Parrot Fish, hlth.    9/28/08 Hello, <Hello,> I have had a parrot fish for about a year now, in a 55 gallon tank with a Tiger Oscar, Jack Dempsey, another parrot, a Firemouth and Green Terror. We have a Dracula Pleco as well. <Not enough space for all these fish; they will fight, likely also have problems maintaining low nitrate concentration for long term success. If you have more than 20 mg/l nitrate in this tank, you're running a real risk of a Hexamita outbreak.> About 7 days ago, his face on one side started to swell and look puss-filled, then white bumps formed like pimples. (See pics). <Bacterial infection, like Finrot and/or Columnaris. Will need to be treated appropriately. Do understand that these infections are almost always related to environmental issues, so do review water chemistry and quality. Treatment without correcting the environmental issues that caused the disease in the first place won't deliver long-term results for obvious reasons.> We went to the aquarium shop and they said he might have bumped into something and it got infected, so they gave us KanaPlex antibiotics. We have dosed the tank for 4 days and have not seen much improvement. He is acting normal, but didn't eat for a few days. He's eating again now. <Would recommend Maracyn first, and if no improvement after one full course, switch to Maracyn 2.> Thanks for any help. We check our water regularly, vacuum every 2 weeks, change our filters every 4-6 weeks and feed pellets twice a day. <Too many fish with too different requirements in terms of water chemistry... this aquarium has the potential to go wrong in lots of ways. Do research the needs of each species, and then concentrate on providing those conditions for a subset of the fish you have, and get rid of the others. Cheers, Neale.>

Parrot Cichlid With Swim Bladder Problem 9/9/08
Good day! I was checking the site to look for similar problem as my parrot fish, Some are same but no mention of the weird way of drop landing and staying on the ground nesting-like attitude. About 5 years ago my friend gave me a blood parrot, because he has this heart shape tail and its really cute. At first I thought it would be extra burden to care for fish because I don't know much about them compared to dogs where in I have 4. So far over the years he was alright, but last June he got really sick. I could tell because he has this while cotton like around his fins and he doesn't swim much. He stays on the ground, doesn't eat and struggles to swim up to the surface just to catch some air. H also swims upside down, also probably common to parrot fish when they really sick. So I got really worried, went to a pet store and bought this SERA BAKTOPUR. I changed the water and treated it with the Baktopur, after 2 days I changed the water again then treated it. I stopped the treatment as per instructed by the box label then two days after I just changed it to clean water. He was alright after a month, he was back again! He plays with me. Again when I stick the food to my finger he would slightly surface up to get it on my finger tip. So that's his past. Just recently, like 4 days ago, I noticed that he stays on the ground a lot, he swimming is funny because he just swims around for a second then drops to the ground like he couldn't do a perfect landing. This is really really weird. He eats fine, still plays with my finger when I'm feeding him. If I pass by the aquarium he recognized me though and swims to the corner, so other than the swimming problem and the bad ground landing he is fine. I just want to treat it before it gets worse or progress to more scary disease. Please HELP
ps: Can I still use the Sera Baktopur to treat my parrot fish? The label says water treatment against mouth and fin rot and bacterial infections in freshwater aquariums. Symptoms of bacterial disease are white to grayish spots, blood spots and sores on the skin, also infections on and around the fish anus and on the edges of the fins. Dropsy, recognizable by the protruding of scales, a bloated body and bulging eyes. a cotton wool like fluff around the mouth, White-gray nodules on the head and fins and an agitated swimming motion at the bottom of the aquarium. White edges of the fins and sometimes complete destruction of the fins.
Direction: 1st day: 22 drops or 1 ml per each 20 liters
2nd day no treatment
3rd day 22 drops or 1 ml per each 20 liters
Composition:
100 ml sera Baktopur contain,,,
Acriflavine 209.7 mg
Methylene blue 4.95 mg
phenylglycol 0.6 g
aqua purificata ad 100 ml
Please let me know if its alright to still use this, to treat my parrot...
Thank you Worried-Doris
< I would first try and improve the conditions of the aquarium. Start by doing a 50% water change, vacuum the gravel and clean the filters. I would raise the water temperature to 82 F. I would recommend treating with a combination of Metronidazole and Nitrofuranace. If these are not available I would try Clout. -Chuck>
Parrot Cichlid With Swim Bladder Problem II  9/11/08
Hi Chuck, Thank you for the quick reply. Actually I just checked the mail right after I cleaned my tank. Regarding the Metronidazole and Nitrofuranace that you mentioned or Clout. Where can I get this medications? Are this medications the kind of over the counter drugs? Because I went to a fish store they don't have those medications. What is common here in the Phils are the Sera products, really worried here. Thank You - Doris
<I saw your photo in the last reply and my recommendation is the same. In the USA these medications may be found at local fish stores or online through DrsFosterSmith.com. Check with a vet for the Metronidazole (Flagyl) and use a Furazone type of antibiotic that I am sure Sera sells.-Chuck> 
Blood parrot swim problem 4..
Treating Parrot Cichlid With Metronidazole  9/11/08
Hi again, which is better Metronidazole in the water, or with the food? If with food, how much should I give? What I'm giving is the floating foods (the one with red and greed colored circles). Can I get instructions on how to add with the food and how much should I give.?? Thank you again-Doris
<Add 1/2 teaspoon of Metronidazole to 4 OZ of food. Dampen the food with water, add the medication and roll it into a little ball. Break off pieces and roll them into bite size little balls and feed right away. Freeze the rest to be fed later. Remove any uneaten food after a couple of minutes.-Chuck>
Re: Feeding Metronidazole To Sick Cichlids 9/14/08
Hi Chuck, copied that instruction already, tnx. Is this ones a day intake? What reactions will the fish have that I should not be worried at all when taking this med? How many mg should I buy for the Metronidazole Flagyl?? When everything is already consumed, that will be the end of the medication?? Will it really fix the swimming bladder? What's the connection with salt intake as what I've read somewhere, or if electrocuted?? Thanks again Chuck...-Doris
< Get four oz of a frozen food that your cichlid loves to eat. Defrost the food and ad a 1/2 teaspoon of Metronidazole and mix well. Refreeze the food. Feed it to your fish for 10 straight days. No real side effects. If he stops eating then you need to treat the water. The success of the treatment depends on how rapidly you add the medication to the diet. Keep the water clean. Salt will make the fish drink a little more. So if the medication was in the water then he would ingest some medication while he is drinking. Adding salt will add electrolytes to the water and make the water a better conductor of electricity. Pure fresh water has no electrolytes so it is a very poor conductor of electricity.-Chuck.>

