Electric Blue Hap, Help Please

[Liquid_Pyro]

I just got this 7 inch electric blue hap a week ago, he is acting very strangly, although I have never had cichlids before...

He will shake he head quite rapidly...almost like a siezure or something, also he is loosing his scales or something on the right side, near the gills and on the very top of his head...

I know my nitrate level was a little high and have been changing water once a day for the last 3 days, but he doesn't seem to be getting happier.

I posted te best pics I could get

 

[Liquid_Pyro]

no one?

 

[dhemp34]

hey hey.......the shaking...lets deal with that! are there any other fish in the tank..???? one things cichlids due to show either submission or dominance is due s vibranting like shaking...Hey i Have a tank full of shakers..especially when they are in a territorial battle....they chase tails and shake....now the loss of scales could be him growing...lol...but maybe a fungus or parisite....hvae you any discolorations at all???

 

[Liquid_Pyro]

discolorations where?

He is currently in a 46 gal bow front tank, was thinking it might be a bit small, he is housed with 3 very small (2inch) yellow labs and 3 adult yellow labs, plus to unknown brown cichlids...

I have been treating the tank for ich, as it was accidentally spread throughout my tanks, after three days of treatment and daily water changes he does seem mildly happier, although some of his scales are whitish or fallen off...(which you can kinda see in the picture, he is quite skitish, just got him about 2 weeks ago, he came with the tank he is in) not sure if that may have been due to him possibly scratching due to the ich, although I never really saw any spots on him, I caught it quite early.

 

[Liquid_Pyro]

Also I forgot to mention I have yet to see him eat, although he doesn't look any thinnner than when I bought him, he does not seem to race to the surface like all his tank mates and eat, he is quite afraid of movement outside the tank unlike the others who race to the front glass looking for food when they see me

 

[JustOneMore20]

Could be a bacterial infection. It wouldn't hurt to put him in a QT tank and medicate. Or you could just try water changes (maybe 2 25% changes a week for a few weeks) and see if that will help him heal.

 

[Liquid_Pyro]

yeah, I have been doing water changes more frequently, is there anything in particular some disease that may cause loss of appitite?

 

[DizzCat]

African cichlids will shimmy and shake a lot, especially males. They do it to get a girls attention and sometimes when they fight. When one of my males gets wound up he vibrates his tail, butt, head, heck his whole body goes haywire and he looks like he's having a seizure LOL. Even females will vibrtate at each other at times.

As for the missing scales.... If he has been rubbing on stuff that will do it. It is much easier to see on a dark fish like him than on a lighter one. Males will flash against things to mark territory, but that is mostly the sand.

Most of my new fish will be rather shy the first month or so after I bring them home. Running for cover when you come near is something they will do until they get comfortable with you. If a stranger goes over to my tank, all my fish duck for cover! Its rather frustrating when you are trying to show off your fish! But, if its me walking up they all go to the top and start to beg LOL. Give him time to get used to you.

 

[Liquid_Pyro]

alright, he was just the only one who still is shy thats all, all the labs and female electric blues come to the surface, I just found it weird that the largest fish is the most shy...it threw me off is all i guess

he differed from the other fish, thats what made me concerned

thanks for everything

 

[dkpate]

It took my fish 4 days to come out when I was near the tank. Now like Dizz's, they all come up to the top begging. Even the loaches! The gouramis will now eat out of the kitten feeder too, just like my BGK. My betta hangs around the feeding hole in his tank whenever he sees me now too lol. Fish are crazy! The whole vibrating thing with the cichlids cracks me up! That is toooooo funny! Good luck with your fishies!