# Fish not gaining weight?



## Multies (Mar 9, 2007)

Ill get straight to the point, my fish havent been gaining any weight for a couple of weeks now and they seem to scratch every so often. Theres nothing wrong on the outside, as they only scratch sometimes. The thing is that they havent been gaining weight at all. I like to feed heavily and my fish are usually more roundish. Could this be a parasite in my tank?

Theres nothing wrong with them besides the fact that they scratch a little and they are not gaining weight. My Cyps just spawned(failed attempt) but my Multies are getting beat up by a lone Brevis. But i have been having a case of slime algae for some reason, just popped out of no where a couple days ago. I havent had slime algae in close to 3 years. im not really sure whats going on there either.

Whats going on with my fish?


----------



## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

Yeah I'm having similar action with my one Blue Hap I noticed his gash or scratch the other day. He eats no problem but I'm keeping a close eye on him. I'm sorry I don't know what your problem is but I wish you the best of luck in resolving it.


----------



## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Be very careful about feeding "heavily". You'll find yoursel dealing with bloat...

Some flashing is normal. If you notice one fish doing it repeatedly, you should be worried.

How long has this tank been set up?

What are the water parameters?

What is your normal tank maintenance routine?

What are you feeding them?

What size tank is this?

What is the full stock list?

2 weeks isn't going to show alot of growth, but we do need alot more information in order to help you.


----------



## Multies (Mar 9, 2007)

I almost always feed more then i need to so that everyone has their fair bit. 
*** seen my fish scratch a bit every couple days.
tanks been set up for i think 3 years?
no ideas on the water parameters at all. 
My normal routine is feeding 4-5times a day(not very much) with 40% water changes a week.
tanks a 26G and stock list is a male brevis, 3 multies, 4 cyps


----------



## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Well, if you've been overfeeding for 3 years, you may have some parasitic problems. And, if you don't check the water parameters (especially important when you admittedly overfeed) your water quality could be a factor as well.

I would never feed more than twice a day, and even at that, no more than they can consume in 30-60 seconds.

You can try feeding them a medicated anti parasitic food, but even then, I would cut the amounts back considerably.

Just because you've done this for 3 years doesn't make it right.

Have you lost any fish from this tank over this time period? If so, how many, and at what intervals? What symptoms did they exhibit?


----------



## Multies (Mar 9, 2007)

From having bad water quality, i can only think of 2. One case was a wild N. Pulcher that i had, he didt adjust very well and died within a week and a half. Another case was when i neglected the tank and my N. Leleupi died. the N. Pulcher was way back when i started tangs. and my N. Leleupi was 2 years after. The Leleupi was 3+ years old and she got bullied around alot. Amazingly, she lived pretty well with my WC pair of N. Pulcher but didn't do so well with my Breeding N.Caudopunctatus Quad.

The N.Gracilis is a mystery even to myself. They acted fine but they wouldnt gain weight and they pooped out weird things. They were white and Stringy which looked like the fish poo without the poo. It looked like fish poo cases. Its hard to describe but mainly just translucent white and stringy. they did this when i got them. i have no idea what they had and they died a couple weeks after.

When i said over feeding, i ment over feeding from my perspective. Someone could feed more than me with a similar stocking and say their not over feeding. I would show you guys a video except i reformatted my computer and i seem to have misplaced the CD for my camera.. once i find it, i can show you guys a video of how i feed.



> Just because you've done this for 3 years doesn't make it right.


it might not seem right but if its working, why change it? if my fish are living well and breeding, i dont see the point of changing what i do. *** bred many alot of tangs in that tank and i should know how picky they are with water parameters.. i lost my xenotilapia group while i was away on vacation and lost more cyps(which is why i got the other 4 in this tank. i tore down the one with the xenotilapia. Moved the remaining cyps in the tank) my cyps are breeding even when im not intentionally wanting them to breed. I know they need more space but i just dont have it right now. I'm going to sell them as soon as i get the chance to do it.

what kind of anti-parasitic meds do you recommend? I want to clear this thing up asap.


----------



## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Multies said:


> > Just because you've done this for 3 years doesn't make it right.
> 
> 
> it might not seem right but if its working, why change it? if my fish are living well and breeding, i dont see the point of changing what i do.
> ...


_I'm sorry, but is it really working???

If it were, would you be asking for help because your fish are not thriving?_

It's a bit confusing. You did ask for help, right?

Okay, you admittedly had water quality issues. This can do long term damage to the fish that doesn't manifest immediately, so that could be a factor in what is going on now.

This is a very small tank and if all the fish you have mentioned have been moved in and out of this tank, I would imagine the tank has been quite high stress at times. This can also be a factor when illness is suspected.

And, if you didn't quarantine the ones that died shortly after you got them, they may have passed something on to the tank inhabitants.

So you've got multiple potential problem areas that you need to address in order to keep the fish happy and healthy.

I would adjust my feedings, keep the water pristine, and work on the stock list. If you don't have the space for the fish that you have, then get different fish. That's pretty simple.

Until you relieve the stressors in the tank, I suspect you will continue to have problems.

As far as medicated food goes, you can either soak the food you normally use in a bit of tank water and some metronidazole, or you can purchase a pre-medicated antiparasitic food by Jungle. You will need to soak it in tank water for 20 minutes prior to feeding it, though.


----------



## webgirl74 (Jan 30, 2009)

Cichlidaholic makes good points. Try to take these posts as learning experiences and grow from them. If you are losing fish on a regular basis, then you have some problems. Unless you went on a really long vacation, fish would not die just from not being fed for a few days, a week, etc. If you've never tested your water quality, that should be #1 priority and that may answer your questions right there. Get a liquid regent test kit and get readings of all your parameters. In a smallish tank like yours, overfeeding could be seriously compromising your water quality. I find that I need to do 2 water changes and substrate cleanings on my smaller tanks every week just to keep up with the bioload. Slime algae is usually a result of too much waste material in the water, and then you end up with a big algae bloom. Green algae blooms can also result from a high phosphate level. Is there any chance that some residue is getting into your tank during water changes? In the meantime, cut down on your feedings to once or twice a day. Your fish don't need that much food, so your health issues are not for lack of food. I only feed once in the evening and that's all they've ever needed. When I first started out with fish-keeping, there weren't sites like this to go to and I alwyas thought that it was normal to lose fish. Nobody even talked about water quality in such detail as what is now discussed and so much more is now known. The most we worried about was PH and temperature! Since getting onboard with groups like this, I've had great success. My fish are much healthier and happier, and the only fish I've lost recently was one during my move.


----------

