal" , he's eating, breathing as normal as the other ones , but I do not know what else to do to get rid of them. I treated the entire tank because I figured that if one had it , then the others were susceptible to getting it also. Please help! Thanks! < You could have anchor worm. It is a parasite that attaches to the fish via a hook into the flesh. Thus the name anchor worm. The medication may have killed it but it may take awhile for the dead worm to slough off. Another approach would be to net the fish out and remove the parasite with a pair of tweezers.-Chuck> Sick and Dying Cichlids, Not Much Info To Go On 05/19/08 Hi WetWebMedia, I am having a bit of trouble with my fishes, and I was wondering if you could help me out. I have a 40 gallon tank with cichlids and many fishes have been dying. This is an established tank and has been there for almost a year now. I do consistent water changes and use tap water conditioner. No aggression has occurred so I believe it is because of my water quality. I test my water every week, and ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are all at 0 ppm. My pH is in the acidic zone, but I heard that I should leave it alone as my cichlids will adapt. I think the main problem is the hardness of the water. It is in the soft zone and my cichlids thrive in moderately hard water. I tried adding crushed coral in a net bag and I put it in my filter, but it didn't really work. Another problem I get is green water. This never happened before. I do not overfeed and I make sure they finish all their food. I do not place the tank in a sunny area and because of the green water, I have to do water changes almost every other day, which is very tiring. I vary their diets with shrimp pellets, flake food, brine shrimp, blood worms, veggie cubes, shrimp, crickets, and beef heart. Please help me out as I do not want my fishes to suffer. Do you think it is the hardness of the water that is causing all this? I used to have plants in there but they all died and floated up. I also used to have a piece of driftwood in there but I removed it because I read that they lower hardness and pH. Please give me any advice you have. Thanks so much, Chris < There are thousands of species of cichlids found in South and Central America as well as Madagascar and India. They come from the very soft acid waters of the Rio Negro in Brazil to very and hard alkaline waters of the rift lakes in Africa. You did not mention the types of cichlids you have, other than they thrive in moderately hard water. This covers a great many species. Your fish are dying yet you describe no symptoms. Are they bloated? Loss of appetite? Color changes? Frayed fins? Open sores? Heavy breathing? Anything? If you are concerned about the water hardness I would recommend that you get a reading for your tap water with a hardness test kit. Modify the hardness you desire in a separate container with commercial buffer and salt additives. Do a water change while vacuuming the gravel and cleaning the filter. Add the new buffered water to the aquarium. You want to make these changes very gradually. Eventually you will get the water in the aquarium to the hardness you desire. Green water comes from excess light and nutrients in the water. I would recommend that you feed you fish once a day and make sure that all the food in gone in a couple of minutes. The floating green algae suspended in the water may be absorbing all the waste in the water thus your zero readings for nitrogenous wastes.-Chuck>
Cichlid Blister/Pimple 2/15/08 Hello. I have a cichlid tank and one of my cichlids seem to have gotten a "pimple" or blister on their fin. Do you know what disease this may be? The "pimple" is a pinkish reddish color. Also, it is only on one of the fins, the other one is completely fine. Do you have any idea what this may be? Thanks so much. <Likely a localized expression from a physical injury... getting poked by a fish spine of another fish for instance. No real treatment advised other than good care, nutrition and water quality. Bob Fenner> Cichlid cut/wound??? 2-05-08 Please help me. I have a Firemouth cichlid who has what looks like cuts, or wounds near his dorsal fins. It is right below his dorsal fins and not exactly on his dorsal fins. The "cuts" are a pink/whitish color. He still is very active and eats fine and has no discolorations. What is this "cut". I am not sure if it is fin/tail rot. His fins and tail do not seem ripped and seems perfectly fine. Is it normal for him to have "cuts" below his dorsal fins? Thanks for your help. <Yes, this sounds exactly like Finrot. Treat at once with a medication such as a Maracyn or eSHa 2000. Finrot doesn't cause fish to lose their appetite until it infects the body cavity, at which point the fish will likely die regardless of treatment. So treat now! Do also try an establish the cause: Finrot almost never comes out of nowhere, but is usually associated with poor water quality and/or physical damage. Firemouths are gentle (by cichlid standards, anyway) and easily damaged by more aggressive species like Convicts and Red Devils, so mixing these species isn't a good idea and often ends with the poor Firemouth getting hammered. As for water quality, at the very least do a nitrite test just to see what the situation is on that front, even if everything looks fine. Cheers, Neale.> My Jewelfish... beh., hlth. 2/1/08 Hello, My female Jewel seems stuck to the bottom. She feeds normally and immediately sinks back to the bottom. She swims around as if magnetized to the bottom. No other symptoms. Any advice? Thanx Jay <Greetings. One of the most common reasons fish become sluggish or unable to swim is constipation. Hemichromis bimaculatus feeds on a variety of foods, but insects are a major part of their diet, and the skeletons of insects act as a sort of dietary fibre. In the aquarium, things like live Daphnia and brine shrimp make a very good alternative. What doesn't help is dried food and flakes, which contain little fibre. Many cichlids will eat plant material, particularly tinned peas, as these have an excellent laxative effect. Adding Epsom salt to the water can help: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/epsomfaqs.htm Otherwise, if these remedial actions don't help, you have to consider a systemic bacterial infection or a genetic problem. Bacterial infections often come under the banner of "swim bladder disease" but can be a variety of things. They are usually caused by water quality issues, and with cichlids, nitrate is something to watch, not just ammonia and nitrite. Bacterial infections are difficult to treat once established; antibiotics probably work best, so you'll need something like Maracyn-Two. As for genetics, that's something that is essentially not fixable. Inbreeding of cichlids is incredibly common, and swim bladder deformities are typical of this. Often this becomes worse as they fish matures. In any case, there's nothing to be done. Provided the fish is otherwise happy, it isn't something to be concerned about, but obviously a deformed fish shouldn't be used for breeding purposes. Cheers, Neale.> Cichlids playing dead???? 01/08/2008 Hola, I have a quick question for you. Do cichlids play dead? <No. Very few fish "play" at all (the sole exceptions recognised in the scientific literature are among the Mormyridae elephantnoses) and usually when fish look like they're dead, they are dead, or at least in a state of shock. A few fish roll onto their sides as part of their natural behaviour. Clown Loaches do this when resting, for reasons as yet unknown. A few fish 'pretend' to be dead, so they can eat any small scavenging fish that swim too close.> The other day, my convict played dead and I was so scared. Why did they do that? <Might be a physical problem. When cichlids are quickly shocked or stressed, for example by adding to much cold water to their tank, they go distinctly loopy and will lose balance. They will roll over and drift about for a while. Once they warm up, they get back to normal. So consider things that could have 'knocked them out' for a while -- a badly handled water change, someone banging on the tank, loud noises, etc.> They were laying down, looking as if he was dead, and a second later, he swam across the tank perfectly. What happened? Is this normal? <Not normal, no. But if your fish has recovered now, I wouldn't worry too much. If it becomes a habit though, then you might want to reflect a little more on what's going on. Cheers, Neale.>
