Cichlid Disease Information

WTF is THIS!?!?

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 21:43:18 -0500

is this a parasite? no other fish has it and how the hell did he get it? I picked a couple off and it left little patches and surround the patches is a swirl/circle of cloudiness. no new fish have been introduced...sooo wtf?

http://www.cichlidmadness.com/forums/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=24825
http://www.cichlidmadness.com/forums/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=24826

What are these spots?

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:45:42 -0600

My Red Sev started having these strange marks show up on him and I have no idea what they are or how to treat them. None of the other fish in the tank have these spots. Has anyone ever seen anything like this before? How should I go about treating this?

It is right behind the gills.

This picture is not very clear but there is also a white spot forming on the bottom of his gill plate.

White Poo

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:58:09 -0600

Hi There
i got 2.5'' male short-body FH 1 week back..for past few days, i've noticed that it's poo is sometimes white (outside - white color and inside - pale red color) or dark red in color.. sometimes poo hang in his anal. so far he is very active (today he bit my finger while i fed him a freeze dried shrimp) and eat lots of freeze dried shrimp (his favorite food). i feed him three times in a day. his diet is freeze dried shrimp (10 or more in a day) and small mixed pellets (10 in a day). i change 20 -25% water every week. the tank temperature is maintained at 28c.

please help me out...

Thank You
Push

Weird Skin Eating Condition

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:26:48 -0600

Hello all

I have had my cichlid for about 4 years now. For the last 6 months or so she has been slowing rotting away. I have tried several different things to fix the problem with no avail.

Its started as a tiny white opening looking like a cut and has basically spread over time. It looks as though something is eating away at the scales on her. One the scales on 1 side of her body are almost completely worn away from whatever this is. Recently it has spread to her gills and there is literally a giant hole in her face and i can see the muscle undernear. Its really gross!

I want to note here that the reason why i havent euthanized her is because other than this rotting she shows zero signs of being sick or hurt or unhappy. She eats a ton of food and plays with the other fish and flirts with her boyfriend in the tank all the time. I am still hoping that this can be figured out and dealt with.

I have tried several different fish rot medicines with no luck at all. Tried new filters, changing the water every day, etc. Adding salt.

Hopefully someone has some ideas that I can try. I have been searching the disease directories and I cant find anything that sounds quick like this. I thought it was tuberculosis but i am not sure that is the case because other than the skin rot shes totally fine.

I am pretty sure there is something external eating the skin off of her like a parasite or something.

Oh also - very important - none of the other fish in the tank are having this problem. There are 5 or 6 fish that have been in this tank with her for 3+ years and they are completely fine.

Last thing - this has been going on for several months - its not something that started yesterday and now is rapidly spreading. Its been going on for at least 6 months maybe even longer. Seems to be spreading fairly slowly

OK Thanks!

african cichlids...infection? redish heads...

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:02:55 -0600

hey all,

ok, 75 gal tank,i keep up on water changes. i had put a new fish in the tank recently (a blue pindani), he seams real healthy,he still does, but i noticed where his fins conect to the sides of his body were redish - dunno if its anything...anyhow, i puled hi and put him in the hospital tank. i noticed another fish whos head had a redish tint to it (not sure the name of the fish, im in the philippines at the moment and they seem to have their own names for fish here,but they r african cichlids). next i noticed my johani's head was a lil redish...so i pulled all my small africans out of the tank, put them in the hospital tank with tetracycline.

i still have my frontosa in the tank - he didnt look affected by anything, and a firemouth - also a texas/convict/green terror (but they r in "ad seg" at the moment) till i figure out what to do with them, they dont look affected either- i did a magor water change in the main tank...

my question: what is it? like i said, it really only looked like their heads were getting a reddish tint,and 2 of thems side fins,where they attached looked redish...? i read up a bit on different disease & didnt see anything that really matched up with tht...

thanks for any help!

Talon ill?

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:17:52 -0500

How sad is it that I have to start TWO disease threads. I swear to god this house is CURSED.

I've noticed a "small" - compared to Talon's overall size - mark on his side. Been there about a week, maybe two, I think. The pictures don't really show it well at all...it's actually kind of a faint yellow colour. I'm not sure what to use to treat it, any ideas?

He's also gotten pretty damn pale lately, compared to his normal colour anyway...for about a week I'd say. But he's acting normal, eating like a piglet and angrily speeding around his tank.

WTF!!!

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:10:39 -0500

This is exactly what I think it is, isn't it?! I've NEVER had HITH with any of my fish in 17 years of fish keeping, but Pandora seems riddled with it all of a sudden. I noticed a spot or two about a week ago, but thought she had bumped her head or something and it would heal. But I swear, every time I look at her now, it seems to have gotten so much worse! I've started upping her water changes to see if that helps...but I mean, she was never kept in "poor" water conditions since I brought her home anyway. Always, ALWAYS do my 50% a week. She's currently in a 55gal tank with a small red ceibal as well. She did have Chester, my gold severum with her at first, but I took him out about two weeks ago because he was being mean to her; so I put him in a separate tank for a while hoping she would build up her confidence and then I could return him to the tank. The tank has an AC70 and a Fluval 204 canister for filtration. Visitherm Stealth heater set to 79 degrees. She has been eating tropical flakes (for about the first two weeks I had her), and has been eating NLS exclusively since.

I'm on the hunt for some Seachem Metroplex (formerly Metronidazole), but not sure if I can get any locally; the only thing I've seen in town before with Met in it, is "General Cure" which has a bunch of other ingredients as well, so I'm aiming for the straight Met if I can.

Chester and the ceibal were in the tank before for months with no health issues. For a while, there was a male jack dempsey in with them (prior to my adding Pandora). The ceibal still looks fine.

Parasite or bacteria?

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 08:36:19 -0500

vent looks like it could be a little swollen so lets just say it is. he drags around white slimy feces. He's in with other fish and none of the others seem to have it.

PLEASE HELP Kamfa with cloudy eyes

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 06:53:42 -0500

Please help I put a female rose queen in with my kamfa and the did the normal lip lock push each other arounf buisness. I wake up this morning and he has scales missing from his KoK and eyes are cloudy. Last week he fought his sibling and the same thing happened to the brother and within two days he died. What can I do to help him please

NEW INFO ON FLOWERHORN INTESTINAL DISEASE

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 21:07:56 -0500

I HAVE RECENTLY BEEN ABLE TO SHED SOME LIGHT ON THE CAUSE AND CURE OF WHAT WAS SEEN ON ANOTHER SITE ASA FLOWERHORN HEMORRHOID. THESE PROTUBERANCES OF SMALL SECTIONS OF INTESTINE EXTERNALLY GENERAL RESULT IN A DEBILITATED WASTED CONDITION. WHILE I HAVE NOT HEARD OF OF FATALITIES A NUMBER OF FLOWERHORN FANCIERS HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THE PROBLEM. MANY YOUNG FLOWERHORNS ARE FED A DIET OF SHRIMP, WHICH IF RAW MAY CONTAIN INTESTINAL PATHOGENS, INCLUDING PARASITES. I RECEIVED A HALF GROWN MALE LAST YEAR WHICH HAD BEEN RAISED ON SHRIMP. I FED IT COKKED SHRIMP AND ARTIFICAL CRABMEAT, BUT IT DEVELOPED AN INESTINAL PROTRUSION ANYHOW. (MANY BREEDERS FEED RAW SHRIMP.)

REGURGITATION IS TYPICAL OF THIS AFFLICTION. FISH WHICH THROW UP FOOD AND HAVE VISIBLE EXTERNAL INTESTINAL TRACT MUST BE TREATED AT HIGH TEMPERATURE (86-90 DEGREES). i USED STANDARD DOSE MARACYN TWICE IN A WEEK SUCCESSFULLY. i HAVE SINCE BEEN INFORMED THAT OTHER FISH HAVE BEEN CURED WITH fLAGYL (250-500 MG. DISSOLVED IN WARM WATER) ALSO TWO DOSES IN A WEEK'S TIME. ALL CHARCOAL MUST BE REMOVED FOR EITHER REGIMEN TO WORK.

TO MY KNOWLEGE THE IDENTITY OF THE PARASITE HAS NOT BEEN ESTABLISHED, ALTHOUGH AMOEBAS ARE SUSPECT.

Ring around the hump

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 09:30:00 -0500

Hello all.

Not sure if this is a disease or not, and I do not have pics yet but maybe Mark can add some tonight.

This weekend we noticed our red isleta has a dark ring around his hump. It is a complete circle, almost like a halo of a darker color around the base of his hump. Other than this ring, the fish is looking and acting normal. Anyone seen this? It just appeared and we were both curious. He is about 8 inches TL now. Any ideas?

Flowerhorn illnesses

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 12:11:41 -0500

About 6 months ago, I had a half grown male Flowerhorn (Quality Penang Type) develop a protrusion of a section of intestine externally). There was a very similar picture of a male Red Dragon type with the same condition posted on a Penang Web. At the time the only advice I got about treatment was to leave it alone and it would go away. I have documented 4 such cases total including mine. I asked a well known Flowerhorn Store who carried the same types if they had ever had this problem and they replied no.

I kept feeding the fish small amounts of shrimp despite the fact that it regurgitated most for 4 months during which time it got very thin. The hemorrhoid disappeared in the middle of June and the fish is now eating and growing again.

weird black headed worms someone help!

