Hello Everyone,
I am new to this forum and relatively new to fish keeping.
Around 6 months ago I purchased an established 450 litre tank along with four adult fish. One is a 17 inch Common Pleco :fish: , one is a Jack Dempsey Cychlid, one is a Jaguar Cychlid and the last is a Red Severum Cychlid - all the Cychlids are around 10-12 inches.
I am not sure how old the fish are but I know the guy has only been in the UK for 8 years so they are no older than this as he did say he got them a small fish.
The tank has now been cycling for around 6 months with 25% water changes every two weeks. I have an external large Fluval filter but have been having nitrate levels consistently around 40-80ppm, never lower. To help reduce this I have added a second filter to help with the waste etc - especially from the Pleco!!! The ammonia and nitrites are usually 0ppm with pH around 7.4-7.8pH.
I feed the fish once a day so they are not overfeed...hopefully not anyway.
Now you have the history here is the problem.
The Jack Dempsey Cychlid has become sick. He is usual very quiet and I think he is at the bottom of the pecking order.
Three weeks or so ago he became very active around the tank and the normally aggressive Jaguar became very sedate so I thought that the Jaguar was coming down with something - not the case. A day or two later I came down in the morning to fine the Jack Dempsey lying on the bottom of the tank almost in a curved position with what seemed like a swollen abdomen to one side. He does swim if you tap the tank and he swims normally but then reverts back to a side lying position within minutes.
After a day or so of no improvement I moved him to a hospital tank and gave him a course of internal bacterial treatment for diseases like dropsy/bloat. No improvement.
With no improvement I took him to our vets and they said it did not seem like a neurological disorder or tumor of any description. He felt it was either a swim bladder issue or constipation.
We have since given him a course of swim bladder treatment and starved him for a few days and feed him cooked and shelled peas. He has not responded to the treatment and did not really eat much of the peas - maybe a few here and there. He is still eating if we fee him like a blood worm table or something but he struggles to feed by himself.
This morning he seems to have developed a popeye or swollen eye to both sides. He seems to just get worse with no response to anything. He really doesn't move to much now...hmmm!
I am really at a loss now and would really appreciate some advice on what to do next. :-?
If it is his time to go then this is life but I don't want to try keeping him going as this is distressing for him and maybe to the other fish too.
I am tempted to take him back to the vet but it is seeming like a lost cause at the moment. I have done my but best to try and help him and will be gutted if he dies.
All the other fish seem ok.
Any advise would be brilliant. :thumb:
I am new to this forum and relatively new to fish keeping.
Around 6 months ago I purchased an established 450 litre tank along with four adult fish. One is a 17 inch Common Pleco :fish: , one is a Jack Dempsey Cychlid, one is a Jaguar Cychlid and the last is a Red Severum Cychlid - all the Cychlids are around 10-12 inches.
I am not sure how old the fish are but I know the guy has only been in the UK for 8 years so they are no older than this as he did say he got them a small fish.
The tank has now been cycling for around 6 months with 25% water changes every two weeks. I have an external large Fluval filter but have been having nitrate levels consistently around 40-80ppm, never lower. To help reduce this I have added a second filter to help with the waste etc - especially from the Pleco!!! The ammonia and nitrites are usually 0ppm with pH around 7.4-7.8pH.
I feed the fish once a day so they are not overfeed...hopefully not anyway.
Now you have the history here is the problem.
The Jack Dempsey Cychlid has become sick. He is usual very quiet and I think he is at the bottom of the pecking order.
Three weeks or so ago he became very active around the tank and the normally aggressive Jaguar became very sedate so I thought that the Jaguar was coming down with something - not the case. A day or two later I came down in the morning to fine the Jack Dempsey lying on the bottom of the tank almost in a curved position with what seemed like a swollen abdomen to one side. He does swim if you tap the tank and he swims normally but then reverts back to a side lying position within minutes.
After a day or so of no improvement I moved him to a hospital tank and gave him a course of internal bacterial treatment for diseases like dropsy/bloat. No improvement.
With no improvement I took him to our vets and they said it did not seem like a neurological disorder or tumor of any description. He felt it was either a swim bladder issue or constipation.
We have since given him a course of swim bladder treatment and starved him for a few days and feed him cooked and shelled peas. He has not responded to the treatment and did not really eat much of the peas - maybe a few here and there. He is still eating if we fee him like a blood worm table or something but he struggles to feed by himself.
This morning he seems to have developed a popeye or swollen eye to both sides. He seems to just get worse with no response to anything. He really doesn't move to much now...hmmm!
I am really at a loss now and would really appreciate some advice on what to do next. :-?
If it is his time to go then this is life but I don't want to try keeping him going as this is distressing for him and maybe to the other fish too.
I am tempted to take him back to the vet but it is seeming like a lost cause at the moment. I have done my but best to try and help him and will be gutted if he dies.
All the other fish seem ok.
Any advise would be brilliant. :thumb: