[colinrobinson]

Labored breathing and lying on bottom moving very little but still swimming. and no hospital tank to add to the trouble

 

[dielikemoviestars]

Could be a number of things, including:
Aggression
Disease
Water quality.
We need more info - tank size, tank mates, water parameters?

 

[colinrobinson]

well its a 140 gallon 5'x2.5'x1.5 tank mate are 8 salousi, 6 p. flavus, 6 petro "chimbta", 6 rusties, and 6 c. afra minos reef. i also checked to see if the water was ok and didnt get any high readings so i assume it would be sickness.

 

[chapman76]

It could be a few things. Are there any marks on the body? Anything visually different besides the heavy breathing?

 

[cichlidaholic]

What are the water parameters?

What's your usual tank maintenance routine?

Any excessive aggression in the tank recently?

How many male saulosi do you have? What size are they?

Any torn or nipped fins?

How are the other fish behaving?

Kim

 

[colinrobinson]

No ammonia or nitrite and not overly excessive nitrates im not how many males there are i know there are at least 2 salousi males but all the fish are still juvies between 1 to 2 inches. They arent being too aggresive however you never know with mbuna. and fins arent tattered and a few were hiding hope this helps thanks very much.

 

[colinrobinson]

o ya and i change 20-25 % water weekly

 

[cichlidaholic]

With no more than we have to go on, it's impossible to determine what is going on.

If you truly do have 2 saulosi males and they are starting to sexually mature, aggression could be an issue. (2 males rarely work out with any mbuna- better to have one or even 3 with a higher female ratio)

If some of the fish are hiding, that can also indicate illness or aggression problems, so again, no real answers...

How is the saulosi now?

Without a hospital tank, there isn't much you can do other than watch for symptoms or signs of trouble. Make sure all the fish are coming out to eat, and keep a very close eye on the tank for a few days.

You're probably going to need a hospital tank.

Kim

 

[colinrobinson]

it is still hanging on the ground but alive none the less

 

[cichlidaholic]

You really need to remove the fish from the tank and into a hospital tank.

I would observe the tank very closely tonight and see if you can notice anything unusual going on. Watch them at feeding time and make sure everyone is eating and no one is spitting food.

Also keep your eyes open for white stringy feces, torn or deteriorating fins, any unusual growths on the bodies, etc.

Kim

 

[colinrobinson]

ok so i have noticed a few torn fins one on the flavus im sure due to aggression because *** seen it and a think the salousi is a smaller male beaten down by the bigger dom male and hiding is most likely aggression because its the flavus who are hiding and they are the most con aggressive in the tank other than that all really come up to see me and continue to beg for food(even though i dont give it to them)only two small feedings a day and all eat without spitting(except the beaten salousi whos in hiding)

 

[cichlidaholic]

I really think you're dealing with aggression, too.

That's pretty understocked for a 140G tank. You might try adding more of each species that you have to see if that will calm things down somewhat.

You don't want a bunch of fish that are intimidated and hiding all the time.

If they are all eating and behaving normally otherwise, that's all I can come up with.

Kim