Convict Cichlid has bulge in stomach 12/12/07 Hey, <What?> I have had two convict cichlids for 5+ years, and just recently one of them got a sort of bulge in the stomach. It actually seems to have appeared randomly. A while ago I had a feeder fish that I am assuming was eaten (not quite sure) <... a very poor idea. Read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/goldfshfd.htm and the linked files above> and I thought that it might have been the fish with the bulge that ate it, but it seems odd for it to still be there (and the bulge is rather large). So for the past couple of days, I have been watching them eat and it looks like the fatter one is eating the majority of the food. It still acts normally, but the bulge looks very odd and I'm afraid something could happen to it. I have considered separating the fish in the tank to feed them separately and make sure they both get the same amount (they are always together, so I don't want to completely separate the two). The fatter one seems to always rush to the food and beat the other one to it. Why do you think the bulge is present? It seems like even though it is eating the food, it should be able to digest it and not have the bulge. Do you have any other suggestions? Thanks so much! -Chantal <... no useful data re water chemistry, foods/feeding... I suspect there is something amiss here environmentally... But it could be a disease, parasite introduced inadvertently with the "feeder". Keep reading. Bob Fenner> Re: Convict Cichlid has bulge in stomach - 12/13/07 Sorry that was of no help. Here is some extra info, and basically all the info I have left. I moved about an hour away from home in August and took my fish with me. They are also in a new (bigger) tank now, but their environment is the exact same. They have a better/new filter, and I used a lot of their old water for the new tank. The bulge appeared around early November. My fish don't typically eat feeder fish, and the one that was in my tank was not meant to be eaten either. I had goldfish and feeder fish living in the new tank before I moved my fish in there so that it wouldn't be squeaky clean and brand new once they got in. The one feeder fish disappeared, so I am only assuming it got eaten, but that happened probably around September/early October, so it was a pretty long time ago. That is really all I have on my fish. I am definitely going to start feeding the fatter one less once I find a way to separate them during feedings. It just still seems odd that a bulge would appear. I have been feeding them the same amount of food for the longest time. Thanks again! <... could also be a tumour/tumorous growth of some sort... Only way to be sure is to sacrifice, necropsy the specimen... Otherwise your proposed changes, good maintenance are about all that can be done. Bob Fenner> Re: I really need your help. Cichlid dis. 11/23/07 Hi! I emailed you about a week ago about my cichlid, he has a prolapsed anus. I've been treating him with Epsom salts consistently, and he's been eating the recommended food (Brine shrimp is all I could find around here.) But the bulge only seems to be growing, I haven't seen him poop yet! I don't know whether it's not working or I should try another food? He seems alright physically (swimming around, eating normally, etc.) but I'm worried about the bulge. Is there anything else I can do? Is he going to die? -Amanda <Hi Amanda. Difficult to make a clear recommendation here. The first thing I'd do if this was my fish is stop feeding it. If tinned peas and brine shrimp aren't helping, there's no point ramming more stuff down it's throat! Leave things be for a while, sticking with the Epsom salt dose though. See if that helps. If things don't improve in a few days, we might be beyond a simple cure. Antibiotics may be required to bring down the infection and the swelling. Cheers, Neale.> Constipated angelfish (severe), FW - 11/20/07 HI Bob, Your site is awesome! I've taken the advise of using Epsom salts @1tablespoon per 10 gal. in order to free up the blueberry sized intestine of my 8 yr. old, 5 ½' black angelfish. It's a 20 gal. tank shared with 2 very small catfish and one large plant. I've had the angel and the plant for 2 ½ years, there have been no sudden changes to the tank. The water condition is fine. I use Tetramin pro, but noticed the worm and shrimp diet recommended on the site. However, today I'm going to stop putting any food at all in the tank until this fish relieves itself. The problem looks severe, the anal is so swollen that it's becoming slightly red. All the fish behave normally except that yesterday I saw the angelfish twitching its 2 lowest fins and making small jerking motions with it's body. I've tried different things with a skinless smashed green pea, but the fish won't eat. It still rushes to the top of the tank always anxious to eat whenever I approach the tank though. Today I'm going to begin slowly upping the dose of salt. Any other suggestions? Thank you! <Greetings. Constipation in cichlids is very common, much more common than people might think. Pellet and flake food is especially bad at causing this, as will freeze-dried foods. The best foods for clearing up constipation are peas, algae, live Daphnia, and live brine shrimp. It does sound as if your fish has developed a prolapsed anus. This will heal by itself once the infection caused by the constipation subsides. Not feeding the fish at all for a couple of weeks will do no harm whatsoever, and if you starve the fish a bit, it might eat the tinned peas more readily. Alternatively you may want to provide live Daphnia or brine shrimps every day or two, as few angelfish turn their snouts up at these. Raising the Epsom salt concentration will also help. Cheers, Neale.> Neglected Cichlids With Hole-In-The-Head 7/21/07 I have been bad. Over the summer I neglected my 150 gallon cichlid community. I was busy expanding my perennial garden. I only recall doing three 50% water changes in the past four months. The glass was covered with crusty hard algae which took forever to scrape off. Now my Geophagus has HITH syndrome. I have been doing partial water changes every three days. Is 25% too much of a water change? Should I do less more frequently? I had been testing my water once a week and all parameters were normal except the nitrates were about 40 ppm all summer. My test kit says this is high end in the safe zone. I do have hard water and my pH is approx. 8. <Most Geophagines require warm soft acidic water that is very clean and low in nitrogenous wastes. Keep the nitrates under 20 ppm with water changes.> My major question relates to a large 8" gold Severum. He is about 1.5 years old. He looks great except for one thing. For the past 6-7 months I have noticed that he has a "divot" behind one of his eyes. Like a very small thumb print indentation (about the size of a pea).. I never really thought much about it. It wouldn't be the first time I have seen a cichlid with a deformity. For the longest time I watched it and there has not been any changes in it till now. Now the impression actually looks like a hole. It is much deeper. It is not white or fuzzy or pussy like the Geophagus' holes. I could try and send you a picture of it if that would help. He is still eating and swims normal with not other signs of distress other than that divot/hole. < A photo would be helpful.> Also, I feed my fish a variety of foods, including flakes, pellets, frozen blood worms and brine shrimp. Also shrimp pellets and algae wafers. Will the improved water quality reverse the HITHS alone, or will I need to treat with Metronidazole? < If you see no improvement then I would add the Metronidazole.