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Strange Shimmying + Not Eating

1K views 7 replies 3 participants last post by  24Tropheus 
#1 ·
Hi,
So my one multi that regularly spits out NLS pellets and has a growth on its throat seems to be doing fine on flake now(I add some before giving the NLS pellets). However, 2 of my other multis today seem to just hover in low-mid water(separately) and shimmy back and forth almost as if they're struggling against a powerful current. This wouldn't concern me too much except I can confirm that one of them is not eating. He doesn't even try to go for the pellets like how he used to, let alone spit them out. I'm pretty sure the other one isn't eating either. What should I do? What could this shimmying mean? Since I've been dosing the tank with pimafix/melafix do you think this might be an adverse effect of the medicines such that the fish aren't dealing too well with them? Should I dose today(It would be the third day after I restarted the one week regimen since I had to do a water change early)? Please let me know! Thanks!
 
#3 ·
Prob is these fish shimmy to each other as part of agression/territory holding and pairing (females bend out and belly down to make it look bigger and shimmy to males esp). But on there own in mid water is a worry. For sure not eating is a worry, I would be not be concerned if it was just refusing pellets and prefering flake but all food is worrying.

Water parameters please as above and can you see anything else odd about them?
Hard with such small cichlids I know. Maybe a good photo could help you/us spot something hidden to the naked eye?

All the best James
 
#4 ·
Well it turns out one of the fish that was doing the shimmying is fine eating the NLS pellets now. The one that wasn't eating anything now eats flakes and will try to eat NLS pellets but spits them out. At feeding time, unlike the other fish he won't swim to the middle of the tank to get his food like he used to and likes to stay near the front corner by his shell. So now, the one original fish that was having a hard time with NLS pellets is back to eating them while this new one now dislikes them. Why are they going through these cycles of spitting out NLS pellets when they would eat them with gusto before?

Both of the fish still shimmy above their shells and also make random fast jerking movements along with 'flashing' against the shells sometimes. I know this might sound alarming but all of the fish have been exhibiting this flashing behavior ever since I got them(so for almost 4 months now) with no ill effects(though these particular 'flash' a lot more than the others). I've also noticed a red dot/faint streak along the anal fin region of one of the fish that shimmies against the current. Like I mentioned before he is eating fine like the others and also puts on territorial displays. I've included two pictures below.

EDIT: My pictures show up too small. How do I resize them?
 
#8 ·
Darkskies said:
Nothing I can see clearly wrong with them but they do not look "happy". (If I saw em for sale I would not buy them but not exactly sure why)
Coloured down and bellys slightly distended and vents slightly inflamed maybe. But not sure at all whats the matter with them.

Erm 15 bars kind of makes me think both are male which kind of makes me even more concerned about the fat bellys.

Maybe just over fed giving bad water conditions.

Not said to be nasty but in the hope it could help.

All the best James
 
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