JD not doing well!

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Ian14

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Oct 1, 2013
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ok I have a lone jack Dempsey in a 55 gallon tank, he's almost 8 inches. there used to be other jack Dempsey but he harassed them to death. this weekend im getting a 125 and im planning on moving him into that. but I notice he is acting strange. he is swimming slightly sideways, he is running into things like the glass or rocks. his nose looks bruised or worn from it. he is eating and everything still but definetly not himself. I just did maintenance to the sole filter that is on the tank and maybe there could be a spike of somesort. it might be to low of a water temp as well. but thank tank hasn't been heated for years. I will test the water. I have a healthy and heated 120 gallon with juvenile mbuna in it with excellent filtration and water quality, should I put him in there until the new tank is set up and everything or would he kill the mbuna or would it be to much of a shock for him. he has a few tanish spots on the upper part of his belly. I don't know what I should do
 
Don't move him to your healthy tanks since you don't know what he has. You could infect your healthy tank.

First check water parameters and temp.
Does his eyes look cloudy or bigger?
Is he swimming irradicaly or just tilted sideways?
Are the tan spots fuzzy or just discoloration?

I would do a partial water change and add Epsom salts. Salt helps numerous disease from bloat, egg bound if it is a she instead of he, swim bladder disease, fungus, and ich.
 
Don't move him to your healthy tanks since you don't know what he has. You could infect your healthy tank. First check water parameters and temp. Does his eyes look cloudy or bigger? Is he swimming irradicaly or just tilted sideways? Are the tan spots fuzzy or just discoloration? I would do a partial water change and add Epsom salts. Salt helps numerous disease from bloat, egg bound if it is a she instead of he, swim bladder disease, fungus, and ich.
. Temp was way to low. It was 70 degrees. Trace amounts of ammonia. I didnt notice anything with his eyes but they could be, he was just tilted slights to the left and would run into the glass and rocks, where do I get Epsom salts? He does look like he's kind of bloated but maybe it's just me.
 
Here are some pics.
 

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Cant diagnose anything from the pics. I am guessing something internal like Bloat or swim bladder disease.

Temp is to low raise gradually to about 80-82. But I don't think think that is main issue. Do a 30-50% water change. Epsome salts can be found at a local grocery store or drug store. you want 1 table spoon for every 5 gallons. Feed him some shelled peas (laxative for fish). Thaw some frozen peas and take the shell off put in two or three. Take them out if he doesn't eat them. feed him only peas for a few days. Hopefully he will be back to normal and you can feed him as normal. what you are trying to do is clean out any blockage he may have.

Keep the tank heated even after he gets better this will lengthen his life.
 
I put in some melafix. I'll feed him some peas and dig up some of that salt this afternoon. I'm getting ready to put him into new tank that I bought that will have a lot better filtration and heating. Thank you
 
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