Hi everyone, I am posting because my African Leaf Fish (Ctenopoma Acutirostre) has been acting strangely for the past 10 days and I believe that he is sick. While on the outside he appears pretty healthy, his behavior has changed. He is more hesitant to feed, more skittish, swims and lays against the bottom of the tank, and blows bubbles that go to the surface of the water.
A little background on the tank: 3.5 years old, 55 gallons, two Penguin 350 biowheel filters, some live plants and some artificial, black sand bottom. Tankmates include a 5 inch Pictus catfish, five scissor tail rasboras (2 inches), and one columbian tetra (2 inches). I did a water change/ vacuum recently and think that it stressed my leaf fish out but do not know if it was the direct cause. I did not add anything new to the tank. My tank parameters do not appear to have changed significantly, although the pH has always been on the lower end of the spectrum (closer to 6).
About the leaf fish, I have had him for three years and he is about 5-6 inches long. He has a diet of bloodworms. He has always been pretty timid but this behavior is certainly new. If anyone has any suggestions, ideas, or experience it would be appreciated greatly. I would love to know if this behavior is due to stress from a tank cleaning or from some possible illness, and what actions I should take. Thank you!
A little background on the tank: 3.5 years old, 55 gallons, two Penguin 350 biowheel filters, some live plants and some artificial, black sand bottom. Tankmates include a 5 inch Pictus catfish, five scissor tail rasboras (2 inches), and one columbian tetra (2 inches). I did a water change/ vacuum recently and think that it stressed my leaf fish out but do not know if it was the direct cause. I did not add anything new to the tank. My tank parameters do not appear to have changed significantly, although the pH has always been on the lower end of the spectrum (closer to 6).
About the leaf fish, I have had him for three years and he is about 5-6 inches long. He has a diet of bloodworms. He has always been pretty timid but this behavior is certainly new. If anyone has any suggestions, ideas, or experience it would be appreciated greatly. I would love to know if this behavior is due to stress from a tank cleaning or from some possible illness, and what actions I should take. Thank you!