# Sunken bellies in a new 75 gallon hap peacock all male tank



## 20-20 (Feb 24, 2015)

I've got a new 75 gallon hap and peacock all male tank. It was fully cycled when I put the fish in 1 week ago. Stocking:

Sciaenochromis Fryeri "Maleri Island" - Ahli Electric Blue, 3"
Copadichromis trewavasae - Mloto Likoma, 3"
Protomelas Taeniolatus (Red) - Super Red Empress, 4"
Protomelas sp. Steveni Taiwan	Taiwan Reef, 4"
Aulonocara sp. stuartgranti "Maleri" - Sunshine Peacock, 4"
Aulonocara stuartgranti usisya - Flavescent Peacock, 5"
Aulonocara Kandeense - Blue Orchid Peacock, 5"
Aulonocara OB Peacock - OB Peacock, 4"
Aulonocara SP Rubescens - Ruby Red, 5"
Aulonocara SP Firefish - Firefish/Dragon Blood/Strawberry, 4"
Aulonocara Hybrid - Apache Peacock, 3"
Cyrtocara Moorii - Blue Dolphin, 5"
Labidochromis caeruleus Lions Cove - Yellow Lab, 2.5"

I will upgrade to a larger tank within a year, or rehome the larger fish. I've been feeding them 1mm NLS pellets, I've had success in the past with a 125 gallon all male hap and peacock tank with this food. At this point some of the fish still will just suck the pellets in, and then spit them right back out. Only a couple I can see actually eating the pellets and keeping them down (the yellow lab is a pig). After about 30 minutes all the pellets are gone, but I'm not watching the tank that long to see if they are getting eaten, or just disintegrating. Still have 0 ammonia and nitrite, nitrate is about 40, I'll do a 50% water change today.

Also, the flavescent, blue dolphin, OB have sunken bellies, and some other look like that is starting with them also. Here's a bad phone pick of the flavescent:










From what I've read on this site and others the sunken belly could be a parasite infection, possibly treat with metronidazole. Some suggest soaking the food in it, but if they aren't eating the pellets, that won't do any good.

Any advice I can get on both the sunken stomach, and the feeding of the nls, would be greatly appreciated.


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## mark_j (Jul 15, 2016)

My fish had that behavior when my current tank was new last Spring. I did what this guy did: viewtopic.php?t=46140

These fish were trying to eat pellets but were spitting them out. I lost one out of 12 fish.

Later in the Summer, I had a Ruby Red Peacock that would not eat pellets at all and had a sunken belly. He wasn't even trying to eat. I soaked NLS pellets in Seachem's Garlic Guard and he ate them up and has been eating ever since.

I am not an expert, but those are my two experiences.


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## Aaron S (Apr 4, 2015)

IMO you could certainly treat with metro. That would help if you have the dreaded "bloat" starting too.

Try soaking the pellets before hand so they are mushy and see if they still spit them out. At that size, there should be no issue of being able to eat it but at least they might get some nutritional value when they suck it in. I am also not an expert, just some random thoughts.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Where did the fish come from, before they were in this tank?


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## 20-20 (Feb 24, 2015)

I got most of the fish from an on-line vendor that is highly rated on this site. 2 of them (yellow lab, blue dolphin) I got from a very good lfs, House Of Tropicals, in MD. There aren't many lfs's I will buy live fish from.


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## Kevin in Ky (Dec 31, 2013)

20-20 said:


> I got most of the fish from an on-line vendor that is highly rated on this site. 2 of them (yellow lab, blue dolphin) I got from a very good lfs, House Of Tropicals, in MD. There aren't many lfs's I will buy live fish from.


I have a similar issue with a White Lab. When I ordered all of my fish 2 of the White Labs came in bigger than the others but had really sunken bellies. One died within a week or so but the other is still living...eats very well, normal behavior for the most part, and looks great..other than he still has the concave stomach and is a little thin. No other symptoms with any other fish, so I've never been sure what to do about it (if anything).


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

The reason that I asked, is that not a lot of stores, or wholesalers are feeding pellets. This is an adjustment for the fish.

I would get some frozen brine shrimp, and good quality flakes... try feeding that, see what happens. I would also hit them with something for intestinal parasites as well. No harm in being safe.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

My thought was that the fish had sunken bellies at the vendor...I have not seen a fish go from flat to concave in one week. Metronidazole is great for bloat but not sure if it is a good general parasite cure. IME bloat is more common in mbuna with extra long intestines and less common in haps and peacocks.