Problem with Red Parrot fish 9/9/08
Hi Bob
<It's Neale this morning.>
You recently advised us on a 'swim bladder' problem with a Red Parrot fish (see e-mails below) and we wondered if you could help us with another problem with our largest Red Parrot 'Pinky'
<My least favourite fish on the planet I'm afraid, but will do my best. Do understand these things are grossly deformed hybrids prone to all kinds of diseases and syndromes because of it. They aren't easy to keep and certainly aren't suitable for beginners to the hobby.>
About 3 weeks ago we noticed that Pinky had developed a small lump on the side of her mouth and a week later it had grown into a large red lump about 3mm across. We have treated the tank with 2 doses of anti-bacterial infection solution but the lump is still there and she has now gone very pale and off her food, today I also noticed that she had a few white spots on her body and fins
<The "lump" could be a variety of things. In cichlids generally, fighting often takes the form of mouth tugging, and because Blood Parrots have the aggression of Central American cichlids but not the stamina or strength, they easily lose out. Their weaker immune system means that light damage doesn't heal so quickly, and poor water conditions will make things worse. Despite being sold to inexperienced fishkeepers as funky pets, these are fundamentally large, Central American cichlids that need systems measured upwards of 180 litres/50 US gallons to thrive. Like any cichlid, water quality must be excellent, in particular zero ammonia and nitrite. In common with Central American cichlids they are somewhat adaptable with regard to water chemistry, but soft/acidic conditions must be avoided. My guess is that this fish injured its jaws, and you have something like Mouth Fungus (actually a bacterial disease) or Finrot setting in. Easily cured using suitable medications. In the UK I'd recommend a brand called eSHa 2000, which is safe to use in combination with eSHa EXIT, the manufacturers Whitespot/Ick medication. No cure will work if the fundamental problems with the tank aren't corrected as well, so review these. Tell me more about your tank, the other fish in the system, what filter you use and I can comment further if required.>
I know that the 'white spot' can be treated as we have had to treat it before but don't know what the other conditions could be and how to treat them - I am very unsure about putting too many treatments in the tank and subjecting the other fish to too much stress
<Medications are only safely used in combinations if expressly stated as such by the manufacturer (or a vet). Do also remember to remove carbon if you were tricked into using that stuff in your freshwater aquarium (for most freshwater tanks the stuff is redundant assuming decent filtration and weekly 25-50% water changes).>
Mark & Sam
<Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Problem with Red Parrot fish 9/13/08 Hi Neale Thanks for coming back to me <You're welcome.> We tried to get hold of some of the treatment you suggested but it is proving very hard to local someone local who has heard of it and can source some for us <Try online. eSHa products are widely sold.> We have however just finished our 2nd bacterial treatment and replaced the media in the filter (inc carbon I'm afraid although I am considering not bothering once the fish are better) <Do understand carbon MUST be removed while treating the fish. Carbon absorbs (or more precisely adsorbs) organic chemicals such as dyes, and this renders any treatment useless. One of many reasons I recommend against using carbon in the average freshwater aquarium.> We also did a 30% water change and the sore on Pinky seems to have started to heal and although she still doesn't have an appetite the other fish have and she is starting to chase the other fish around again <Good.> We have however noticed that the other parrots fins have started going black!! <This may be normal. Many Blood Parrots have speckled/mottled fins. A photo would help.> Any ideas what this could be? <Provided the fins are entire and show no signs of rot or fungus, I'd not be alarmed.> Our tank is 240 litres with a Fluval 305 external pump, aerator stone and houses 1 large(Pinky) and 2 small parrots, a gold Severum, 2 silver dollars and 2 Plecs Mark & Sam <Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Problem with Red Parrot fish 9/21/08
Hi Neale
<Good evening!>
Just thought I would let you know all our fish are doing great now - we found out that the pump had become almost completely blocked up (which it has never done before between full cleans) - once I had cleaned the pipes out the fish were back to normal within a couple of days
<Well, all's well that ends well! Does sound as if water circulation was the issue. Do check the pump each time you clean the filter, which should be every couple of months or so.>
Many thanks for help
<Have fun with your fishies!>
Mark & Sam
<Cheers, Neale.>