> Should I add vitamins? < Won't hurt.> One last question, would it even help to use a hospital tank or should I keep everyone in the community? <Medications may affect the biological filtration. It is always best to treat sick fish in a hospital tank unless all the fish in the tank are effected.-Chuck> The rest of the residents include two rainbow cichlids, two Laetacara curviceps, four large unknown tetras, three clown loaches, five sajicas, Cory catfish three tiger barbs, one danio, and a large chocolate cichlid. Thanks for your help, Linda Cichlid Blood blister 7/26/07 I have a breeding pair of Jaguar Cichlids (eggs hatching tomorrow) and the male (10") has a blood blister/clot in the middle of his pectoral fin. It appeared a few weeks ago and has grown to about 3mm in size, with a blood streak running the length of the fin to the clot. Is there anything I can do? Your help will be greatly appreciated, I struggled for almost a year to find a suitable male. Great site! Heinrich <Hello Heinrich. Fabulous fishes you have there. Kept them while at university, and easily among my top three cichlids. Good looks, nice personality, and a high degree of intelligence. And their fangs are rather impressive, too! Anyway, there's nothing much you can do directly to fix this problem. There are three causes I can think of. The first is Nodular Cyst disease. This is a catch-all term for any parasitic infection where the parasites form cysts under the skin. When the cysts burst, they release the next generation of parasites that can infect other fish or the other host in their life cycle (such as some sort of invertebrate). There's nothing reliable on the market for these, though isolating the fish and treating for external parasites might help. Nodular Cysts are off-white and opaque. Because the parasites tend to have complex life cycles involving more than one host species, this isn't a common problem in ornamental fish. The second disease is Lymphocystis, a viral disease that seems most common among cichlids (and indeed advanced fish generally) rather than things like barbs and tetras. Although viral, the trigger seems to be water quality, both in aquaria and in the wild. It doesn't kill fish unless some organ system is blocked or damaged, but it takes a long time (years) to go away. Lymphocystis tumours have a characteristic rough texture and cafe-au-lait colour that makes them easy to spot. Being viral, there's no treatment; optimise aquarium conditions and let the fish's immune system do the work. Finally, your fish could be suffering from Gas Bubble Disease. This is where over-saturation of the water with oxygen causes bubbles to develop in the blood vessels, and these damage them, leading to swellings. While it eventually goes away by itself, it is important to fix the underlying problem because damage to blood vessels in the gills or brain will obviously be very serious indeed. Of course, your fish may simply have mechanical damage from rough handling or fighting, in which case adding anti-Finrot/fungal medication on a prophylactic basis could make good sense. Sorry I can't be more specific with the diagnosis. Perhaps a photograph would help? Cheers, Neale> Re: Cichlid Blood blister -- 07/26/07 Thanks for your prompt response, Neale! I'll try to take a picture. In the meantime please note that the clot is bright red, but with a matt finish (that's why I refer to it as a clot, rather than a blister). Heinrich <Hello Heinrich! Yes, I did see your description of the blister, which was why I described the diseases I knew about that resembled it in detail, so you could see for yourself that nothing was precisely the same. As it is, it sounds like there was some sort of fin damage and then a clot set in afterwards, but without a photo, it's difficult to know 100%. Fin damage of all types usually heals very well, assuming everything else is good. Cheers, Neale.> Chocolate Cichlid With Hole-In-The-Head Disease 3/27/07 Hello; I thank for the great website. My experiences as an aquarium keeper have been greatly enhanced by what I have learned on your site. I purchased a 4 inch black ghost knife, and a 3 inch chocolate cichlid two days ago. They are both in quarantine in a 30 gallon tank; 79F, 0 ammonia & nitrites, nitrates 10-15. The tank has been running with a Pleco and Synodontis (and a few other temporary 'guests') for about a year an half. The BGK and chocolate cichlid are to eventually move into a 100 gallon Amazon tank. The problem and question: After looking at the chocolate cichlid closely, he appears to have HLLE small lesions behind the eyes on both sides of his head. Three or four holes on each side. If I do a treatment with Metronidazole on this tank will I be endangering the black ghost knife? < The BGK should be unaffected by the treatment.> I've read about their sensitivity to medications. < They are mainly sensitive to dyes.> I plan to treat the tank every two days, after 30% water changes, as the package instructions state, for ten days. Then, follow up with a good diet and added vitamins. Any other suggestions or information greatly appreciated. Thank you very much in advance, Anna < Should like a solid game plan.-Chuck>
Jewel Cichlid Acting Strange 1/2/07 Hi- I have a 55 gallon tank with 1 Kenyi cichlid, 1 Bumblebee cichlid, 1 hybrid cichlid, 1 orange cichlid (?), 1 red tip shark, 1 Pleco and a jewel cichlid. The jewel cichlid (which is a pearl color with blue dots) has been acting strange lately. She does not swim around only stays at the top of the tank. Her fins are all down and she curves her tailfin. She eats a little but not like she use to. She does not swim around although she has always kept to herself but now she is not acting normal. I have isolated her in a tank but I am at a loss as to what to do for her. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks! Leslie < Clamped fins are a sign of a disease. Treat with Rid-Ich and salt for now. Crank the temp up to 82 F. If not better in three days then do a 50% water change and treat with Nitrofuranace and salt.-Chuck> "Bumps on FW Fish" - 1/22/07 A quick note for today's post "Bumps on FW Fish" in which Chuck suggested treating the fish with Nitrofurazone. The querier had mentioned already having treated the fish with Jungle Fungus Clear Tank Buddies tablets--just wanted to mention that these contain Nitrofurazone as their primary active ingredient. (The other active ingredients are Furazolidone and potassium dichromate.) Thought it worth a mention! I have these myself, that's why I know. Rachel <Thank you for this... will post next to the related corr., share with Chuck. BobF> Re: Bumps On Keyhole Cichlids 1/23/07 Mr Rambo, thanks for your quick reply! I remember you answered a question for me before. I just want to double check with you. These don't look anything like the pictures I've seen of fish lice. The pictures I've seen look like bugs crawling on the fish - these look more like nits (eggs) you'd pick out of a kid's hair (sorry lol), not like bugs at all. There are no visible body parts, legs, eyes or anything. They aren't moving on the fish, but seem to be stuck fast to them, like tiny (1mm) sesame seeds you could scrape off with your fingernail. Does this sound typical? I wish I could send you a picture, but my camera just can't handle anything that tiny. It's so frustrating trying to compare these to pictures on the internet, which seem to always be the most extreme cases. Thanks again for your time - I'll add the Clout as soon as I get the go ahead. The fish still seem to be doing okay, there are possibly a few more bumps today but they are still eating well and swimming around. Jessica <Wild South American cichlids sometimes carry a parasite that has a very complex life cycle. The "bumps" are actually little parasites that stay on the fish in a suspended animation state. When the fish is eaten by a bird the parasites come to life and are excreted in the bird droppings. The parasites then go to an aquatic snail and then to a fish again. They don't really hurt the fish but are very unsightly. The Clout may not kill them while they are in this state but usually aren't contagious. Go Ahead with the Clout. If the medication is effective then these little spots will die and may fungus or become infected. Try the Clout first. If the spots start to rupture they may become infected and need to be treated with Nitrofurazone. I like your last name.