# Constipated Cichlid?



## Erikamonky (May 3, 2019)

My Electric Blue Cichlid has been hiding from me today and he looks to be constipated. I searched all over the web before coming here but no one mentioned what I'm looking at. Should I be concerned?

Thanks for your time.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Welcome to Cichlid-forum!

Electric blue cichlid is a marketing name used for several very different fish. Do you know the scientific name of this fish. It looks a little like Metriaclima greshakei also called ice blue but the shape of the tail isn't what I would expect.

If the fish is from Lake Malawi then it likes hard water and you can add Epsom salts to see if that helps.

His eye looks like it is bulging a little, is it?

What are your test results for pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?

Is he eating?

What do the feces look like?


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

DJRansome said:


> Welcome to Cichlid-forum!
> 
> Electric blue cichlid is a marketing name used for several very different fish. Do you know the scientific name of this fish. It looks a little like Metriaclima greshakei also called ice blue but the shape of the tail isn't what I would expect.


That is what is called an electric blue acara in the trade and is now fairly commonly available today. It is a aquarium strain developed from the common blue acara. There is some claim or possibility that the electric blue gene comes from hybridizing the fish with an electric blue ram ( _Microgeophagus ramirezi_), though I don't think it is known for sure, whether or not this is the case.
The common blue acara is typically known in the hobby as _Andinoacara pulcher_, though we really don't know whether it really is, or not. The species is really not very distinguishable from _A. coeruleopunctatus_ or _A. latifrons_ or _A. sapayensis_.....so there is always the possibility that aquarium strain blue acara is one of these other blue acara species or even possibly a mix. 
So really, probably better off to use a common name in the case of a man made color variety that we really don't even know the particular species for certain and on top of that might even be a hybrid with a ram cichlid.


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