Blood Parrot Help -- 8/25/08 Parrot Cichlid Floats to The Top I have a blood parrot cichlid that has something wrong with it's swim bladder, it keeps floating to the top and has trouble staying at the bottom. Is there really a malformation of their swim bladder? Could this be the problem? Can it be fixed? Will it die? < The parrot cichlid is a cross between three different cichlids. They are deformed on the outside to give them that unique body shape and also have inherited deformities on the inside too. The problem is probably an intestinal blockage. Bacteria may be feeding at the blockage and causing the intestinal gas that cannot be released. Typically I recommend Metronidazole and Nitrofuranace in a hospital tank. If the fish is still eating then food with Metronidazole in it will be very beneficial. Some aquarists also recommend Clout too. The success depends on a quick effective treatment. Delays in treatment make a complete recovery less likely.-Chuck>

Dark Patches On Parrot Cichlid -- 6/17/08 Hello, I recently bought a blood parrot and when I put it in my tank it developed Ich. I treated it and it went away, but a few weeks later it started developing black around its fin and just thought it was its coloring. It still acts healthy and today I noticed it has black on his upper lip and a few black splotches on his back. His normal color is a light pink. What could this be? He still acts normal. Thanks <The blood parrot cichlid is a cross between a couple of different cichlids. It has been selectively bred for it's red coloration. Sometimes the red coloration is broken up by blotches of darker pigment. Scar tissue sometimes heals darker than the rest of the body's normal coloration too. I think that this is just genetics and is nothing to worry about.-Chuck>