Sat, 30 May 2009 22:10:34 -0500

what are these worms i found in my fish tank?
theyre pretty small like 1/4 inch.
i found it wriggling at the top of my fish tank.
wasnt sure what it was so i took it out.
it has a big black head and the rest is yellow brownish.
i thought it was mosquito larva but then i thought thered be more of them.
and i also thought it was one of my convicts fry but it doesnt look anything like it.

white tiny insects in fish tank

Sat, 23 May 2009 23:24:40 -0500

I looked in my 150g tank and noticed these tiny white things all over the gravel. What are they, will they harm my fish and how do I get rid of them if they can harm them. I just added all my prized fish in there except my kam but I took my dovii out of the 150g and put her in with my kam so any advice please

I NEED HELP!

Wed, 13 May 2009 11:50:59 -0500

i NEED HELP my oscar has some sort of white
fungus or flem growing on his head
I need help to get rid of it. its growing pretty fast

One died and the rest are still looking like shit

Mon, 04 May 2009 01:01:50 -0500

Have been treating finrot in the bettas' 20g with antifungals and antibiotics and salt for almost 2 months... They never got sick when I kept them seperate in bowls!! ARGH!! I give up dammit.

Fenestratus in distress

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 01:16:14 -0500

Hi my 3 year old male fenestratus is not looking great. Today it started swimming upside down. Its still moving around but at the moment its staying in one spot.

HELP? anyone see something like this before?

My Tank's a 6X2X2, my last water change was about 2 weeks ago, in the tank i have a school of silver dollers, a female cuban, 2 plecos, and a silver shark. Recently 3 large clown loaches died in the tank, but they would only have been in the water for a short time before i took them out.

Its been so stable for so long and suddenly all this happens.

Yet Another WTF

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 21:57:58 -0500

I'm scratching my head here. I noticed my bichirs have not been themselves lately, about 2 weeks now. A bit more shy, a little irritated it seems. Last night I got to see why and from the looks of it, a parasite, I just don't know WTF it is.
I googled anchor worm, I've seen it on fish in a petstore once before but it doesn't look like a match, unless this is like a young stage of it yet. Either way I'm boggled as to how to treat it.
Anybody have a clue as to what this is and how to treat it?

Working on getting some better shots.

Edit: Alrighty some more shots...

So I'm freaking out. They're fucking all over them!
I have my pair of Isletas in with them and though they show no signs of the parasite so far but I'm worried.

Help??

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:10:30 -0500

So I have never had to deal with finrot before but I noticed it on one of the male bettas in my 20 gallon about a week ago. I have like 6 bettas in there divided with a heater and filter... and the other bettas are no longer eating like he did before his fins started falling off. I have Pimafix, Melafix and Jungle Fungus Eliminator and of course salt... but really not sure what is the right med or how often to use it or how many water changes I need to do.. I remember people saying don't listen to the directions on Ick meds so I'm confused... someone help I just bought all these nice bettas... argh! lol

Fish Medication Chart

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 08:39:41 -0600

This chart is from Dr Foster & Smith. Usually I wouldn't point anyone to their website, but this chart is actually very helpful and well organized. If you go to the link below, the medication names are clickable and give further info about each medication.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article....78&aid=1338

http://www.cichlidmadness.com/forums/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=23627
http://www.cichlidmadness.com/forums/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=23628

Skinny Loach

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 05:29:16 -0600

I have 9 large loaches in an O/S 4.
Some I grew out myself. But 4 I bought quite large a while back.
The 4 I bought were all a bit skinnier than mine, but I didn't mind as mine tend to be a little on the tubby side anyway.
Well I managed to fatten them up except 2.
Now one has lost more weight, and looks as if his spine is kinking, the other looks as if he has lost weight too, but not nearly as bad as the other one.
They are all eating and acting normally, as are all the other fish in the tank, and all the others are in excellent condition.
I know they are getting enough food as I hand feed this tank.
What is wrong with my loaches?
And does anyone know what I can do??
I adore my loaches and would hate to loose any.
I have attached a pic so you can get an idea, obviously the skinny guy is in the corner.
Thanks in advance.
Cheers Will

http://www.cichlidmadness.com/forums/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=23626

Sunked Bellied Electric Yellow

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 03:52:41 -0600

Hey guys, i am really stumped with this one.

I have recently setup a Mbuna Cichlid tank consisting of pairs of several different africans.
Just recently my female electric yellow has had a sunken belly. At first thought i thought it was intestinal worms. So i watched her eating and checked the other fish to see if any other's were suffering the same fate.
All fish checked out good. The yellow is eating well and doesn't seem to lacking mobility or be restricted in any way.