-Chuck> Red Devil Cichlid With Internal Infection 1/2/07 Hello I have a Red devil cichlid that I got that has swim bladder for the purpose of trying to save him. The pet store gave him to me free because someone brought him in. He is a nice looking fish and is about 6inches and I have put him in a hospital tank and then added Epson salt raised the temp to 84F and treating the water with poly guard as well as trying to feed the fish with Metronidazole and garlic guard mixed in with some food as well as some green peas and doing daily 20% water changes and carefully replacing the salt and poly guard. But the problem is that the fish stays on the bottom of the tank and cannot swim but only scoot's around on the bottom of the tank on his belly. He sometimes will go over to the food that I place in the tank but can't get the food in his mouth because he can't seem to raise up to pick the food up from the bottom of the tank. He often lays on his side until he see's me in the room then he sits back up on his belly. I noticed as well that yesterday and today that there was some blood in his stool. I have been treating him for about three day's now. Do you know anything else that I can do to get this fish better and how long do you think it will take before he gets better? Thank you for any help. <Remove any sand or gravel that can be abrasive to the skin of the fish. The infection has affected the swim bladder. Even if you cure the disease the swim bladder may not recover and become functional again. I would add Nitrofuranace to the mix and continue to treat for another week. These medications are not cheap. You probably could have purchased a healthy red devil for the money you will spend trying to save this one.-Chuck> Cichlid May be Getting Hole-In-The-Head 10/10/06 Thanks for taking this question, I have a tank of various Cichlids and I noticed a round hole on the surface of the gill on my Brown/Black Cichlid. He seems to act fine and is eating well. Any idea what it might be? The hole looks pretty deep and I worry it may spread to other fish. Thanks for the help. Shaun < Many cichlids come down with hole-in-the-head disease. It starts as little clear openings around the gills and head. Sometimes the entire head erodes away it not treated. The cause is not clearly defined. Some say water quality while others think it could be nutrition. Cover your bases by doing a 50% water change, vacuum the gravel and clean the filter. Change the diet and try to include more nutritious foods. Try to add more vegetable matter to the diet in the form of veggie flakes or pellets. It starts to get really bad then treat with Metronidazole.-Chuck> Unknown Cichlid With Unknown Disease 9/30/06 Hi There. I hope you can help. I will start off by admitting that I am not the most conscientious aquarium keeper, but my fish seem to have adapted to me and my habits. I have cichlids but do not know what they are. There is this one that is one of my favourites because he seems to be smiling all the time (a more rounded head than the others) and he was a beautiful blue/gray stripe. He is about 2 years old but the other week seemed to stop eating and then went a very dull grayish colour. He is now swimming in a vertical position, tail down - head up. Every day for the last week I expected to find him dead but he is such a fighter that I am now wanting to do everything I can to help him. I did a 30% water change, filter change and gravel vacuum 4 days ago and will do the same this weekend, however I don't know if I should be treating him with something. Do you have any suggestions? Lynda < After waiting a week to decide to do something did not help. Your fish is showing many symptoms. If possible isolate him in a hospital tank. Treat with a combination of Metronidazole and Nitrofuranace. Add some salt to the water too. This will take care of many internal and external infections. If these are not available then you could try Clout instead.-Chuck> Cichlids slowly dieing/dying 8/8/06 For the past 8, 9 months my cichlids are dieing. Every month one fish dies, I have to get my water tested and then I'll get back to you. But until then what else could be wrong? < Start with water quality tests. Keep nitrates to under 25 ppm with water changes. Ammonia and nitrites should be zero.> I have one cichlid that I have had from my first set of cichlids and I really want to keep him. Will a Lake Malawi cichlid be good with a fire mouth cichlid? < No. Lake Malawi cichlids come with a very good set of teeth to scrape algae off of rocks. These same teeth do a a lot of damage on other fish.> Also (this has to do with my Pleco) he and the other Plecos I have had seem to be lazy. This one just stays, oh no, he just moved! But now he's back, but usually he's where he is now, upside down on a rock that I bought for my cichlids. Why do they do this? < They are nocturnal and are usually only active at night.> When I was looking at pics of convicts I saw clay pots in some of the pics, if I were to get a pot how big should it be (my tank is 10 gallons) and should I maybe break a piece off of the pot? < The flower pot should be twice as big as the fish regardless of tank size. So a two inch convict gets a four inch flower pot. Turn the flower pot on its side or notch out a hole in the side.> The ones in the pic were on their side but some that I saw on eBay for cichlids had holes in them and they were supposed to be upside down. My last question. It's very, very random, what is the plural for discus? < A school, shoal, pair or couple of discus. There is no discuses.-Chuck> Flowerhorn With Stubborn Popeye 7/25/06 Hi.. a pleasant day once again to you. Its me again, I consulted you before about the problem of my Flowerhorn. If you still remember, my fish has an internal infection and pop left eye. Well, I followed your advice. I apply the proper medication for my fish. But it seems he's not feeling better. He even got worse because his right eye got infected too and now his eyes both popping out and both are turning white. I am really worried because he's also not eating for days already. I think I've done everything to help him but I still want to know and try if there is anything else I can do to save him. Aside from giving him Nitrofuranace and Metronidazole and water changes, is there any other ways to help him get well or make him eat again. I am afraid to ask this but .. will my fish die? <This disease can be fatal.> What do you think is the percent for his survival? < The key to a complete recovery is early detection and early treatment. Something has stressed your fish to the point that he is susceptible to this disease. It could be food, sanitation, temperature and even tankmates. You need to find out what had changed before he got sick. You could try to add some rock salt to the tank too. About a teaspoon per 5 gallons would be worth a try.> I hope he'll gets better,.. because he is my beloved pet.. hope you help me again. Thanks in advance and for your time going through my letter. good day. RHEA from Philippines. < These medications are usually pretty effective if the disease is caught early. Keep the tank clean by vacuuming the gravel and cleaning the filter often.-Chuck> Lionhead Cichlid With Bloat 6/21/06 Why is my lionhead floating on his back? Every time he goes to the bottom he floats back to the top. Other than that he likes fine. He just started this today(06-17-06). Will he die or will this effect my other fish which is common gold. Please help. Thank You Nancy <Gas pockets within the fish are probably infections within the digestive tract. I would recommend a 50% water change, vacuum the gravel and clean the filter. If possible I would recommend that you treat him in a hospital tank with a double dose of Nitrofurazone and a single dose of Metronidazole. Add about a teaspoon of rock salt per 5 gallons. The key to a complete recovery is early treatment. This can be lethal.