Rescued red zebra

[Niki]

So I rescued a red zebra from my work today. He was in the fish tank with fantosa (sp?) that were breeding and they were trying to kill him. He was pretty beat up and his belly is sunken in. He looks starved.

I hope I can get him back to health.

 

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

good luck!! how bad is beat up? brilliant job in rescuing it pics now and when it's healed!! x

 

[Hholly]

Good luck! Pics please!

 

[Niki]

He looks much better today, at work he was gasping at the top for air and swimming a bit wobbly. But now he swims much more normal and looks like his fins just need to grow back...

 

[Hholly]

He's cute. It's a good thing you helped him.

 

[Niki]

Yea, I'm glad they let me take him.

I am having a little problem with him, I know he should be eating veggie base food but the only thing he will touch is blood worms...I don't know what to do

 

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

bloodworms can kill mbuna!!!!

try to feed her pellets or flakes. i give mine tetra colour discs and they go crazy for them.

btw you may want to vent that fish - it looks female to me xx

 

[Niki]

I know that blood worms can kill them. But she won't eat anything else...I have like 6 different types of fish food plus I tried peas....

 

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

aww
i think you need to keep trying with the norm food for cichlids. after a while she will get too hungry to leave it x

 

[Niki]

I know I keep trying the Cichlid pellets and algae wafers but when she won't go to the surface to eat I cave and give her blood worms bc her belly is sunken in...

 

[absolutangel04]

She is a pretty little thing. Good thing you saved her.

 

[paytertot]

I like the pool ball lol

 

[kay-bee19]

Discontinue the bloodworms, an exclusive bloodworm diet can quickly lead to the malawi bloat in algae-grazing mbuna species such as red zebra's.

Try introducing only veggie flakes or sinking low-protein percentage pellets. In time hunger will compel this red zebra to eat them as Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic suggested. If rejected, just try again the next day and the next rather than providing bloodworms.

Her stomach doesn't appear to be overly sunken in.

 

[Niki]

I like the pool ball lol

Thanks it was a broken one so I Bleached it and put it in there

 

[Niki]

Discontinue the bloodworms, an exclusive bloodworm diet can quickly lead to the malawi bloat in algae-grazing mbuna species such as red zebra's.

Try introducing only veggie flakes or sinking low-protein percentage pellets. In time hunger will compel this red zebra to eat them as Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic suggested. If rejected, just try again the next day and the next rather than providing bloodworms.

Her stomach doesn't appear to be overly sunken in.

Ok I will try to be strong for her and no more bloodworms!

Just out of curiosity what is considered low protein?