# Problem with S.Fryeri - Not eating and Heavy breathing.



## ash01 (Feb 24, 2008)

Hi there,

I added a juvi S.Fryeri male to my tank around 3-4 weeks ago and apart from having slight hollow belly the fish seemed fine. Since being added to the tank he settled in fine with no hassle or 'abuse' from my other fish Up until a couple of days ago he had been eating well, hollow belly has gone and had started gaining more colour. He was always first to the food aswell.

The past couple of days i have noticed he doesn't seem to be coming for food and just staying up the top of the tank at the back. He hasn't lost any of his colour but its like his gills seem to be taken a more expanded breathing pattern and you know when fish take in air when feeding its like they have to regurgate the food a bit to get the trapped air out he is also doing this from time to time but obviously none air or food is coming out. Does anyone know what this could be?

I am a bit worried because i added a Aulunocara Red about 2 weeks after the S.Fryeri but instaed of buying it from my local fish shop i got him at the local garden centre so obviously i don't know if it could maybe be gill flukes although the Aulunocara is not showing any signs of being ill either are any of my other fish just the S.Fryeri.

Wter parameters for today -

Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 10

Can anyone help as i don't want to lose him if possible?

Ash :fish:


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## copasetic (Nov 26, 2007)

The Nitrate reading seems too good to be true! If you can double check that test. Put a extra air bubbler in the tank while we try to figure this one out! You could also try some epsom salts to start.


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## cater20155 (Jun 16, 2008)

It sounds like a stress problem caused by aggression. First off, the fish is hiding at the top of the tank near the back, most likely to escape another fish that is harassing it. Secondly, when stressed a fish will breath heavily, as you noticed. Try rearranging the tank to remove territories so the fish will have to reestablish the territories, this will allow the fryeri to get a place on the pecking oreder. Or keep an eye on the tank and see what fish is after the fryeri and then possibly remove one or the other.

What else is in the tank? How big is the tank? This would be useful to determine an aggressor.


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## Dave (Feb 9, 2003)

> He hasn't lost any of his colour but its like his gills seem to be taken a more expanded breathing pattern and you know when fish take in air when feeding its like they have to regurgate the food a bit to get the trapped air out he is also doing this from time to time but obviously none air or food is coming out. Does anyone know what this could be?


Classic sign of bloat. Have you noticed anything different about its feces? Is it white, long, or stringy?


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## ash01 (Feb 24, 2008)

Thanks for everyones replys. I am going to keep an eye on him and check him again tommorow morning.

He is hopefully some answers to some of the questions asked.

He isn't sitting hiding up the back of the tank because of aggression i know this because i have a couple of fish that get properly chased about and they hide up behind the filter the Fryeri isn't doing this he just hovers near the top when he isn't swimming about. Most of my fish are a lot bigger and are totally ignoring him probably because he is no threat as he is a lot smaller even my large Red Empress lets him swim about beside him and he is the tank boss that chases most of my fish about.

Someone mentioned Bloat. If he had this would his scales on his sides not be sticking out because of the swelling? He gets fed NLS and i only occassionaly give them Mysis or Artemia as a treat.

About my test results. My tests results are correct even for NITRATE as i did them again. The reason my Nitrates are down at 10 is because they had started really creeping up to 40 + when i was feeding them NLS 3-4 times a day. So i gradually started feeding them once a day and did a couple of larger water changes and ever since then i do a 40% of water a week and it has stayed at 10 which i am much happier about.

Just another thing. My two outlets for both my filters both break the surface of the water really well and i have a big air pump and air stone that is on full blast aswell so there is loads of surface aggetition.

He isn't scratching so that does put gill flukes out of the equation doesn't it? How would a fish act/look like if it had Malawi Bloat to try and help me determine if it could possibly be this.


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## Dave (Feb 9, 2003)

ash01 said:


> Someone mentioned Bloat. If he had this would his scales on his sides not be sticking out because of the swelling?


 Maybe in the later stages. By the time a fish with bloat looks bloated it is usually too late.


> He gets fed NLS and i only occassionaly give them Mysis or Artemia as a treat.


 I wouldn't feed brine shrimp.


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## ash01 (Feb 24, 2008)

Hi just a daily report to let you know i think it could defiantly be the start of Malawi Bloat so hopefully because he isn't swollen yet i will be able to save him with medication.

Bad Bits -

He has no intrest in food
He is lingering at the top of the tank
He is breathing a bit harder than all my other fish.
He is boaking occasionally like when a fish has trapped air in its gills and they do that weird reflex.
He has white stringy poo.

Good bits -

He hasn't lost his colour
His fins haven't started clamping down yet
He isn't going bloated yet

So i can hopefully mend him if it isn't bloat and its something else internal the medication i am using should hopefully get rid of it.

I have enquired about Clout here but you can't get it in the UK. The best thing for it here is Octozin so i am going to get that today and treat the whole tank just incase it is contagious. I have used Octozin before in a tropical tank to help with severe Dropsy and it cured it everytime so it must be quite good for Malawi Bloat too.

I'll keep you updated.


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## ash01 (Feb 24, 2008)

Hi again.

I thought i would give everyone an update on my fish.

This is only the second day of treatment with Octozin and i have noticed a big diffrence already.
When i am putting food in for the other fish he's coming straight out like what he used to do before he was ill when i put food in. This is hopefully good news anyway that he might be starting to feel better.

He looks a lot more active and bright.

Tommorow is the last day of treatment so hopefully within the next day or two he might start eating again.

I will keep you updated and let you know the results which will hopefully be only good news and none bad.

Ash


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## Dave (Feb 9, 2003)

Good luck.


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## copasetic (Nov 26, 2007)

After the treatment you choose is finished, treat the tank with some salts. They work well as a laxative to flush out his system.


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## BLACK_AFRICAN (May 21, 2008)

Hi,

I have a post under the Health Section, which was recently updated today - it's lenghty, but my fish also showed improvement after meds but still did not eat, just in case yours does the same. I also had to try a 2nd meds then separate him with a divider for 2 weeks and he struggled for a week to swallow the food before he started eating again.

So don't discourage as if he's the smallest, he may not eat until he's comfortable or physically able to eat. It took 4-5 weeks to get him back to full speed and I had to set up another tank and play with tankmates to see the passive ones that I could put with him that would not bully him.

In my experiece the victim when moved or another tankmate is removed, can also turn into the aggressor based on his/her personality, so you may have to look at the interaction with all tankmates. My LITTLE SURVIVOR is now trying to rule the 2nd tank & he's the smallest male in the tank :lol:

Agree with copasetic on the salt. I used 1 teaspoon aquarium salt for every 5 gallon of water that I removed ie. changed 10 gallon of water - added 2 tsp salt in warm water to disolve and added it to the tank. Haven't tried Epsom Salt, but I'm sure it will work too. I also did a 60% wc to removed traces of the meds after the final treatment. Hope this helps.


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## ash01 (Feb 24, 2008)

WHOO HOO !!!!

I thought i would let everyone know my Fryeri is now back to life and eating again !!!! Octozin must of done the trick.

While he was still on medication he was looking a lot better and swimming about again but he still wasn't able to eat. After a couple of days of the medication ending he has slowly started eating and as each day goes by he is eating better and better.

So i am a very happy lady just now as all my fish are like children to me so losing him would of been very upsetting.

5/5 for Octozin.

Ash :fish:


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