-Chuck> Big Cichlids Getting Cloudy Eyes 4/30/06 I have a 12" Gibbiceps and 2 female Jaguar cichlids, 1x6" (S) and 1x8" (L) in a 280 liter tank. PH=7.5, Nitrite=0, Temp=26°C. "S" laid eggs on Wednesday. At about the same time she developed a single small white spot on each eye. One eye has now grown slightly cloudy also. "L" has now developed it also, although very small. The rest of their bodies and fins are clean with no signs of any problems, and their behaviour seems normal. "S" is not eating much (I think it's normal when she's with eggs), "L" is still eating well. I'd appreciate your help before their conditions get worse. Regards, Heinrich < Usually these body /eye fungal problems are because of excessive nitrates. Do a 50% water change, clean the filter and vacuum the gravel. Give it a couple of days and see if things get better. Add some salt if it looks like there is no improvement. If it continues to get worse then treat with erythromycin but watch for ammonia spike because the medication may affect your biological filtration.-Chuck> Cichlid Caught In A Decoration I have a Cichlid that was stuck in one of my aquarium decorations for about 2 days, I finally had to break the boat to get him out, he has scrapes on top his head and some red areas on his body. I put him back and he just sank to the bottom, I swished him around in the water and it revived him but he doesn't look good. Can anyone recommend anything that I can do? I don't have a hospital tank set up and the aquarium store is closed for me to get a divider to keep him away from the other fish. Can you give me an idea about how I can keep him separate from the other fish for now? Thanks, Bobbi < Place him in a large dip net and place the net so it gets some water flow from the filters or airstones. Add a tablespoon of rock salt per 5 gallons of water and add some melafix to prevent bacterial and fungal infections.-Chuck> Damaged Parrot Cichlid - 04/19/2006 I have 3 medium sized parrots and 5 silver dollars in a 26 gallon tank. My smallest parrot managed to wedge himself into a hole in a rock, and it took some effort to work him back out - his face and side are fairly scraped up, and he had to be handled a bit more than I'm comfortable with. Now he can't seem to get upright, and is stuck upside down. The other two parrots keep pushing him toward the top of the tank, but he ends up back at the bottom, upside down. He is working his gills, fins and tail, but that doesn't seem to be doing much. I'm in the middle of treating the tank for slime - using Furazone-light - but I don't think that would affect much. I did a 30% water change 2 days ago. The tank is a bit acidic at 6.0, nitrites are 0, nitrates are less than 20 ppm, and ammonia is less than 0.25 ppm, and I keep the temp at 82 degrees. I'm afraid I may have damaged his swim bladder while rescuing him. I'm not sure what I should do at this point - any ideas? Deb Jones <Your fish could have been damaged during the initial trauma or has suffered a secondary bacterial infection. Not much we can do with the initial trauma. Surface wounds can be treated quickly with MelaFix. If any secondary bacterial infections or fungus appear then you have already treated with Nitrofurazone. Internal bacterial infection can be treated with Metronidazole. Do a 50% water change, clean the filter and vacuum the gravel. Treat as directed on the package.-Chuck> Re: more on Cichlid tank and Flagyl 4/16/06 The current sizes of the present cichlids are as follows, Oscar 8 inches, Dempsey 5 inches, Pleco and angelic catfishes are both around 3 inches. Can I add another cichlid to the 75 gallon tank. Thanks again Jim Second, the tank these fish came from was a 30 gallon, my Oscar got hole in the head and lateral line disease before the switch. I have been mixing Metronidazole with his food. <... a very poor idea to "keep" mixing this protozoacide/administering it more than once, twice. Is toxic, will kill your fishes renal/kidney systems> His behavior and appetite is fine, the only problem is the holes and scars on his head and body. My water conditions are fine. will the extra space in the 75 gallon solve this problem with my Oscar? <Perhaps... see WWM re nutrition and HLLE... this is the root cure, along with improved water quality en toto> Finally, I live close to the ocean and fish very often, can I feed my fish live bait fish from the sea such as killies and spearing? <Yes> Thank you in advance for your patience and help. Jim <Keep reading... the materials archived on WWM re Oscars, other cichlids... http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwlvstkind2.htm Bob Fenner> Flowerhorn with holes in bottom jaw Dear WWM crew, <Just a small part of it, Rod... Tom> About a month ago I noticed my Flowerhorn had ONE hole (or what appears to be a hole, could be circle sinks) under his jaw. I didn't think anything of it because I have never seen this kind of disease before, but now he has about 5 of them. I wanted to know what disease is this, and how can I treat him? Also he has a white spot on his left gill cover, it seems to be under the scales. <Your description seems consistent with HITH (Hole-in-the-Head) disease/HLLE (Head and Lateral Line Erosion) disease.> I had treated him with PimaFix but I don't think that helped. <It won't. HITH/HLLE is multi-faceted in that there are several factors known to, or suspected of, causing it, i.e. water conditions, stress, vitamin deficiency, internal parasitic infection (Hexamita), carbon contamination. [The last two are "shaky" but haven't been totally discounted.] Please, research the WWM FAQ's/articles for more information on these diseases. You might look at this article, as well: http://www.worldcichlids.com/diseases/Adamhith.html> I am sorry, but my digital camera broke. <Sorry about this, too.> But, if needed let me know and I will try my best to get a picture of it. <No worries, Rod. Clear photos certainly help us but concise, well-written and well-documented information is often worth just as much.> Thank you very much, Rod <Hope I've been of some help. Tom Cichlid With Hole-In-The-Head 4/8/06 I have a 9' red flame cichlid that has developed raw spots on its head (above the eyes and below the dorsal fin, and between his eyes) they developed after his tank mate died about 3 weeks ago. The spots seemed to have blood circulating to them because I see red within the areas. I do 25 -30 % water changes about every 10 days (55 gal whisper 3 filter) I have also been adding aquarium salt (1 tablespoon a day for three days now). I have had the water tested and is within the norm. He is the only fish in the tank and has stopped eating for at least 4 days, spends a lot of time on the bottom. When I turn on the light he comes to the top to eat, if he even bothers to take any Hikari cichlid gold pellets, he just seems to swim backwards any spits them out. These spots are not deep; they seem to be just on the surface. The one above his eyes is approx ½' across and slowly getting bigger. He has had these spots before but this big and not for this long. Any help you can provide would be much appreciated Thank you Dave < Do a 50% water change, vacuum the gravel and clean the filter. Treat with Metronidazole and Nitrofuranace. When he starts to eat , offer some live food live washed earthworms, and watch for ammonia spikes because the medication will affect the biological filtration.