Help! Bumblebee Cichlid Not Well

[sarbear]

Hello All,

I just got my first bumblebee cichlid about 3 weeks ago. He lives with a mystery snail (they leave each other alone), and up until now he has been AMAZING - moving around the gravel, eating regularly, swimming like crazy.

Last night I noticed that he wasn't eating his food, but everything else seemed fine. When I came in this morning I tried to feed him again (still not eating), but now he is just lethargically swimming around. What concerns me most however, is that he is a very "off" color - normally he is a vibrant yellow with deep brown stripes; today his stripes are very light in color and his bright yellow is more like a dull gold.

Although he is still swimming, he seems to prefer lying on the bottom of the tank and almost rolls onto his side like he can't hold himself up.

Any ideas? I don't want a dead fish! How can I save him?

Thanks,
Sar

 

[sarbear]

Help, please!

He just freaked out, flicking his little tail as fast as he could, swimming furiously - if I didn't have a lid on the tank, he could have jumped to the ceiling he was swimming so hard!

Now he's laying sideways at the bottom of the tank. I think he's dying

Could anyone help?

This is my first cichlid, any advice would be great appreciated.

 

[Elkairos]

Change water50%

 

[Elkairos]

Is there aeration?

 

[Elkairos]

Water parameters good?

Ph?

Water temperature?

At this point, clean water and water surface tension is the best you can do.. How big is the cichlid an tank?

 

[sarbear]

No, I have a very basic 20 gallon tank that the pet store recommended.

It has a hood light and filter, gravel, a hiding place, and that's about it.

 

[Elkairos]

Filter is hang over filter?

 

[sarbear]

Cichlid is only about 1 inch.

I took the water into the pet store and they said everything was fine. However, I need to just start testing my own water as this store has steered me in the wrong direction before (I have a 50-gal at home that they told me had low Ph and they sent me home with the wrong solution...those fish are fine).

Pet store told me that the light would produce enough heat and that I didn't need a heater.

 

[sarbear]

Yes to the hangover filter.

 

[Elkairos]

Do you have a thermometer?

Ph level should be high for african cichlids.. I keep mine at 8.0

Temperature should be stable at 76 - 84

 

[sarbear]

He's dead

Pet store said everything with tank looked fine, but I guess I need to do some more research.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Elkairos]

Really sux to hear that... To avoid events like this again, do some solid research.. A good 5-10 hours online..

Also, look up specifics on cichlids you want to get before going out and getting them... The needs vary.

Good luck

 

[sarbear]

Yeah, I likely placed to much faith in the pet store employee.

I've never had a cichlid, and he said, "Oh! They're just like other fish, but meaner."

There was never any talk about pH levels, temperature, or any of that. He just reassured me that I had all I needed and then sent me on my merry way. Boo. Lesson learned.

And thanks again for trying to help