[QHgal]

I'm hoping that this gets a bit more of a look than the illness forum.

I have a 125 gal tank that used to house a number of african cichlids. Now its home to just a handful. I went away for a couple of weeks on business and when I came home my husband had "surprised" me with a half dozen rainbows. That was all fine and good, but he didn't put them in the QT tank. So, fairly soon after the new rainbows died off one by one, til they were all gone. Once all of the new rainbows were gone, my cichlids started dieing off. I'm now down to TWO cichlids, a giant danio and 3 bristlenose plecos. The danio and plecos are eating, acting normal, and are just great. The cichlids are not eating, and are hiding for most of the day. The OB Zebra tries to eat, but spits it right back out. The male salousi goes towards the food but never takes a bite. I've tested the water again and again, and the parameters are right in normal range.

When the new rainbows died off I did numerous water changes. When my cichlids started dieing, I found one that looked like it had either an ulcer or a parasite, so I treated with Aquarium Pharm "General Cure" because it was an anti-parasitic. It stopped them from dieing and they started looking a LOT better. Everyone started eating again, and seemed fine. about a month later the same symptoms popped up. Not eating, hiding all day, etc. I re-treated with General cure, but its not gotten better. I treated with maracyn 2, and still no change. Still not eating, still hiding.

The weird thing is, tho, the danio and plecos are just fine. Eating, swimming normal, everything.

Any help would be MUCH appreciated.

 

[DJRansome]

I think you got looks, but you have already tried everything I know.

You did metronidazole already, right?

 

[QHgal]

I did another water change, then I tested the water again last night and it looks like my PH has bottomed out. I added some stuff called PH Up and it helped. It brought it up to 6.6. What else can I use to bring it up?

I rearranged all of the rocks, and put some big fake plants in to give cover all the way to the surface. The OB Zebra came out a lot more and showed a lot more interest in food, but still spit it back out. The Salousi did a lot more exploring, and swam toward the food like he was going to take some, but never took a bite. The danio was a pig, like always...

 

[Kanorin]

pH up is the same thing as Baking Soda in liquid form. Get baking soda without any added perfumes or air fresheners.

When you raise the pH, do so gradually - probably over the course of a few days. Large fluctuations in pH are just as bad or maybe worse than a stable low pH (but 6.6 is definitely more acidic than I'd keep the tank at).

As a long-term solution, some crushed coral - either as substrate or in a mesh bag in one of the filters - will help to buffer the pH in the 7.8 - 8.2 range and avoid any sudden fluctuations.

 

[QHgal]

I added crushed coral last night. I'll retest tonight and see if there is any change. I found the Buffer Recipe in the Library section, so if it hasn't changed I'll add some of that to bring it up. I brought it up from 6.0 or lower to 6.6. I'll test it again, then add the buffer formula. I'll be sure to only bring it up a few notches at a time.

I did have crushed coral in the filter, but its been a while since I added fresh. That might be why it was so low...

 

[QHgal]

Just wanted to let you all know, I think my PH drop was a big part of the problem. I raised it to 7.0 last night, and for the first time in over a month the male salousi ate! And, the OB Zebra ate and didn't spit it out. We are (hopefully) on the road to recovery. Hooray!!!