Jelly-Bean cichlid  9/29/08 Hello there. First of all, thank you for taking time to help me! I have an 9 year old Jelly-bean cichlid named Walter. He's been doing great up until a week ago. He seemed fine and then one day started to have rapid gill movement and his color was really dull. So, I tested the water and did a water change. He seemed find for a few days and then I noticed next to his left eye it looked like a black worm on the INSIDE of the scales. I didn't think anything at first until a day later it went away and then came back again. Sometimes it looks like it might pop out of his scales, but then goes back in. Then two nights ago I noticed his left eye was a little swollen. Its not severe, but its just enough to notice. (I spend hours with these fish a day.) He's appetite hasn't changed, and he doesn't seem lethargic. But I'm worried about that black spot and his eye. Any ideas? This fish is just like my best friend. I would hate to loose him... I'm not sure if its important info but, his tank mate is a HUGE silver dollar and a Pleco. The temp in the tank stays at 75 degrees. I'm sending you some pics. I hope they aren't too big... Thank you again! <Jennifer, please, next time you write, send smaller images! We do specifically ask people reduce their image sizes to ~500 kb. Your three photos were over 4 MB, and that's a good part of our e-mail space, running the risk of bouncing back other peoples' messages because of insufficient space to receive them. We do ask this at the "front door" where you got our e-mail address, so please do try and follow our (few, but necessary) rules before writing. Anyway, it isn't obvious to me that there's anything seriously wrong with this fish. The black "worm" is most likely just dead tissue, and along with any lethargy, excessive gill movement, or swollen eyes are likely non-specific reactions to some issue with water quality or water chemistry. To be sure, at 9 years of age your cichlid is certainly in its "old age" (anything above 10 years is uncommon with medium-sized cichlids). So broadly speaking I'm sure you maintain your aquarium well. But do in particular check the temperature is correct, if there are any unusual pH changes, and that water quality is good. Old, established tanks often experience pH drops if you've hitherto relies upon calcareous media to buffer the pH and create the hard, alkaline conditions these hybrid cichlids require. Assuming that you have done this, you may need to remove/replace some of that calcareous media. Cheers, Neale.>

Parrot Cichlid help  05/30/08 Parrot Cichlid With Protruding Gill Covers I looked into anchor worms and that didn't' seem to be what he has.  I attached some pictures where you can see what is going on?  Like I said, I've treated them and no change. He seems to be normal in all his activities. Can you help? < Thanks for the photos. I don't think there is a parasite problem. Parrot cichlids are a cross between three different species of cichlids. They have a very unusual body shape and are actually deformed compared to "normal" cichlids found in the wild. Some of these abnormalities include stunted fins, shortened backbones and deformed faces. Since you fish acts normal in every way I am going to assume that it is a genetic condition and not a disease. Those red worms may be gill filaments that have broken off from the rest of the gill rakers.-Chuck>

Upside Down Parrot Cichlid 7/7/05 I have 4 parrot fish in a 75 gallon tank. I have had the same fish for over 4 years with virtually no problems. Recently, one of the fish has started hanging upside down in the plants.  He still can right himself, swims around without difficulty, and eats well.  Other than the hanging upside down, there is nothing unusual.  At first I thought it was a swim bladder problem, or a problem from feeding at the surface, but it has not corrected itself.  The fish store told me that if he was eating, not to worry. Any suggestions? Thanks Brenda < If it is an internal bacterial problem then it needs to be treated with Metronidazole. Other than that it could just be intimidation from the other fish that has got him hiding.-Chuck>

Discoloration of Jellybean  07/02/05 Hi, I have recently purchased a pink Jellybean, from the Blood Red Parrot Cichlid family, <Mmm, not a family but a tweaked cross-breed of the cichlid family itself> these are the man made fish  as you probably know, and very expensive. I have had her for about 3 weeks now.  She is in a 5 gallon tank by herself. <Too small...> I have a whisper filter, colored gravel, a  fake plant, and one decoration. Lately she has been turning colors. First her lip had a black spot on it and now it is jumping around her body from place to  place with large and small areas that are gray and black in color. She acts  healthy and eats fine. I have asked the LFS where I bought her about this and  have searched the internet trying to find out what's wrong with her, but cannot  find anything. I did have my water tested and it is fine. <Need actual values... "fine" is of no use> Please let me know  what's wrong so I can get her treated as soon as possible.  Thanks. -  Stacy <Is this system cycled? This is a social dihybrid species... needs to be in a larger system... Bob Fenner>

Parrot Cichlid Swimming Strangely 6/31/05 I have a 4 year old red blooded parrot. I have purchased about 6 fish only because I have a 125 gallon aquarium and it was starting to look empty. I only have about 12 fish in there but for some reason the female parrot, the one that is 4 has started swimming upside down, she gets up anytime I get close to the aquarium and is eating normally, but hangs out at the bottom in a corner upside down. What is wrong with her, if anything? < Your parrot cichlid may have an internal bacterial infection. I would isolate her into a smaller tank and treat her with Metronidazole as per the directions on the package.-Chuck>

