Sick Managuense Cichlid

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limojica

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Aug 26, 2010
Messages
128
I have a 75 gal with a Tilapia Buttekoferi. He is about a year and a half. I got him as a baby and now he's about 10 inches. He is alone now since he became very aggressive with his tank mates in a 90 gal (African Cichlids Lake Malawi and one parrot).

A few days ago my son purchased a medium sized managuense. He put him in his 90 gal that has two Oscars along with a group of gold fish feeders. All the gold fish died upon impact and the managuense went into shock. I am aware of my son's water conditions. He doesn't take care of his water the way he should. Trying to save the managuense he put this poor fellow in another tank (no filter, water dirty and cold) then from my yelling, he put him in my 75 gal with my Tilapia. I did a partial water change and put in conditioner with extra slime coat. This fish is in BAD shape. His eyes are swollen, his fins are torn but he is still alive. I am hoping to nurse him back to health. I am wondering if I should leave him in the 75 gal. He is resting upside down next to a plant. If I disturb the water he'll swim but then quickly goes back to rest near the plant. He looks so bad but just in the fins and eyes (there's also white stuff like foam covering his eyes). His body looks okay. I'm not giving him back to my son. I will probably tell him he died then take him to the pet shop. His Oscars are used to poor water conditions but not all fish can stand it. He feels he can change the water every 4-5 months. He doesn't do partials, he does the entire tank. I get upset when I see the fish and will do a partial myself but it's not enough. The Oscars are fairly large but they don't look as good as they should in my opinion. On my own tanks I do partials weekly and check my levels on both tanks daily.

Should I leave the managuense in the 75 gal and just keep doing partial water changes or put him in a fresh tank (10 gal) and treat him in there? I am not sure about the 10 gal because he may not have the bacteria needed. My Tilapia isn't attacking him since he's hiding in the plant and even when he swims a little, the Tilapia just looks at him.

Please help.
 
Oh boy!! I am so sorry about your sons lack of care & concern for his fish. I would leave the sick fish in the 75g for right now & see if he recovers on his own with healthy water. His poor water conditions caused all of the ills you are seeing now (fin rot, cloudy eyes). If he doesnt seem to improve in couple of days, we can consider treating him with meds in qt. Keep us posted!!
 
OK, thank you. I was a bit concerned about the ammonia level in the 75 gal increasing but I will keep changing the water as necessary. I will check the levels frequently. Poor guy...at least he is resting comfortably in better conditions. I'll keep you updated. I am hoping to heal him. Thanks again
 
Jags are tough and my favorite cichlid. It breaks my heart to read this. Keep his water clean and give him good food. Try not to medicate heavily since he's already very stressed.

I had one that survived 4 attacks of hole in the head (because of feeders) so my fingers are crossed!
 
Get your hands in some methylene blue ( meth blue) its good stuff.

It can be applied direct to fish (effected areas) or you can just add it to water following instructions. ( remove any carbon filters) I had a firemouth that had been beaten up and a white cloudy eye. Added meth blue, two days later eye was better and damage looked like it was healing well. The other bonus is it dyes the water dark blue. So helps against any aggression that may take place. Once healed water changes will remove blue, carbon filters will also help to remove.

Good luck
 
Thanks everyone. He still looks bad but he is hanging in there. I check on him every few hours and he'll move but he is still so weak without his fins. I'm going to do a pwc tomorrow. I hope he is strong enough to get through this. I am so happy my Tilapia isn't bothering him and he can rest peacefully.
 
Did a pwc this morning and he woke up and started swimming but then my Tilapia started chasing him. I built a small hiding spot with rocks and plants for him and rearranged the gravel to confuse the Tilapia so for now my Tilapia (Sam) is occupied cleaning, lol. The Mag looks to be coming around nicely. Still badly beaten but pretty active. He's in the corner for now...at least he's safe.
 
Wondering how safe he is in the 75 gal with the Tilapia who is now hunting him. He is swimming around more and with that Sam chases him. I would have to buy a heater and filter for the 10 gal to set up a hospital (concerned about new filter) since I've loaned mine out. My 90 gal isn't stable and has 50 fish. Poor guy is hiding but he is so active now it's more of a scared hiding than just resting like before...what to do?
 
Hi,
Do you has a spare powerhead or air stone? You can make DIY bottle filters you can fill with media from your established filter. If doing large water changes daily on the ten you could even get away with it not being cycled.
 
Oh, I didn't think of the media from an established filter. I have three running on two tanks I can remove media from one and put in a new filter for the 10 gal. OK, I think setting up the 10 gal will work with water and media from the 75 gal. Yes, that will work. I will get the filter over the next few days and set up the 10 gal. Perfect. Thanks!
 
Please help. I did a pwc this morning and the white foam on the Managuense's eye is coming off. Beneath is all red like it's just the socket. There is no covering or layer. OMG...what should I do? I am putting in fish protector for extra slime and Melaflex...just small amounts in his direct area. Salt and ensuring he has fresh water. What do I do about his eyes?
 
Aquarium salt is a good idea. It will help lessen the loss of fluids. Do you have access to fish meds where you reside? Some countries are very strict. He would really benefit from a course of antibiotics but i am not sure what you have available.
 
Great, I've added the salt and he's trying to eat. I can believe how well he has recovered, it's just his eyes and fins :( No, there's no access to fish meds. I can search online and order the antibiotics. I'll do a search for them. Thanks!
 
Look for a gram-negative antibiotic such as kanamycin (seachems kanaplex) or minocycline (maracyn 2). Kanaplex is available on amazon inexpensively. keep a close eye on him & hopefully he will recover with just the salt alone! Good luck!!
 
Awesome! Thank you so much. I'm excited for him. He is going to be okay. Thanks again!
 
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