Can someone help me please.
Cheers
Kyle

Ummm...WTF

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:22:22 -0600

Ok, so, I've been observing this interesting little problem for about a week now. Doesn't seem like such a bad problem any more since visually the most disturbing issue has ceased to show itself but I keep wondering if it can and will come back.
Here's the story:
Bought a batch of T. espei. A buck each, sweet deal! I bought 20. I'm not picky, they're rasboras, I'm not gonna hand pick every one. Not in a heavily planted tannin stained display tank. Just asked for the ones that looked healthiest, a mix of sizes and no gimps. I think the guy that caught and bagged them for me must have been high. When we got home I took a closer look and to my dismay some of them appeared to have something horribly wrong with them. One in particular and oddly enough he was the least shy and easiest to get pictures of.

It looks a lot like rectal prolapse I've seen in flowerhorn. Thing is I don't know if I can treat it or how, or if that is in fact what it is. When purchased almost every single one of the rasboras showed at least some swelling around the goods, some with the problem pictured. So far I've lost several, around 5-7, seemingly the ones that looked the worst. The rest seem to be losing any sign of swelling. I'm afraid however. My intent was to purchase these to add to my original school and gobies. I don't want to do that if it's gonna spread. Squishy told me to get rid of them right off the bat. The sicko in me thought this was too cool to dispose of. At least right away. If there's any info anyone could provide me with I'd be very greatful.

pop eye

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 05:42:14 -0600

My 7" gold severum has a bulging eye, pop eye. We just moved our tank posted in other section. Is there any thing that has been successful for treating this that you have found? The water here is completely different, its well water we had city water before. Trying to get that adjusted. Got it pretty close to what it was before. I noticed some ich I treated for that. I added just a little salt also when I set it up. They are looking pretty stressed. Any and all suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

Older fish, long term equilibrium problems (swim bladder)

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 13:18:59 -0600

I have an older Jack Dempsey, probably 7 years old now, who has trouble maintaining equilibrium. Most of the time, he lays on his right side on the bottom of the tank. When this initially happened, I suspected a swim bladder issue/infection and went through the usual routine. Tried salt and raised temp, but nothing seemed to help. That was 5 months ago, and he's still going strong (albeit sideways). He shows no signs of disease, no bloated belly, no sunken stomach. He is perfectly healthy, except for his loss of equilibrium. When he gets up to swim, he looks perfectly normal moving about the tank (upright), but the moment he stops forward motion, he sinks to the bottom and onto his side.

The tank is (and has always been) in perfect condition. It's a 75 gallon that he shares with a few smaller (no agression) rainbows. Water is always at 80 degrees F, with minimal nitrates (I'm religious about water changes, plus there is a 50 gallon sump below). He eats perfectly fine, and there have been no changes in water chemistry. He appears to be in no pain, just always sideways.

Is it possible this is a physical defect (non-disease related, as he has been like this so long), and is there any way to correct the problem? Most posts I read about fish like this typically result in losing the fish within a week or two, so I am confused as to the root of the problem.

I appreciate any comments you may have.
Thanks.

Please help!

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:54:15 -0600

What's wrong with my flowerhorn and how can I cure it? Please help. Thanks in advance.

Here's the link to the video:

http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f145/nau...nt=MOV01639.flv

I've been treating him with Mardel products. First I treated him with Maracyn only, for 4 days, but it does not show any improvement. Therefore, I added more Mardel meds for fungus treatment. Today I added Maracyn-TC and Trisulfa. These two are for fungus treatment also and they can be combined according to the chart. The directions say that I do not change the water or change the pH, etc. Therefore, I do not do water change. What do you think I should do?

Festae cannot eat

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 02:03:30 -0600

This fish is acting normal and hungry but when i feed him he cannot get the food into his mouth. He tries to suck it in like normal but he cant. Its like he has no sucking or inhaling power. Ive never seen anything like it. He cannot get the pellets off the surface and he tries like hell. I tried shrimp and after some effort he got it into his mouth but then could not chew it. He ended up spitting it out (perhaps on accident) and couldn't get it back. It must be some sort of gill malfunction or something wrong with his mouth or throat? When he first got sick he had some sort of growth coming from the bottom of his gills underneath his throat. He was not interested in food at all for the first few days but now he wants to eat but can't. The fish also looks a little deformed around the throat area where the gills meet the body. I don't know what to do. Any ideas?

fish dead after a water change.

