Its a 29g tank(i know, its small, I'm upgrading very soon, likely to a 75g)
Water parameters are great(0 ammonia, 0 nitrites), except nitrates are around 80ppm which I think is a little high.
tank has been set up for about 4 months. Its fully cycled and has been for a while.
I did notice some stringy feces about a week ago from several of the fish but as this is my first aquarium ever, I didn't think anything of it. Only after some research on this awesome website did I learn its a very bad thing.
I haven't lost any fish except the feeder fish that I used initially to cycle the tank. They were lost to aggression, not disease.
This particular fish hides the entire day. it doesn't eat at all.
All of the other fish are eating, not as much as usual, but they are eating a little.
they kind of eat a few bites and then just stop. luckily I've only been putting in a pinch at a time so I just scoop out the excess. They all hide when the light comes on, which I found to be odd.
Oh, and i noticed one of them, an albino zebra, takes the food into its mouth then spits it right back out, which i think I read was another symptom of bloat.
I've been feeding them regular tropical fish flakes. They've never had spirulina, at least not here in my tank. Actually when I went to my lfs to get the metro, one of the "cichlid experts" suggested I switch to spirulina flakes. Good idea???
I've started using metro. I've read many people use a regimen thats more aggressive than what is on the package so I've followed suit. It seems that this fish is in the advanced stages and I need to be aggressive if I have any chance of saving it.
I'm mixing up the metro in a cup with some tank water then I soak a little bit of food in it. I figure this will really help the fish that are still eating. Then i pour the cup of the mixed metro into the tank.
I'm treating twice a day with %30 water change between the morning and afternoon treatments.
Thanks for any info