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Possible bloat?

4K views 28 replies 2 participants last post by  1Cichlid17LoVeR7 
#1 ·
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.
 
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#27 ·
I had started last tuesday, i had the meds from before and started using it when he started looking bad. So he was treated for 5 days. Your saying give him another five days before moving him? If he turns for the worst before five days are up can i move him? Is there a certain number of days before the quarentine tank is safe for fish (not that im going to move him before another five days).
*** had the cichlids for ten years and i just dont want them to pass away
 
#28 ·
I'd give it another 3 days to see if there's any physical improvement or if he'll eat.
If you transferred filter media from a cycled tank into the quarantine tank, then it should be good to go. What size is the tank?
I've never kept convicts so I don't know a whole lot about them, but the little research I did suggests that their lifespan is around the 10 year mark. I'm sure there are some that live longer or not as long. This makes me wonder if this illness could just be a natural progression due to age.
Either way, I'd stil attempt to treat if it was my fish.
 
#29 ·
Ok so ill move him on tuesday if there is no signifigant improvement. If it is old age i would think that the others would show some sign of old age as well.
It could be old age but i find it odd that i had a fish pass from the same simptomes. I will continue to treat him in the other tank until he is better or otherwise. If anything putting him in the new tank will reduce the crowding in the home tank. The new tank is a ten gallon tne other was a 20 gallon.
Thank you for all the help. Ill move my little buddy on wedsday and start treating him. How long after moving him should i start treating him. If the first medicine doensnt work then how long should i wait before treating him with something else?
 
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