-Chuck> Cichlids Really Breeding Or Just Sick - 04/05/2006 Hi! I have a 40 gal tank with a Convict pair, Jack Dempsey pair, and a Green Terror pair. They are all about 1.5 to 2 inches each. The Green Terror female and my Convict female both seem to be expecting. I have never seen behavior like this. They lay on the rocks and on top of the caves almost hovering. They are also very plump. Although I have seen not one egg from either, their respective males are right with them. How long does it take to lay the eggs? The convict has been this way for about a week, but the Dempsey I just notices today. Thanks Chelle < A 2 inch green terror is probably too small to breed. If conditions are right, clean water, good food and good nutrition, then they should breed in a couple of weeks. Even with eggs the females should be up and about eating and defending a territory from the other fish. If they are not eating or acting normal then I would start to think that they are sick with an internal bacterial infection and need treating with Metronidazole.-Chuck> Sick Gold Severum 3/19/06 I treated this Severum 5 weeks ago with furan 2 because he was hiding and not eating much and had red streaks on his tail fin, after 8 days he quit eating and I changed medication to Minocycline for 9 days. Some where in this time frame he developed a bump mid body a little on the left side the size of a quarter he had some trouble with balance but is still eating some every day. Yesterday his left fin was torn, he was holding it to his body most to the time. I put a little aquarium salt in and increased aeration. He still has the red streaks on the tail fin, and his breathing is labored. There is only a clown loach and a little 2 inch Pleco in the tank. Possibly the loach was a little rough with his pectoral fin. The bump is the concern? < Your fish is being attack both externally and internally by bacteria. Do a 50% water change, vacuum the gravel and clean the filter. You probably have high nitrates too and that contributed to the problem. Cleaning the tank will help. Treat with Metronidazole for the internal infection and Kanamycin for the external infections. This will affect the biological filtration so watch for ammonia spike after treatment.-Chuck> Severum With Lump 3/20/06 My Severum has a quarter size bump on his left side, he developed it some time in the last 5 weeks. He was being treated for red streaks in his tail fin with Maracyn 2 for 7 days , he stopped eating so I switched him to furan 2 for 10 days. He has a little bit of buoyancy problems as the bump is out about a half inch. he is still eating , but his gills seem labored so I added a little salt and have been doing a lot of water changes. Should I medicate him again, and if so with what? < Sounds like an internal bacterial infection. Keep up with the water changes and treat with Metronidazole.-Chuck
Flowerhorn Cichlids Don't Have Color 2/10/06 Hi! I'm Joan from the Philippines. My husband and I are newbies in FH care. We have 2 Flowerhorns that are almost 1 year old. The thing is, both their colors are not as vibrant as other Flowerhorns that I see in the website. They are mostly black with red along the gills but that's it. I did some research but nothing that can possibly answer specifically to my problem. 1.What can I do/feed my FH to make their colors change? (the aquariums have coral backgrounds. No gravels or sand. No decorations either.) < A Flowerhorn is a hybrid of three different cichlid species. Their colors can range from grey to bright red. This is determined by the genetics of the parents. If your fish do not contain the correct genes then they will never look like the web site photos.> 2. Can it still be remedied? They are almost 1 year already. 3. One of the FH's aquarium water becomes greenish in color after a few days. What causes these things? (note: the aquarium is not in direct sunlight). < You can enhance what color they do have with good nutrition, but you cannot create color on a fish. The green water may be from the food or high nitrates in the water.-Chuck> Cichlids Melting 2/6/06 I am writing to you because I have found nothing on a disease called cichlid melt. < First I have heard of it and I have been keeping cichlids for 38 years.> My young Oscar died. I brought the body to the pet store to see if they could make sense of the Oscar's skin condition. Both sides looked eaten away. They told me it's cichlid melt and compared it to leprosy. They said it's highly contagious and there is no cure. They told me to take down my entire tank and wash everything with bleach. I have a 72 gallon tank, so I'm hoping I don't have to get that aggressive. I presently have 3 parrot fish who seem to be OK, as well as one pearl cichlid. I have lost about 5 other fish within the past couple of weeks. None of them seemed to have what the Oscar did, however, two of the cichlid's had puffy and deteriorating scales protruding out of its head. I've had fish for years and never experienced such a thing. Any ideas or suggestions? Have you heard of Cichlid melt? Thank you Shannon < You have a bacterial infection that is eating the skin of your fish. Do a 50% water change, vacuum the gravel and clean the filter. Check the nitrate levels. They should always be under 25 ppm. Treat with Nitrofuranace as per the directions on the package. After treatment, you will need to add a high quality carbon to remove the medication. When the water is clear add Bio-Spira to replace the good bacteria needed for biological filtration. Then feed your fish once each day and only enough food so that all of it is gone in two minutes.-Chuck> Cichlids With Bacterial Infection - 2/4/2006 My son brought home a blue cichlid, an Oscar, and one of those fungus eaters. (looks like a little shark, but I don't know what is called). I have a 39 gal. tank filled with fresh water, which I change weekly, two filters and an air pump. I never heard anything about water chemicals until now. I feed them floating pellets two or three times a day. I don't know much about fish, but I have noticed the blue cichlid is growing orange wart like growths on the sides at the root of the fins. It started showing about two or three months ago. I didn't pay much attention in the beginning because I thought the fish was simply growing in size and that was part of it. they have grown a lot since we got them. the Oscar is about 12 in, the cichlid is about 7 in and the other one is about 10 in), but the last few weeks, I noticed that one side is bulging out while the other seems to be "falling off in tiny chunks". That's the best way I can describe it. What can I do? < Do a 50% water change, vacuum the gravel and clean the filter. Treat with Nitrofuranace as per the directions on the package. Fed once a day and only enough food so that all of it is gone in two minutes. High nitrates contribute to bacterial infections such as these.-Chuck> Oscars With Bacterial Diseases - 2/4/2006 Hello, Can you please help me? We bought 2 Red Tiger Oscars about 5 months ago and have already lost 1 to this disease already. It started with these small indentations in their skin which have now got larger on the remaining one. Also the remaining Oscar also has a whole in his top fin which is slowly getting bigger and I think this will soon divide his fin into 2. We do a water change every 2-3 weeks. We were given a treatment called 'Melafix' which were told would get rid of it and if that didn't nothing would. We followed the instructions, took the carbon filter out, but nothing worked and this is how we lost our first through the treatment. Our local fish shop said to take a water sample in (which we haven't done yet) to see if there was a high level of acid in the water, but only the Oscars had this disease. We have different types of Parrot Cichlids but these are all fine If you could reply to my email that would be great, Thanks Rebecca < This is a bacterial infection brought on with water high in nitrates. Do a 50% water change, vacuum the gravel and clean the filter. Treat with Nitrofuranace as per the directions on the package. Feed once a day and only enough food so that all of it is gone in two minutes. Check the nitrates weekly. They should not exceed 25 ppm. Reduce them with water changes.