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 22:31:12 -0600

i just did a water change on my african tank and i only changed about 25%. after about 30 mins i noticed one of my comps was dead and my calvus. and also a small 2 inch daffodil was still twitching a little. they are not eatten up or beat all there fins are perfect and no missing scales. i didnt use dechlorinator but i have never used it befor. i use a python with a garden hose hooked to it for extra reach. i have been useing the hose for months to change water in all my tanks and nothing has ever happened like this befor. i also noticed all 5 of the giant dianos in my 29 gallon were dead they are with a texas and a golden trimarcu as target fish while they are breeding. and some of my other fish are breathing hard like they cant breath good. i have noticed the last few times that when i chance water in my tanks there are thousands of tiny bubbles floating around in my water for a while could this have killed my fish? i read a post before that said micro bubbles will stick to fishes gills and kill them. but how can i stop it. is it because the water is cold from thee faucet? i mix hot and cold to get about 75 degrees then i put it in the tank.

how can i prevent this from happening again?

Red lumps on convict help!

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 23:39:15 -0600

hello,
I have a female convict cichlid that I recently got from my father. After putting her in my tank I noticed that she had some small red lumps on her side fin. She seems to be doing completely fine otherwise and they don't bother her but they are getting bigger. Any ideas on what this might be? They are reddish in color and pretty much look like lumps or tumors. Thanks.

ID Please, already killed 3

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 18:40:56 -0600

I returned home after Christmas and found three of my Texas Cichlids dead, and another covered in small white barbs around his mouth and lower fins. I had a neighbor feeding them during the three days I was gone.

Other info: I also have a male convict and pink convict fry in the tank and both are fine, as well as my catfish.

Water parameters are dead on, temperature is fine (80 degrees, I just lowered the heater slightly, I like to keep it around 78)

It's a 55 gallon tank with 4 texas cichlids all 3-4", a 2" male con and a pink convict fry

I'm assuming it's some kind of parasite, any info on diagnosis and proper treatment would be greatly appreciated. I'm conviced he'll be dead by morning otherwise. Thanks!

http://www.cichlidmadness.com/forums/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=23303

Does he need meds?

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 23:39:33 -0600

Not sure if I should be medicating for this or not...This "wound" showed up on Talon a couple months ago, two at least now I would say. If memory serves, it was originally a white-coloured chunk missing from his back....I figured he'd slammed into a rock and tore a hole in his side. I put some salt in the tank to help it heal and it seemed fine. But when I was looking at it last week, it seems to have changed a little...it now looks kind of pinky flesh coloured, like maybe it's getting deeper. Any insight? What, if anything, should I use for meds? Lol preferably something cheap, he lives in a 120gal tank

fish possibly dieing?

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 09:46:41 -0600

I am not noticing the other fish picking on him and to tell you the truth I am not positive on the type of cichlid. Last week I noticed one of his eye's seemed a little cloudy. I did some research but it's not pop-eye the eye itself isn't swollen or enlarged. Now its pure white and I noticed his fins are split and frayed. I did some more research that mentioned poor nutrition, I am feeding them dainichi, he eats just fine and it still hungry. He seems a little more isolated now and swimming a bit more tilted than upright. This is my favorite of the bunch and I am hoping I can save him any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. The pictures are really terrible, I havent figure out how you guys take such nice pictures, but I hope you can see enough.

55 gallon tank, 6 other cichlids all around 3-4 inches. Weekly 25% water changes/gravel vacuuming. Levels seem fine PH is a little low but not drastic. Let me know if I missed any important info

Jaguar with a swollen anus.

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 03:56:18 -0500

Basically we got a male Jaguar from a LFS, that was a trade in. He seems fine, but I noticed his anus area was protruding. In fact it was his vent that was out, which was strange. Gave him anaesthesia and looked at the area. As soon as I put a little bit of pressure. He started bleeding and draining pus. Which was pretty bad. The excrement and came out as well. Iit smelled, I guess you can say "old".

This is concerning me greatly. I noticed he had some head lesions, HITH. But I was wondering what could treat this.

He has however, been eating voraciously. And been acting like his normal active self.

Big owy gettin' bigger. Please help!

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:45:45 -0500

I am a relatively new tank owner of 4 years. My first tank has lasted this long with only 1 death of a fish that wanted to live out of water. (Jumped out of the tank, I didn't find him till morning).

My current tank, 55 gallons, has 5 convict cichlids, a large orange oscar, and a placo. The large oscar, named Clydesdale, occasionally gets a little feisty when the convicts cluster around him. He then swims really fast around the tank and quite often jumps out of the water. Usually happens about once every 4-5 months.

About a month and a half ago he had one of these "episodes" but when he jumped he hit his head on the edge of the tank top and took a dime sized gouge out of his nose! Right between the eyes!

I dumped some stress coat in there, said my prayers and watched him. It seemed to heal pretty good. Within about a week all the meaty part was, for the most part, grown back, just no scales yet. I continued with occasional doses of stress coat, Checked chemical levels. Changed about 25% of the water every 3 days.

