A few months back i lost a white convict cichlid to something that made her look like a pinecone. I now suspect that one of my other fish has it as well. I checked the water properties and they are all normal for my cichlid species; the only thing that is off(maybe) is the temperature which is a degree or two off.
My "sick" cichlid is red around his mouth, his mouth is extended and not relaxed as usual and he is slightly bloated. I have treated the tank twice with metronidazole which seemed to give him his appatite back but failed to cure his bloating. About a week later he lost his appatite again. I have put pee's in the tank hoping they would ease his ailing intestines but have yet to see him pass any waste.
Today i bought a gravel pump and did a 50% water change, putting in the appropriate chemicals to dechlorinate the water. Afterwards i put in the medication and, i dont know if im imagining this, he looked slightly better after about a half hour.
The tank is established and has been for 10 years the fish in it are 10 years old and this is the first problem i have had. The tank is 20 gallons well aerated and houses four fish. I do not wish to move the ailing fish because the 2 other tanks that we have have had at least one bout of infection (from newly added fish).
Is there anything else that i can do for them? I really dont want to lose any of them and think of them as a member of the family(they each have names). Any ideas as to what could cause the fish to lose his appatite, suck for air, redden and bloat? Could it be malowi bloat? Should i move him? I just dont want to stress him and really hope that there is someone out there that can help me cure my sick fish. Thank you in advance and if there is any other info needed please dont hesitate to ask.
My "sick" cichlid is red around his mouth, his mouth is extended and not relaxed as usual and he is slightly bloated. I have treated the tank twice with metronidazole which seemed to give him his appatite back but failed to cure his bloating. About a week later he lost his appatite again. I have put pee's in the tank hoping they would ease his ailing intestines but have yet to see him pass any waste.
Today i bought a gravel pump and did a 50% water change, putting in the appropriate chemicals to dechlorinate the water. Afterwards i put in the medication and, i dont know if im imagining this, he looked slightly better after about a half hour.
The tank is established and has been for 10 years the fish in it are 10 years old and this is the first problem i have had. The tank is 20 gallons well aerated and houses four fish. I do not wish to move the ailing fish because the 2 other tanks that we have have had at least one bout of infection (from newly added fish).
Is there anything else that i can do for them? I really dont want to lose any of them and think of them as a member of the family(they each have names). Any ideas as to what could cause the fish to lose his appatite, suck for air, redden and bloat? Could it be malowi bloat? Should i move him? I just dont want to stress him and really hope that there is someone out there that can help me cure my sick fish. Thank you in advance and if there is any other info needed please dont hesitate to ask.