-Chuck> Babysitting a 100 Gallon Aquarium 2/3/06 My son has me caring for his tanks until the spring when he will take them back. The tank is either 95 or 100 gallons. Currently it is inhabited by the following:2 Jack Dempsey, I Albino Oscar, 1 Pleco, 2 parrot fish and a catfish. Also when he fed the fish live food 2 of the goldfish survived and are about 5 in long. I have Biopure filter and a Fluval 404 running, aeration etc. I had trouble with ammonia and was treating it with Amquel, which I am not sure worked. I invested in the python siphon so I cleaning the tank more often. Here are my problems; 1 the goldfish developed this black stuff as well a white fluffy around the mouth I also noticed some gray matter on the Oscar as well as on the parrot fish. I treated with Maracyn 2 and Copper Safe All was well 2. Suddenly the goldfish was a mess and subsequently died. Soon I found the other Pleco on its back dead and later in the day one of the catfish was swimming upside down and looked terrible 3.I cleaned the tank and treated it for body fungus because I saw white spots on a few of the fish. Now I see that the goldfish has white over his eye, one of the Dempseys has a sore under his chin and one on his side and the Oscar looks as if he has a tumor. To add to my dilemma the 2 Dempseys are fighting one keeps chasing the other and I think that is where the sores originated and also the more aggressive Dempsey and the Oscar open their mouths wide and to at each other and then separate. I know that we need to separate the fish, but the only other tank has 18 convict cichlids we raised from fry. 1.What should I do to keep the fish from fighting-I cannot believe I am refereeing fish? < Lower the water temp to 75 to 77 F. Move all the rocks and plants around to make them establish new territories.> 2.What should I do with the Oscar who still has some grayish spots( perhaps its normal) to fix the large swelling? < Probably body fungus.> I feed them Hikari Cichlid Gold, but after reading your forums stopped giving them that and gave some spinach and brine shrimp. I know this is lengthy but I am at wits end and I don't think I should keep dumping chemicals. Peggy Geist Blass < Do a 50% water change, vacuum the gravel with the python and clean the filter. Feed once a day and only enough food so that all of it is gone in two minutes. In a couple of days if things are not better then you may need to medicate with an antibiotic like Nitrofuranace.-Chuck>
Cichlids With Mouth Problems - 1/30/2006 Hello. I tried to search your site, unfortunately, not everything loaded up for me. I'm having slight computer issues. Please bear with me if this question has already been answered. It was my 23rd birthday a week ago, and my father, knowing how much I love fish, got me a small 10 gallon to go on the dresser of mine and my boyfriends dresser. It was complete with heater, air stone, and filtration. I set up the aquarium. Washed everything before I put it in there and let it run for 2 days before I introduced anything to it, Just to make sure there wasn't any dust or anything in there from the stones. Upon feeling my tank was ready for fish, we went to the fish store that I have gotten fish from since my very first tank when I was two. [ I do not trust PET stores, as most of the time, their fish have ich, and they do not realize this, and with a community filter, I fear all their fish are tainted - fish stores give more attention to their tanks then say , PetCo, ever would. ] So, I bought 5 fish. Two Pearlscale Orandas for our 50g tank in the living room [ which already housed two gigantic Plecos and 4 other Orandas. ] and 2 blue ram cichlids and a Kribensis cichlid. I am writing on behalf of my cichlids. They are very small, so a 10g is more then enough room for them to dart around and be happy. I keep the temp. anywhere between 74 and 76 degrees. < Too cold. They prefer at least 80 F.> All three were quite active after they got used to the new tank [about a day ] Within a day or two, I noticed the Kribensis' mouth looking quite swollen. The lips were quite puffy, almost like someone who had too much collagen injected into their lips. It also started to develop a small white spot on the bottom lip almost directly in the middle. That almost resembled a tooth, though I know it was not one. I took out my other fish and dosed both tanks with ich treatment. Within a day, the Kribensis was very weak, it couldn't stay upright and would fall to its side. Over night, it died. Since it was albino, I noticed that the whole underside of the fish was bright red, as if it had bled out under its skin. I was very upset about this, as I had gotten the fish no more then 4 days ago. I cleaned the tank out and let it run for another day, with a clean filter, before I put my blue rams back in. Upon putting them back in, I also bought a Pleco and a snail. It's been about a week and I was watching my fish and noticed that one blue ram likes to hang out at the very top of the water. < It is warmer there.> He also now has a white growth on the middle of his bottom lip. Though, he is not as weak or lethargic as the Kribensis was. It still darts around chasing and getting chased by the other blue ram. The eating habits have not be affected, nor do any of the other fish have any white spots on them. The white spot is not spreading, as I thought ich normally does. It also doesn't look ' fuzzy ' as I have seen it look on the bodies of fish. It, again, resembles a little tooth on its lip. But, I'm worried. I can not find any information about this on any other fish site, and I was hoping maybe you could help me, even in the slightest. I'm not sure what to do, or why this is attacking my fish one at a time. Thank you in advance, KL. < Cichlids make a living by sifting through the sand looking for something to eat. It sounds like your sand is too coarse or abrasive. As they try to feed the sand is cutting and damaging their lips/mouths. They are becoming infected and killing the fish. Run your hand through the sand to see it this could be the problem. The infection can be treated with antibiotics like Nitrofuranace. But unless the sand is changed the fish will continue to have the same problems over and over again.-Chuck> Gold Severum With Mouth Problem. - 1/30/2006 I have two gold 8" Severum fish in a 75 gallon aquarium. I have had them for a little over two years. One of them has developed a growth of some sort in its mouth. It protrudes from its top lip and looks like its gums or teeth or something. The growth is fleshy looking. I first noticed it about a week ago. I have seen this fish trying to spit it out by blowing air out its mouth. So far it has been able to eat around the growth, but today when I fed it, it could not get the food in its mouth. Now I am worried that it will starve to death. I don't know the sex of either one of them but they get along fine. I bought them both together from the same pet shop. Can you please tell me what this is and what I can do about it. I really love these fish. Thank you, Shirley Brand <Sometimes these big fish try to eat things that are not edible. Plastic plants, rocks pieces of wood etc.. I think it may have something stuck in its mouth that is causing an infection. Get a baking plan large enough to hold your fish. Get a large towel and fold it up so that it will lay in the pan. Bail out some aquarium water and get the towel in the pan very wet. Catch the Severum with the problem and lay him on the towel. Wrap the fish up in the towel with just his head exposed. Now get a flashlight and look down the mouth to see it there are any obstructions. Use long tweezers to remove anything you see. Put him back in the tank. If you didn't see anything then we can assume that he injured his mouth in a fight or trying to eat something. The injury might be infected so treat the fish with Nitrofuranace. Follow the instructions and watch for ammonia spikes in the tank because this medication will affect the bacteria needed for biological filtration.