Black patches on parrotfish... FW! Cichlids, poor svc. work 11/4/05 Hello Crew! Firstly, I wanted to let you know how wonderful your website is--it is a gem!  I work for a company that has a fish tank that is serviced by a local company on a monthly basis. They do a horrible job--I can't even tell you how many fish have died since I started working here a year ago. I would guess 50, at least. Unfortunately, no one who works here is a fish expert and we are sort of at the mercy of the company who does the monthly cleaning. <Fire them. Either take over the job in-house or hire a capable company>
 We just went through a horrible Ich problem and lost most of the fish in the tank, including a lovely parrot fish that everyone adored.  <This family (Scaridae) are not easily kept in captivity His mate survived the Ich, but she now has many black patches on her body, including a line that runs right down her back. They look like dirty smudges and they are not raised like blisters. <Likely "stress markings" When we called the cleaning company, the owner said that this is normal and happens to all fish on occasion. <... no... Fire them>
 Of course, since we are mere employees and not fish keepers ourselves, we cannot really argue with this supposed expert. Do you have any idea what this is? A fungus? <Evidence of poor care... toxic, incompatible environment, poor nutrition It is definitely getting worse each day and she is hardly moving around. There isn't a thermometer on the tank and we don't own any water-testing equipment so I can't tell you much about the tank except that it is a 55-gallon freshwater tank.  <Oooh... pardon me... a FW Parrot, as in the tweaked cichlid cross... even worse... these are very hard to kill... Some of us are very unhappy with this service but it is not our decision to hire a new company--this company was the cheapest in the area and that is who our higher-ups decided to go with. I am suggested many, many times that we have plastic fish instead of real ones, but management doesn't seem to care about our tank of death and insists on restocking when something goes wrong.  Any suggestions/ideas would be appreciated! We would hate to kill this parrotfish, too. Laura <Learn a bit (not hard to do) and do the maintenance yourself... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwsubwebindex.htm.  Follow the blue/linked files through set-up, maintenance and all there is there on cichlids, the family including the Parrot. Bob Fenner 

Parrot Cichlids Stressed By High Nitrates  9/19.5/05 I had 2 parrots and a Pleco in a 30 gal. tall tank.  They were all about 5 inches long.  Unfortunately, I let the nitrates get too high!  The parrots started hovering around the bio-wheel filter like they couldn't breath and then sunk to the bottom of the tank. I started with an aggressive water change of about 40% to reduce the nitrates and the gravel was cleaned and filter changed.  Nitrites were non-existent, PH was good. The only problem seemed to be the nitrates.  The next day 1 of the parrots was dead and the nitrates were sky high again!  I did another water change and headed to my neighborhood aquarium and fish store.  They specialize in fish and their tanks and fish always look clean and healthy. Their answer was the nitrates removed the oxygen from the water.  They recommend not adding any meds for Ich or internal bacterial infection although parrots are prone to infection with bad water quality, because this too will remove oxygen from the water.  They recommend adding an aerator powerhead to add oxygen and also aquarium salt to help with the stress. Since then I have continued testing nitrates and making water changes and the tank seems to be stabilizing to 10 to 20 ppm in nitrates, but the parrot is still not eating, spends most of it's time on the bottom of the tank seeming to gasp for air, or perhaps just too weak to swim. It also seems to be showing slight signs of Ich.  The Pleco doesn't seem to have been effected by any of this. The tank is about 82 degrees (normal for this tank).  It's been about seven days since this all started and about 6 water changes later.  Will the parrot recover?  Could there be anything else wrong?  Have I done the right things, or can anything else be done?  When should I treat with meds for Ich or bacterial infections, if at all? Thank you, Angela < The 82 F will take care of the Ich. You parrots have been stressed by the high nitrates and probably have an internal bacterial infection. Keep the nitrates down and treat with Metronidazole for internal bacterial problems.-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>

Parrot Cichlids With Rough Scales   5/10/07 Hi, Please help if you can. I have a 7 blood parrot fishes, and have included photographs. Please do not mind the dirty glass.. :-) But I am currently having a slight issue that I hope you can help me answer. I'm looking at the scales of my fish, and am trying to remember if they had smoother scales before.  I have had a run in with dropsy in my other tanks here about a year ago, and unfortunately, lost  a few dozen guppies and Betta fish. And noticeably, they all ended up "pine coning" , and hope that this is not the case for my much more larger and treasured fish. But nevertheless, here is my dilemma, and was wondering if you guys can see if theses scales look a bit off, for blood parrot fishes, and if you have any advice I can use to help save them if they are indeed, not right.. Any help, so much appreciated. Thanks Kee. < I looked at your photos carefully and could not tell if the scales were any rougher than on a standard parrot cichlid. Usually with bloat or dropsy the fish stop eating and the stomach extends. If your fish are eating normally then I think they probably fine.-Chuck>