Hi guys I'm new here. I'm just looking for some advice with my group of mbuna. I have around 45 mbuna stocked in a 5x2x2 tank. I've had the group for over 2 years now with the odd fish dying from bullying/fighting. My water parameters are all good with 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites and nitrates. My pH is 7.8.
Now for my problem that I'm having, over the past few weeks I've been loosing a few fish. I've had 2 die in the last week from what looked like bullying but after separating one fish who looked like it had swim bladder its showing different signs. On the first day I noticed the fish was being odd, it was being seen off by alot of the fish in the tank. It looked like it was struggling to keep its self afloat but it was not turning over or floating it was still able to swim okay but just looked like it was struggling. This is when I separated it from the rest of the tank. So that was that and I left it over night. Through out the next day it just lay still resting but slowly started loosing its buoyancy and swimming vertically.and then over the next day it's completely lost all its energy and it's now just lay flat, but its fins and skin has got red and white Mark's over it. I've treated the tank with melafix over the past week and all my other cichlids seem okay. But I'm half expecting this to happen to another fish in the next few days and I'm really struggling to put my finger on what could be wrong. I've attached a picture on the fish with the said condition. Any help would be really appreciated as these fish are my family too and its killing me loosing them. Thank you very much.
Now for my problem that I'm having, over the past few weeks I've been loosing a few fish. I've had 2 die in the last week from what looked like bullying but after separating one fish who looked like it had swim bladder its showing different signs. On the first day I noticed the fish was being odd, it was being seen off by alot of the fish in the tank. It looked like it was struggling to keep its self afloat but it was not turning over or floating it was still able to swim okay but just looked like it was struggling. This is when I separated it from the rest of the tank. So that was that and I left it over night. Through out the next day it just lay still resting but slowly started loosing its buoyancy and swimming vertically.and then over the next day it's completely lost all its energy and it's now just lay flat, but its fins and skin has got red and white Mark's over it. I've treated the tank with melafix over the past week and all my other cichlids seem okay. But I'm half expecting this to happen to another fish in the next few days and I'm really struggling to put my finger on what could be wrong. I've attached a picture on the fish with the said condition. Any help would be really appreciated as these fish are my family too and its killing me loosing them. Thank you very much.