What did they feed?


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## 20-20 (Feb 24, 2015)

Their own concoction of Earthworm Flake, Plankton Gold flakes, spirulina, beef heat flakes, and Hikari Cichlid Pellets.


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## Eugooglizer (Oct 30, 2012)

I only had a fish with a sunken belly once and he was toast after a few weeks. I attributed it to stress. The fish in the picture doesn't really look like he has a sunken belly to me.


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## 20-20 (Feb 24, 2015)

That list of food I pulled off of the vendors website by going through the individual descriptions of the fish. I sent an email to the vendor asking what they fed the fish, and this is the reply:


> All our fish are use to flake food, and frozen brine shrimp, most fish, especially smaller fish prefer flake. Our three main flakes we feed and sell are affordable, and very high quality, the fish love it.
> Tropical Mix is a good flake with everything in it, you can feed every day. Plankton Gold is our best Protein Flake, and Spirulina our best veggie flake, a good mixture of several foods like that is good for their health. You can mix in pellets here and there as they get bigger


Three pet stores in my little town, the best flake any of them had was the 'TetraMin Tropical Flakes'. Fed that tonight, and they all gobbled it up, except for the red empress, who when I was watching spit the flakes out. Don't know if it actually swallowed any.


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## 20-20 (Feb 24, 2015)

What is a good quality flake food for cichlids that people use?


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

20-20 said:


> What is a good quality flake food for cichlids that people use?


PM sent, because vendors names are not supposed to be named on the forum.


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## 20-20 (Feb 24, 2015)

Fogelhund, thanks for the information and advice, I greatly appreciate it.


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## Pdxmonkeyboy (Oct 17, 2016)

can someone suggest a good flake food for me?

I had a similar issue with my nyererei, started spitting out food, got sunken belly. I put him in a hospital tank.. ok..bucket with heater and airstone for several days and treated with prazipro and maracyn 2. He bounced back tight away!

After doing further reading, this is my "official" quarantine procedure. Prazipro for 7 days, 50% water change, ick medication, then a dose of maracyn.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Pdxmonkeyboy said:


> can someone suggest a good flake food for me?
> 
> I had a similar issue with my nyererei, started spitting out food, got sunken belly. I put him in a hospital tank.. ok..bucket with heater and airstone for several days and treated with prazipro and maracyn 2. He bounced back tight away!
> 
> After doing further reading, this is my "official" quarantine procedure. Prazipro for 7 days, 50% water change, ick medication, then a dose of maracyn.


PM sent


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I could see using prazipro in the OP's scenario.

I could also see using prazipro if quarantining wild caught cichlids. But for tank raised fish? And Maracyn? Might be overkill or even cause more harm than good.


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## Pdxmonkeyboy (Oct 17, 2016)

I have used maracyn in the past for fungal infections with very good results. As for prazipro, almost every reefer I know treats their quarantine fish with it. Regardless if they are wild caught or tank raised. Perhaps reef fish are more prone to bacterial infections?

I never really understood the quarantine procedure if you are not going to medicate the fish. As we all know, it is often stress that let's infections take hold. Perhaps I am way off base, but I have yet to lose a fish during quarantine medicating. Are cichlids more sensitive?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

It's not that it will kill your fish. It's a concern that the bacteria will become resistant unless meds are used only when the disease is already present. Like why doctors will not prescribe antibiotics for humans just in case.

I just watch for 3 weeks to be sure ich does not develop. I've never received a sick fish or even one that developed ich.

I use maracyn for fungus too...just not as a preventive.


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## lilscoots (Mar 13, 2012)

DJRansome said:


> It's not that it will kill your fish. It's a concern that the bacteria will become resistant unless meds are used only when the disease is already present. Like why doctors will not prescribe antibiotics for humans just in case.
> 
> I just watch for 3 weeks to be sure ich does not develop. I've never received a sick fish or even one that developed ich.
> 
> I use maracyn for fungus too...just not as a preventive.


+1


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## Pdxmonkeyboy (Oct 17, 2016)

if the disease wasn't present, then how would it become resistant to antibacterial treatments? Outside of random mutations (that occur quite a bit) the single largest contributer to bacterial resistance is incomplete treatment courses. If it were that easy for bacteria to become resistant to medication then they all would be resistant by now.

The last fish I purchased developed ick in quarantine. This fish was from a very reputable breeding facility, one of the largest cichlid breeders on the west coast. It happens.


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