# Urgent help ! my cichlid is sick...



## Atchu (Aug 4, 2008)

Hi Guys,
I need your advice on thisâ€¦I got a 72 Gal tank with African cichlids. I just found my female Afra cichlids dead underneath a rock along with a small yellow lab... it may have died few days ago... The male Afra doesnâ€™t seem to be active... it is breathing heavily and not eatingâ€¦ 
I took some water sample to near by fish store and they told me that my nitrite level is slightly highâ€¦
I have cycled 10% water and added some aquarium saltâ€¦ The male afra still doesnâ€™t appear healthyâ€¦ 
I got blue olphins, peacocks, frontosa in the same tank, but they all appears healthyâ€¦
Any idea how I can recover him and what caused the nitroite level to go up ? I have been doing regular water change.. my filter carbon (and the white thingy) was replaced 3 weeks agoâ€¦ I also changed my cichlids flakes to a new one (same brand) not sure if it had any impactâ€¦

Thanks,


----------



## cementhands (Oct 5, 2008)

get it checked for ich. I just went through the same thing and never had any signs of it


----------



## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

I don't know what you mean "I have cycled 10% water....."
Did you mean you did a 10% water change...took out 10% of the water and replaced with fresh?
Are you sure it was the nitrite that was up and not the nitrate? There shouldn't be any nitrite in a cycled tank unless maybe the dead fish caused it to go up (that I'm not sure about).
How long have you had the tank up and running? Was it cycled? How often do you do a water change and how much? If you answer these questions people may be able to help you better (find out what was the cause of the dead fish). Others may have even more questions. I'd change 50% of the water and have it tested again.


----------



## Atchu (Aug 4, 2008)

Yes. i took 10 % off and replaced with fresh. i am not sure if it is nitrite or nitrate.. i have had the tank for almost 6 months.. i change 10% water every 2 weeks..

do you recommend any medication that i should try ?


----------



## cementhands (Oct 5, 2008)

it is called Methylene Blue and just read the directions on it. And make sure your water temp is over 80


----------



## Rizup (Jan 29, 2008)

Sounds like it could be a combination of a Nitrate buildup from only changing 10% of your water every two weeks and also an ammonia/nitrite spike from the dead fish. I would suggest purchasing a test kit and/or having the LFS test your water again to get exact measurements.

I really think that you need to change more water more frequently, but it would be beneficial to know your water parameters.

Mike


----------



## eL Chupy (Aug 6, 2007)

i ddon't know if I'd jump the gun and say you got ich. I'm not a fan of medicating a tank without knowing what's going on.

10% water change every 2 weeks really isn't enough in my opinion. I'd up the changes to once a week 25% at least to 50%. get yourself a liquid test kit and check everything. amonia, nitrite, and nitrate... amonia and nitrite should be 0, and nitrate is the number that dictates the percentage of your partial water changes. shoot to keep it around 20 or less


----------



## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

I agree with all el Chupy said. Maybe add an airstone if the fish is breathing heavy. What kind of filtration do you have? I think the hang on back type of filters put more oxygen in the water.


----------



## CHK (Jan 12, 2007)

Decomposing fish can cause the spike in nitrites. What caused them to die still has to be determined. I would, as above, get a liquid test kit and post your parameters. How many fish and how big are they?


----------



## Atchu (Aug 4, 2008)

[No message]


----------



## Atchu (Aug 4, 2008)

Thanks guys. I have an Eheim 2215 filter (supports up to 90 gallon). I may have found the cause of my problem. My tank was running fine for almost 5 months. a week before the problem, I changed my filter medias (carbon and the white thingy). after a week I bought a bigger container of cichlids flakes... I believe combination of both caused my water quality to drop. may be I over fed and the left over food didn't get broken (not enough bacteria?)... does this make sense? Unfortunately both my male and female Afra died.

My nitrite, nitrate and amonia level is down to 0 down... it was up last week.. I did buy my own test kit...

I also have another question for you guys. I have the following in my tank. What food do you guys recommend? I used to feed cichlids flakes (50% meet 50% vegi), but they donâ€™t seems to like my new cichlids flakes. 
1 X red zebra (Pseudo)
2 x Blue Dolphin (moori)
4 x yellow labs
3 x frontosa
2 x Calvus

Thanks again


----------



## CHK (Jan 12, 2007)

Your *nitrate* levels should not be 0. There should be some residual value that will increase until you perform a water change. If you still test 0, then your test kit is not working.

You can go to the products review section to see what the members have posted as good food. Personally, I use Hikari Excel for mbuna, which is the veggie version. Seems to work well. But based on your stock list, you have more "meat" eaters. Maybe NLS? Its pricey so I use it only as a supplement.


----------

