I need help ASAP!!! Cichlids exhibiting Weird Behavior

[kelbaker79]

So I just got home from work, none of my cichlids are acting right, hiding, not too active. One of the jewels' tail is clamped up....




2 of the Demasoni have white around their lips (as does the jewel in the above photo)...

 

[kelbaker79]

This app keeps crashing, working on the rest of my post!!!

 

[Jmedic25]

Check your water params...This may be dumb but my dems have white lips...But they were always white. Check temp also. My guess is high nitrates. That makes them act wierd, ammo makes them act really weird then die quick

 

[steez]

Tank size?

Tank mates?

Water parameters? (Not "Perfect" please, give me #'s )

 

[kelbaker79]

75 gallon
3 Demasoni, all approx 1.5-2 in.
4 Red Jewel, all approx 2-2.5 in.
2 Yellow Lab. One is 2 in. The other is 3in.
Temp is 80
PH is 7.6-7.8
Tank has been up and running for a year, these fish have been in it now for 2-3 months.
Feed NLS, cichlid flake and occasional algae wafers.

 

[kelbaker79]

Check your water params...This may be dumb but my dems have white lips...But they were always white. Check temp also. My guess is high nitrates. That makes them act wierd, ammo makes them act really weird then die quick

I'll check now....

 

[Jmedic25]

Thats a bit of an odd mix of fish but if you have had no issues in a year im sure thats not it. I would add more Dems when you can though. You have such a big tank you could really have more fish. I hope all is well

 

[kelbaker79]

Ammonia 0.25ppm

Waiting on results for nitrates now, but looks like its going to be high...

 

[kelbaker79]

Thats a bit of an odd mix of fish but if you have had no issues in a year im sure thats not it. I would add more Dems when you can though. You have such a big tank you could really have more fish. I hope all is well

Yea, its kind of my oddball tank, there are 11 other tanks here, they are in there because of their sizes right now, didn't want to add them in with the bigger ones just yet...

 

[Jmedic25]

They could have white lips from lip locking or grazing algae. If your nitrates have been creeping up it could cause an algae bloom

 

[steez]

There's your problem. The tank isn't cycled. They are probably getting sick from nitrite poisoning. Should be 0 amm / 0 nitrites

Read through this: I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?!

Very important to follow this or you will lose fish. Clean water with a good water dechlor like Seachem Prime is all you need to usually fight off simple ailments and prevent them

 

[kelbaker79]

There's your problem. The tank isn't cycled. They are probably getting sick from nitrite poisoning.

Read through this: I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?!

Very important to follow this or you will lose fish. Clean water with a good water dechlor like Seachem Prime is all you need to usually fight off simple ailments and prevent them

This tank has been up running for a year.

 

[kelbaker79]

I just did a water change yesterday, 25% and added Prime, could that have done this?? I've been doing the same thing with this tank for a year and never had any troubles until now. They are all just laying around, hiding out, not doing much. It's really weird, I'm scared!!

 

[Jmedic25]

After about a year, my tropical tank had a high nitrate spike. The cause was moss balls, and a dirty gravel. I had to vigorously vac the gravel way down to the bottom, and remove the moss balls. Then I did a 75% pwc with prime. So go on a hunt for mulm, slime and dead stuff. You should be fine

 

[kelbaker79]

Check your water params...This may be dumb but my dems have white lips...But they were always white. Check temp also. My guess is high nitrates. That makes them act wierd, ammo makes them act really weird then die quick

Nitrates 40ppm
Ammonia 0.25ppm

 

[Jmedic25]

There's your problem. The tank isn't cycled. They are probably getting sick from nitrite poisoning. Should be 0 amm / 0 nitrites

Read through this: I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?!

Very important to follow this or you will lose fish. Clean water with a good water dechlor like Seachem Prime is all you need to usually fight off simple ailments and prevent them

She is cycled after a year for sure. I have never had 0 nitrates. The best I ever get is about 5ppm. Nitrates are only removed by some plants and pwc's. Its the end result of the cycle. Ammonia converts to nitrIte, then to nitrAte. So the presence of nitrates proves the good bacteria is converting Ammo

 

[kelbaker79]

After about a year, my tropical tank had a high nitrate spike. The cause was moss balls, and a dirty gravel. I had to vigorously vac the gravel way down to the bottom, and remove the moss balls. Then I did a 75% pwc with prime. So go on a hunt for mulm, slime and dead stuff. You should be fine

Thank you so much!!! I'm dreaming out over here, there's just something definately wrong. They were fine this morning, now they aren't even the same fish. One is even swimming crooked...ish. I've never had this problem before, its really scary.

 

[Jmedic25]

Nitrates 40ppm
Ammonia 0.25ppm

You have something in the tank that is mass producing Ammonia, and your BB is converting it to nitrate. Since you just did a water change you have to find the source. Look for dead fish and if you have a really dirty filter clean it off in a bucket of aquarium water then put it back in.

 

[kelbaker79]

You have something in the tank that is mass producing Ammonia, and your BB is converting it to nitrate. Since you just did a water change you have to find the source. Look for dead fish and if you have a really dirty filter clean it off in a bucket of aquarium water then put it back in.

Ok, I'm on it!

 

[steez]

She is cycled after a year for sure. I have never had 0 nitrates. The best I ever get is about 5ppm. Nitrates are only removed by some plants and pwc's. Its the end result of the cycle. Ammonia converts to nitrIte, then to nitrAte. So the presence of nitrates proves the good bacteria is converting Ammo

NitrAtes will never be 0. You misread my post, I was talking about nitrItes.


You didn't post your NitrIte reading. I was guessing with a trace of ammonia that you were still in-cycle.


You're probably experiencing some sort of mini-cycle OR your tap water has ammonia in it. You also may have a dead fish producing ammonia, are all your fish accounted for? A healthy tank should have a consistent 0 ammonia.

Have you recently cleaned your filters?

Anything at all new?