About a month ago, his scales started... going away (for lack of a better explanation). I don't see them fall off. He's not turning porcupine or anything. It's just... like they're receding. I tried a saltwater fix thing that I've found on this forum and a couple others. Didn't seem to hurt or help. I hit a Petsmart in the city and they thought it was a fungus, gave me some tablets that supposedly fixed "most" funguses. Again, no difference. I've an ich treatment that treats ich and "other parasites". That didn't work. All the while I did about 25-50% water changes every 2-3 days, unless otherwise suggested for medication purposes. 2 weeks ago while changing the water he really pitched a fit, turned horrid disgusting colours, sank down to the bottom and propped himself up against the side of the tank. I figured maybe I was doing to much, so didn't do the water change that week. Week after I had an emergency funeral and was gone that week. This week when I got back, the wound continued to grow, it is now wrapping around his eye. The Nitrate level in the tank was really off the charts. I did a 50-60% water change this time and I started a Melafix treatment now but I fear he's going to die! He's eating, maybe a little less than normal, but not alarmingly less, healthy colour aside from this owy. Swimming normally. Eye is functioning normally. Other fish are not affected nor seem to bother him.

The chemicals are all in the "safe" zone on my strip tester thing minus the Nitrates which are still safe but on the high end of safe. I curse the fact that they give me no numbers to go by.

The tank is a 55 gallon freshwater tank.
I have a filter that's for 45-100 gallons. Over the wall type thing, not a bottom filter.
I have a water pump that's hooked to an air pump for help with circulation and air in the water.
I live in Colorado, so a tank heater is necessary. I usually keep the tank around 74 ~ 76 degrees.
I feed them Wardley Cichlid Medium pellets. Occasional tropical flake food that they seem to scorn.
No new fish or new additions to the tank in the way of rocks, plants, etc.

I am going to try to borrow my boyfriend's camera tonight and get some pictures of him. Any ideas, suggestions, or help will be GREATLY appreciated.

Thank you all for your time!

~Christine~

Green Terror Lesion near mouth. Not sure what it is

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:44:27 -0500

Hello, first post here, hopefully someone can help me.

My current setup is a 55 gallon tank, newly established, been setup for 7 weeks. Tank was setup with water and allowed to sit for approximately 4 weeks before I added any fish (due to a busy summer, didnt have time to do much with it, didnt want to add fish until I could make sure my schedule was adequate so that I would be able to devote time each day to care and maintenance)

Added 3 fish approximately 3 weeks ago. All 3 are juvenile Green Terrors.

I have been testing the water level on a weekly basis and was able to see the beginnings of the tank cycling with elevated levels of ammonia at first. Have performed 3 water changes, at 25% on a weekly basis. Did not use any chemicals to treat the water, other than a de-chlorinator(sp?) when I inititally set up the tank. Starting on Sunday(5 days ago), the nitrite level in the tank spiked to 3 ppm, which I knew was going to happen, performed another 25 percent water change and tested the water on Wednesday(1 day ago) and the nitrite level was still at 3.0. This got me a little nervous, so after doing a little research, I performed another water change at 25% and added salt to the water at 1 tablespoon for every 10 gallons.

I noticed one of the fish with a small lesion forming near its mouth (on Tuesday) and was not sure what it was. After 2 days, its doubled in size and is now spreading to other parts of the head. Not sure what it is or how to treat it. The fish is now hiding alot and not eating. For the previous 3 weeks, all 3 fish were swimming around alot and eating when fed (which was twice per day, once in morning, once in evening).

Current tank levels are:

PH - 6.9
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 3.0(as of Wednesday Night)
Nitrate - 10 ppm
Temp: 77.6 degrees (according to my dig thermometer)
Plenty of fake rock caves and stumps to hide and swim through. Fake plants in various locations of the tank.

Here are two pictures I managed to snap off, best I could do. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

http://www.cichlidmadness.com/forums/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=22860
http://www.cichlidmadness.com/forums/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=22861

Parasites?

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 23:07:48 -0500

I have a bunch of small cichlids in a 75G tank together. There are a few things that are making me nervous. The first is a convict with a red worm-like looking thing protruding from his lef sinus. It isn't behaving abnormally, but it doesn't look right. Does anyone know what it could be?