-Chuck> Red Devil Swimming On His Side 1/30/06 Have my son's red devil still here and has been doing well. The last few days he has been swimming on his side and has lost a bit of condition. Seems to flop on his side when he is not moving rapidly. There are no marks on him and he is still eating well (both live and cichlid pellets). He is now about 10 inches long and son has had he since really small. Please help as I really don't want to lose him. Thanks Sue < When I hear of problems like these I think of internal bacterial infections. Sometimes food gets stuck in the intestines and the bacteria continue to reproduce causing gas and bloating. This sets off the equilibrium and causes fish to swim on their side, upside down etc... Do a 30 % water change, vacuum the gravel and clean the filter. Treat with Metronidazole as per the directions on the package. It may stop the infection but the fish may not completely recover and be back to his old self.-Chuck> Flowerhorn Trouble 1/25/06 Hi, I have a very big headache and is trying my best to save my Flowerhorn. My Flowerhorn hit very hard on the side of my fish tank while my mother is playing with it and stays on its side ever since at the bottom of the tank. It has been 3 weeks now and he is still alive. I tried very hard to push him upright vertical) but he seems to slip down horizontally to one of its side every time. All he can do now is move his eyes, slightly move his tail and flap one of its fin. For the other fin, he can only move it slightly and is seems to be infected and looks a bit small with white spots. He looks a bit inflated though. He is able to push himself by sliding on the bottom of the tank. About food, he is still able to eat slightly but he will to spit some of the food out sometimes. Before the incident we used to give him some guppies (found in the drain) to eat. I am really worried that he might have eaten some infected ones. Regards Josephine Lai < The trauma to the fish probably caused some permanent nerve damage. As he swims on his side the substrate is scrapping him up and it may now be coming infected from the guppies in the drain. Remove the substrate, do a 50% water change, clean the filter and keep mom away from the tank. Treat with Nitrofuranace as per the directions on the package. This will clean up the infections but I am afraid your fish may not fully recover from the trauma.-Chuck> Sick Old Red Devil 1/21/06 Hi-My 12 yr old red devil lives in a 120 gallon tank with some gravel, a few rocks and his baked ceramic plant pot. He gets fed jumbo min and some brine shrimp. For the past 2 weeks he has been very sick -laying down in his plant pot like a dog to rest and then getting up to patrol his tank when I come near. He won't eat. He swims sideways sometimes. I have siphoned the gravel and changed 25% of the tank water on 4 separate occasions (giving him a few days between each time). The ammonia level and the nitrite level test normal. The nitrate level tests high. I keep the pH at 7 although it keeps tending bluer - higher, which is the opposite of what it usually does. I keep the temp at 80 degrees. I have put kosher salt in the water. He is typically somewhat orange, but when he got sick he got quite pale. Now his color is more orange again. I read in your column about using Furanace or Metronidazole... is either one appropriate? Do you have any advice or suggestions? Thank you for your help-Julie < At 12 years old your red devil may be getting near the end and no longer can fight off infections. I would do a 50% water change, vacuum the gravel and clean the filter. If he is not eating then don't feed him. Sounds like an internal bacterial infection. Treating him in a big tank will be very expensive, especially if multiple treatments are needed. If you can, move him to a smaller hospital tank. Treat him with Metronidazole and Nitrofuranace. High nitrate levels over a long period may have stressed him to the point of becoming ill.-Chuck> Lots Of Cichlids In a Little Tank 1/19/06 I have a 30 gallon freshwater tank with 7 med- lrg cichlids in it. < Too many fish already.> I have one highly aggressive little lady convict (I think) that spends most of her time picking on the others, even though some are bigger than her. I have battled fin rot sporadically in the past one fist at a time in a sick tank when necessary, however, last week it seemed as though it all went awry. I have 5 fish all starting to suffer from bad fin rot. I immediately did a 25% water change pulled out the carbon in the filter and started to treat with Melafix. I decided at that point it was better to treat the entire tank with so many fish sick. I quarantined the aggressive convict in a breeding net, to take some of the stress off the others. Seems to be going well with the treatment however, now a few of the electric yellows seem to be getting darker tiny black speckles, is this a side affect to the meds? < Never used MelaFix to cure fin rot. I don't think it is the reason.> I also ended up having to pull one of my Jack Dempsey's out because he seemed to be suffering severely. I put him in the sick tank with salt (all the fish water is always treated with it) and meds. He was listless for a few days, staying under the filter and then he started to get more active. Once he came out where we could se him better I was shocked, his gills seemed to be falling off, I am not sure if that is the best way to put it, but it was like he was going bald. I continued to treat the tank and the he developed a mucusy film and within a day of the slime he passed away. I am now finding this cycle repeating itself with another of my fish, he is quarantined and is in new water with salt and MelaFix. It seems as though the large tank is doing just fine outside of the color change to the fish, but I wonder if I am doing all that I can. I am worried for my fish and want to do what is best for them, please help with any info or advice you can give. The sick tank is 5 gal and it only has the one fish in it. ~Tricia < Check the nitrates. They should be under 25 ppm. Big cichlids generate a lot of waste in a little tank, add in the stress of the aggression from all the other fish and you are looking for trouble. Do a 50% water change, vacuum the gravel and clean the filter. Treat the fin rot with Nitrofurazone. After the treatment then add good quality carbon to remove any leftover medication. then add Bio-Spira from Marineland to get the good bacteria up and going again. Check the nitrates and control the levels with water changes.-Chuck>
Parrot Cichlid Problem II 1/13/06 That you so much for the quick response. I just wanted to add a quick update. The night I wrote that entry, I stopped administering meds and decreased the temp back down to 75F without my usual 2-day 15% water change. I figured, the only thing I did different before he got worse was increase the temp. And I'm tired of medicated my other healthy fish. The very next day... Swelling went down and the red pimple is gone! He still has a swollen lump and outer lip, but only about 40% of the previous days size. I was shocked! Not that he's totally better, but it gave me much more hope. Do you think the temp decrease had anything to do with the infection (fuzziness/red pimple) he had? < I think the temperature reduction has lowered the fishes activity level and it hasn't worsened the condition by trying to eat.> I also want to check his throat out but this is the largest fish I've ever owned and I don't want to damage his slime coat, fins or scales by mis-handling. I hear of many people handling cichlids when things get stuck in their mouths. I just want to know the proper and safest way to do it. You mentioned a wet towel. Any more tips to make sure I handle him with care? < Take a shallow pan and fill it about half full with aquarium water. Place a towel inside the pan to absorb the aquarium water. Take the fish out of the aquarium and place him on the wet towel. Wrap the fish in the wet towel with just his head exposed. Now that the fish is in control you can gently pry the mouth open to see if there is any problems.> One more thing. If it is something like a broken pharyngeal bone, does this ever heal? Or will I have to deal (which I would cuz I love him) with his lump and random infections forever? Thanks a million. You guys/gals must save a lot of fish. YOU'RE HEROS! < The bone may heal over time with a long term feeding program of soft mush foods.-Chuck> |
|
|
| Featured Sponsors: |
