WendiDell
Aquarium Advice Addict
I've been having problems with this same Cichlid off and on for months now. She's never been healthy for more than a couple of weeks at a time.
She was in the first group of Cichlids I brought home 8 months ago. She and two others were really small. I lost the other two, one to tail walking and the other got caught behind a rock and couldn't move. I got her loose but the damage was done, she died a few hours later.
I've managed to keep the third one alive, but now she's got something new going on.
She looks like her stomach is caving in. Cichlids tummies are usually tapered down between their front fins and their anal fins. But when I went in for Sat. morning feeding she came out but didn't eat.
After she swam out she floated towards the top and slowly swam sideways. It was then I saw that it looked like her tummy was caving in. By the way, everyone else is healthy.
I transferred her to the Hosp. tank and gave her some crushed Cichlid crisps, she didn't touch. She stopped swimming sideways at the top of the tank. So, other than her sunken stomach and hiding behind a rock she seemed fine.
Then Sat. night I fed everyone their usual Sat. night snack of Bloodworms. I thought I'd give it a try so I gave her some and she chowed down just like the others..
I'm at a loss as to why her stomach is so concave, she looks awful. I'd take a pic. but, she won't stay out long enough.
I'm open to any ideas at all as to what is going on with her. She looks malnourished, but the other fish in the tank are doing great. And she had no problem sucking down the bloodworm. She just won't eat regular food.
Water parameters: PH 8.4, Ammonia less than .25not quite 0, Nitrites also under .25, Nitrates 30ppm, temp. 78o.
A 55g tank running for 7 years but, it became a Cichlid tank 8 months ago.
I have 2 Magnum H.O.T. canister filters, 250 gph I think.
12 fish in the tank, 2-4"XL Gouramis, 2-2" Kenyi Cichlids, 1-4" Red Zebra, 1-almost 3" Red Zebra (the sickly one), 1-4" Blue Cobalt, 2-31/2" Blue Cobalt, 1-4" Red Top Cobalt, 1-3" Red Top Cobalt and 1-5" Bushynose Pleco.
My Tank started cycling about a month ago, so I do a PWC everyday with a complete gravel vacuum 2x a week, to keep the ammonia and Nitrites below .25ppm. It's a lot of extra work but I don't want the water to ever be toxic to my fish.
Nothing new has been added since I added the 2 Kenyi Cichlids & the 3" Red Top Cobalt 2 months ago.
There's been no food changes, they all get a 1/2-1/2 mix of Tetra Cichlid Crisps and Tetra Vegetable Crisps and the Sat. night Bloodworm snack.
I think that covers all the usual questions. If you need more info. let me know.
Sorry it's so long but I wanted to cut down on the back and forth before we could get to the answers that help.
She was in the first group of Cichlids I brought home 8 months ago. She and two others were really small. I lost the other two, one to tail walking and the other got caught behind a rock and couldn't move. I got her loose but the damage was done, she died a few hours later.
I've managed to keep the third one alive, but now she's got something new going on.
She looks like her stomach is caving in. Cichlids tummies are usually tapered down between their front fins and their anal fins. But when I went in for Sat. morning feeding she came out but didn't eat.
After she swam out she floated towards the top and slowly swam sideways. It was then I saw that it looked like her tummy was caving in. By the way, everyone else is healthy.
I transferred her to the Hosp. tank and gave her some crushed Cichlid crisps, she didn't touch. She stopped swimming sideways at the top of the tank. So, other than her sunken stomach and hiding behind a rock she seemed fine.
Then Sat. night I fed everyone their usual Sat. night snack of Bloodworms. I thought I'd give it a try so I gave her some and she chowed down just like the others..
I'm at a loss as to why her stomach is so concave, she looks awful. I'd take a pic. but, she won't stay out long enough.
I'm open to any ideas at all as to what is going on with her. She looks malnourished, but the other fish in the tank are doing great. And she had no problem sucking down the bloodworm. She just won't eat regular food.
Water parameters: PH 8.4, Ammonia less than .25not quite 0, Nitrites also under .25, Nitrates 30ppm, temp. 78o.
A 55g tank running for 7 years but, it became a Cichlid tank 8 months ago.
I have 2 Magnum H.O.T. canister filters, 250 gph I think.
12 fish in the tank, 2-4"XL Gouramis, 2-2" Kenyi Cichlids, 1-4" Red Zebra, 1-almost 3" Red Zebra (the sickly one), 1-4" Blue Cobalt, 2-31/2" Blue Cobalt, 1-4" Red Top Cobalt, 1-3" Red Top Cobalt and 1-5" Bushynose Pleco.
My Tank started cycling about a month ago, so I do a PWC everyday with a complete gravel vacuum 2x a week, to keep the ammonia and Nitrites below .25ppm. It's a lot of extra work but I don't want the water to ever be toxic to my fish.
Nothing new has been added since I added the 2 Kenyi Cichlids & the 3" Red Top Cobalt 2 months ago.
There's been no food changes, they all get a 1/2-1/2 mix of Tetra Cichlid Crisps and Tetra Vegetable Crisps and the Sat. night Bloodworm snack.
I think that covers all the usual questions. If you need more info. let me know.
Sorry it's so long but I wanted to cut down on the back and forth before we could get to the answers that help.