Thennnn... I have a pair of oscars, both with aberrations on their mouths. One of them appears to have a little white thing, almost looks like an anchor worm, hanging from the side of his mouth. The other has a slightly swollen lower lip. The one with the lower lip issue had this issue when I bought him, but I didn't notice it until I got home. It has progressively worsened over the 2 months that I have had them. Neither of them display any abnormal behavior. Thanks in advance for the help.

lastly, the guy with the lip problem

tiny little white worms(HELP)

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 04:01:56 -0500

hi there,

i just found out my fish tanks having some tiny little white worms crawling on the glass...anyone have any idea what is it?? and how to prevent??
this my first time encounter this...hope can get some reply back! thanks a lot!!

fin disease

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 02:05:42 -0500

I'm not a beta keeper, but I know some of you are...

My sister's beta has started getting little tumor-looking bubbles in his fins that rupture after a few days which severly damages the fin. The fin eventually heals back, but it keeps reoccuring. All of his fins are affected and it seems to be getting worse. He's in a 2gal that gets regular water changes. Does anyone know what could be causing this? There's no cloudiness or discoloration to the fins, so I don't think it's fin rot. Any other suggestions/ causes/ solutions? Thanks!

Discus laying down on its side

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:16:43 -0500

Hello there,
I have a 70 gallon tank, 2 amazon sword plants, canister filter and a UV light, with 8 Discus fish,

One of them, started laying down on its side, although it can swim and breath normally,

It's been almsot 24 hours since it started acting like that,

Am really concerned about the fish, Is that some sort of a disease or is it just over feeding problems as some people suggested?

One more thing, fortunately, the other ones are doing really well in the tank.

Please heeeeelp..!!!

I'm gonna try and fix the fin damage.

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 08:34:09 -0500

I posted on a red tiger motag a while back that has a split tail. He is actually for sale now but I may keep him if I can fix the tail. There is NO progress at all on the split. I think I'm gonna cut the tail and let it grow back. I've talked with some experts that show fish and they say it will work. I'm gonna cut the tail off at the white line. What do you think?

Male Haitiensis

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 01:10:14 -0500

http://www.cichlidmadness.com/forums/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=22672

I'm so weak on diseases. Is this columnaris?

He was moved into this new tank which is bigger and has cleaner water! Not sure how this happened. The white spots are appearing in more and more places, followed by redness. This, and the fact that the cottony stuff is on live skin, makes me think bacteria... but I dont know and Fungus Eliminator is not working so far (two days only so far though...). Opinions?

Sick Fish....What is it and how do I get rid of it?

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:05:17 -0500

Can anyone please look at these pictures and tell me what is wrong with my fish?

He isn't well.

Disiese Question?

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 02:33:09 -0500

http://www.cichlidmadness.com/forums/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=22655 http://www.cichlidmadness.com/forums/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=22656[att
chment=22657:Sick_Fish_40001.JPG]http://www.cichlidmadness.com/forums/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=22658
Can anyone tell me what caused this on my fish? What to do about it. I thought he just got stuck to the in take but I'm not so sure anymore.

Frontosa holes in the head

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:13:02 -0500

Hello there,
Today I found one of my Frontosas having some holes in his head.
I haven't introduced any new fish in the tank.
Diet has always been Wardley flakes and cichlid pellets.
Are these holes normal or are they some sort of infection?
Please advice.

20 gal community has ick

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 08:35:09 -0500

I raised the temp to around 82 and added salt. That didn't seem to work so I went out and got the only ick medicine the damn store had (Rid Ick) and on the bottle it says I need to do a water change every day before treatment. Do I really need to? And how long are you supposed to normally treat ick with a med? It didn't say on the bottle. I've never had ick before in any tank so I'm lost.

Whole tank issue

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 12:39:36 -0500

Here's the story.

I went on vacation for 9 days, and came back to my fish acting a bit sluggish. I had my roommate feed them once daily (if that) just to keep aggression down while I was gone. While I was away we had hot weather (for Washington) with it reaching the mid 90's every day, and I'm assuming the tank was quite hot. It's cooled down outside and the tank temp is still 82-84.

The tank is a 210 gallon with an assortment of almost fully grown CA/SA cichlids. Lots of filtration. Nitrates usually between 20-40. A bit higher after my trip, as they didn't get a water change till I got back.

I did a small water change the night I got in (Tuesday), maybe 40 gallons. Finally had time to do a real water change yesterday (Friday) and while doing it found my indo datnoid freshly dead behind a rock, along with a couple dead rubbernose plecos. Changed at least 50%, more like 60% vaccumed gravel, etc. All my normal tank work.

Today I notice that the fish aren't eating, are lethargic, some have cloudy eyes, and they almost all have clamped fins, with the edges of the fins slightly frayed. Nitrates are acceptable (20ppm or so) but that's all I have for test kits right now (tank has been established for quite some time).

I think something got into the tank from my small cleaning, maybe some soap, or my dechlorinator didn't fully work or something. I have no idea. Never dealt with anything like this. I'm also assuming the added stress of the week of high temperatures might have had something to do with it as well.

