Cichlid thats IMPOSSIBLE top please!!!

[silver beard]

So I have a 20 gallon long tank with an emperor 400 filter,2 50w heaters,3 rock caves,gravel substrate,driftwood,java moss,anacharis and 2 plastic plants. It houses a single male 3 inch Cryptoheros cutteri that won't eat ANTHYING AT ALL!!! I have tried the BEST dry foods,frozen bloodworms,live baby mealworms,crushed snails and I have also tried feeding him at different times of the day and feeding him with the lights on and off! He bites the food then spits it out to rot in the gravel and swims away! He shows no signs of disease but is dull colored and skinny I have tried everything in my power to help him but...nothing has worked. He is taking up much needed tank space and I am thinking I should just cull him. Because I can't see him suffer like this anymore I have keep cichlids for 11 years and none have acted this way! You guys got any ideas? Thanks,Andrew

 

[alLexX]

fish fry,like guppys

how long has he been like this?is it an african,sa,ca,or what?

 

[silver beard]

He is a Ca cichlid. He has been in this condition for about a month eating only a couple mealworms at the beginning of his problem I haven't tried that but even if it worked it would be such a HIGH protein diet he would eventually die of constipation! Thanks,Andrew

 

[alLexX]

He is a Ca cichlid. He has been in this condition for about a month eating only a couple mealworms at the beginning of his problem I haven't tried that but even if it worked it would be such a HIGH protein diet he would eventually die of constipation! Thanks,Andrew

that tank is too samll for him. he could already have constipation or bloat,i think they only get bloated from it towards the end. try putting some epsom salt in the water in case he is constipated/bloated

 

[silver beard]

That tank is PLENTY big enough for him They get a MAXIMUM of 5 inches with most topping out at 4 inches and he has good filtration! How would I dose the epsom salts and how dose it work?

 

[Jason7894561230]

Im not sure what the problem could be its true they only get that big, try feeding him when the lights go off. I have done this to a lot of my fish that dont like me. But is he skitish and swim away at the first site of you?

 

[alLexX]

That tank is PLENTY big enough for him They get a MAXIMUM of 5 inches with most topping out at 4 inches and he has good filtration! How would I dose the epsom salts and how dose it work?

really?can you be specific on what speceis he is?

 

[silver beard]

He is a Cryptoheros cutteri,a smaller central american cichlid. He's not very skittish but he's not a glass bitter like some cichlids. I have already tried feeding him with the lights off I don't know what to do guys, I hate to euthanize him but...he shouldn't suffer

 

[HUKIT]

Sounds like Bloat by your description, I would start with a 50% water change followed by dissolveing Epsom salts slowly over a few hours in the ratio of 1tbls per 5g. If no improvement is made with 2-3 days I would follow that up with a medication like Metrozoidale and Praziquantel.

 

[silver beard]

Should he look bloated? Do I keep adding more salt over the 2-3 days? and am I supposed to dissolve 1tbls every few hours until I have dissolved 4tbls?

 

[HUKIT]

No don't add any other salts unless you perform a water change then replace the correct salt ratio for the amount of water you removed.

Fish that suffer from Bloat rarely showing actual bloating stomachs, the kidneys/liver are being damaged which is what causes the fish to die. I will also say fish that have been showing secondary syptoms are very hard to treat since the damage is already done.