[zbrusko]

Hi,

For the last couple of weeks, the fish in the photo has not been eating (depth perspective makes him look smaller in the photo than he is). He spends nearly all of his time hiding in a cave. For context, he is my largest (maybe 2nd largest) fish at about 4.5” in a tank that has next to no aggression. Peacocks, haps, labs & rusties. Maybe not the best combo long term, but they are all pals so far. Tank is 6 weeks stocked, cycled for 5 weeks prior. He’s been with me for 5 weeks.

0 amonia, 0 nitrite, 20-40 nitrate, 12 dGH, 12 dKH, 78 F, 8.2 pH, 150 gallon, 6ft long.

I dosed with PraziPro yesterday as per bottle instructions. He’s not eating, so I didn’t bother dosing food. Anyway, today he has been significantly more active. I soaked their Northfin cichlid pellets in Garlic Guard today in the hopes that would entice him to eat, especially given the increased activity. No dice.

Any thoughts? FYI, I haven’t seen him poop. Also, he seems to be scared of me! All the other 25 fish come to greet me when I approach the tank, but he goes & hides. That may be part of why he isn’t eating, but I have seen pellets fall right past his face.

Thanks for any input.

 

[zbrusko]

Same food. I also usually give them some spirulina flakes.

 

[zbrusko]

Try removing the rusties and see if that makes him better. Are any of the peacocks red or do you have other jakes?

No one else looks like him. I have an Otter Point Jake (I think), as well as a bicolor 500 & sunshine. The latter two are 3”. Like I said, he suddenly seems unafraid and has been quite active since the meds. The only fish he seems remotely affected by has been the other Jake. Perhaps his reemergence is a coincidence & this is not a parasite, or if it is then what does a recovery looks like? Does activity precede appetite?

I don’t have a way to pull anyone at the moment. I could throw together a 5 gallon quarantine tank I suppose, since I have an empty rectangular 5g. Or I could run out & buy a 10 & stick some of my 150g media in an HOB for it. The rusties have been oblivious to all the others & vice versa. They are small still.

 

[zbrusko]

Food is new, 6 weeks old. He won’t eat frozen brine shrimp either.

Today for the first time in two weeks he showed interest in food. He attacked the pellets & frozen brine shrimp with everyone else and went nosing around in the sand for fallen pellets, but…he didn’t eat anything!

I need to reiterate that there is NO aggression at all in the tank. Since medicating for parasites he has become active again. And today another step towards normalcy. So I do think the meds are affecting him. Still, not eating. Everyone else eats fine.

i guess i will try to put him in a quarantine tank now. Not sure what else to do.

 

[zbrusko]

I did not quarantine, but am happy to report he’s eating again! Finally. I’m going to chalk this up to parasites. Been six days since dosing. Five days of improvement in demeanor until I saw him aifting sand this afternoon. Sure enough, he attacked & ate pellets when fed soon after. I’ve heard you should dose again in 2 weeks in case there were eggs. Has anyone any experience with this?

 

[zbrusko]

I think my next project after my little 20L planted apisto tank gets going is to try hatching brine shrimp.