I'm off to the store to pick up some new dechlor (ran out after yesterdays water change), a master test kit (gotta check the ammonia and nitrite now) and some salt.

I'm just looking for other ideas or thoughts as to what might be causing this. It's really freaking me out.

need some quick info on fish med

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 12:39:43 -0500

my girlfriend, while i was at college, had set up her own little 20 gallon fish tank with some danio in it and upon getting home i was instantly bombarded for help from her, it seems that out of 5 of them, one remains and it looks like he/she is sick aswell, she asked me to post this up here and ask if she can add aquarisol daily without making an exchange. she already removed the carbon filter and she does not know what to do. she was excited over the phone when she won a tank set up from a store here but now this has her depressed. she said that she thinks its a parasitic infestation and her water parameters are ok is what she had tested at the one store. i dunno what else to tell her really, id really appreciate the help everyone.

What the heck is this?!

Fri, 30 May 2008 12:48:10 -0500

Sorry folks, I've done a lot of searching, but haven't found anything to address this... I took home this little fella last night, and this morning when I woke up...
the "Electric Blue" (not sure if that's the proper name for him/her) is upside down, and his shiny blue coat looks torn up with big white patches everywhere. It's like he "calcified" overnight. Looks like he can only move the two little fins at the end of his gills. I've currently got him in salt treatment, but it doesn't look good to say the least... I have a 55 gallon tank with two small crabs, 2 Mollies, and 2 Plecostemus, and that's it... Anything I can do about this? Boy, did it go horribly wrong, and only over the last 10 hours??? wow...

split tail won't heal

Tue, 27 May 2008 12:33:59 -0500

Usually when split fins occur they repair fairly rapidly. This one on my new motag male has not. The fish is only 5.5 inches now. Will it fill in or grow back normally? The split in the fin occurred during shipping and it ran the length of the fin. It has been a month and it still has not healed back all the way. It connected back fairly quickly except for the end you see here.

Here are images of the split tail.

HELP!! My Mbuna's Dying!!

Mon, 26 May 2008 11:15:59 -0500

I have a tank of 5 malawan cichlids, two labidochromis caeruleus, and three of an unknown species (light blue mbuna with dark blue stripes whose dominant male turned solid bright yellow) that just experienced a great deal of trauma in an 11hr car ride from AZ to CA in an underfilled 20gal tank. All the fish looked healthy upon arrival but two of the blue mbunas moved about the tank �without confidence,� a nondominant blue mbuna and the dominant blue (yellow!) mbuna (DBM). By the end of the day I could tell they were having stability/bladder issues, as they�d intentionally position themselves against rocks/plants that would hold them upright.

The next day the 3 unaffected fish behaved totally normally (explored, got territorial, etc), and the nondominant blue mbuna finally swam a few times before reperching itself each time, but the DBM exhibited new red rashes all over its body. Under the light I can see that the DBM�s skin is badly abrased on the sides. Another day passed and it is still very difficult for the DBM to stay upright without wedging itself into the decorations. By this third day, none of the fish have eaten yet, but I honestly feel that all of the fish will be fine except maybe the DBM. At the end of this third day I have also noticed that his fins are damaged.

I cant remember clearly enough to determine whether mechanical damage on the fish is just finally showing, or whether a bacterial infection is making it progressively worse. I�m supposed to be out of town for a couple of days so I just want to make sure that there is nothing more I can do than to wait for the healing. There are no signs of fungus, parasites, bulging or pits.

The water is:
� 70F
� slightly basic (~7.4)
� no nitrite
� low ammonia (.25-.5 mg/L)
� very high nitrate (~80ppm)
� hardness (~250ppm)
The tank had been unattended for almost a year, and great deal of waste had accumulated. However it seems the conditions must have been at least okay, since the blue mbunas had apparently bred (two inchlong juveniles were spotted that day for the first time). I did not completely clean it out because I wanted to reduce any additional stress to the fish�I did a partial cleaning/ water change instead. I also added anti chlorines, stress coat, and aerators. There are about 5 gallons in the 20 gal tank (~5 vertical inches). When I saw curious fish poking at the DBM yesterday, I removed him to a 5gal tank of 3 gals H2O (~7 vertical in) thinking the redness might have been from their pecking.

For the past year they have been eating either tetramin tropical flakes and hikari cichlid gold. All objects/plants in the tank are fake.

If no bacterial treatments, etc are needed, I feel like I should at least raise the temperature 3 or 4 degrees to ~74F.

What do you think my fish is suffering from? Just trauma?
What can I do?

Thank you

Vicki

**Okay I wrote this up last night, but upon rising this morning, my DBM appears much more damaged. The fins are literally dissolving. This is definitely a progressive thing.