# Red Zebra Cichlid(black colored) floating backwards HELP



## nutelladude (Jul 16, 2008)

hello,

i've had my african cichlid for the past 1 month. 9 red zebra in a 50 gallon fish tank truvu tank with filter and two bubble makers and a heater which runs at 80. I checked all the levels, nitrates and nitrites 0 ammonium 0 and the ph 8.2. The fish was floating at the top, and the other cichlid started picking at it so i took it out. I put it in a bowl with the tank water and a little bit of food. Now my fish is just sitting at the top of the bowl and sometimes swims around the perimeter. he is still breathing, help asap pictures are attached

THANKS





click on the pictures to make them bigger in a new window


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## Joea (May 25, 2004)

Unfortunately, once a fish is in this position, it's usually just a matter of time. 

You need to focus on the health of your remaining fish. It's possible this is the begining of something that could spread. What other fish are in the tank, just the 9 M. estherae? What are you feeding and when? Nitrates will never be at zero, are you sure you tested correctly? Are you using an old test kit? Have you noticed any unusual behaviour from any of the other fish? Was there any unusual behaviour with this fish, before you noticed it upside down?


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## nutelladude (Jul 16, 2008)

my sister said it had some ham, what medicine can i give it i don't care about how much it costs
It is still breathing, and willingly swims backwards


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## nutelladude (Jul 16, 2008)

http://tinypic.com/player.php?v=2j5e03o&s=3

heres a video of fish tank
so far i put a airbubbler maker into the bowl i have and added alot of water.


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## nutelladude (Jul 16, 2008)

the fish was barely moving it just was swimming in place and sometimes started flipping over slowly.


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## Joea (May 25, 2004)

nutelladude said:


> my sister said it had some ham, what medicine can i give it i don't care about how much it costs
> It is still breathing, and willingly swims backwards


Ham? Seriously?

I'm not sure how to respond to this... If it did ingest ham, intentionally or not, that's probably what's killing this fish, it can't digest ham. Food from a warm blooded animal should never be given to African cichlids or most fish for that matter.

Unfortunately, there is no medicine that will save this fish. I've never seen an upside down fish recover.


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## Mr_Yellow_Shoes (May 28, 2008)

Other than that, i think you should put more hiding places for your fish, not much caves in the video, and maybe put some more water in there, unless you like it a bit empty


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

If the entire tank was fed ham, I would add epsom salt to the tank at 1 cup per 100G to help flush their intestinal tract. You would need to dissolve it in tank water first.

And tell sis to leave the fish alone!


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## nutelladude (Jul 16, 2008)

the rest of the fish are fine, it looks like the black one got attacked by the zebras 
he has missing fins n bit off part of tail. He died this morning when i woke up. very sad, he was my favorite.

that video is old, my new one has alot of new archs, i'll take a video of it later.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

The rest of the fish may be fine now, but I would still add the epsom salt as directed above and try to keep them that way.

The digestive systems of these fish aren't really set up for processing warm blooded animal/meat. The epsom salt serves as a laxative and might aid the process somewhat, but I would still watch the fish very closely for signs of further problems.

They aren't out of the woods yet, and I'd be quite surprised if you didn't have other issues.


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## nutelladude (Jul 16, 2008)

i added half a cup of epsom salt to a glass of water and dropped it in the tank. when i dropped it it was just a little solid block looking thing :< it'll break apart right? 100% natural mineral epson salt.


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## nutelladude (Jul 16, 2008)

i need a black fish in there, so i was thinking of a algae eater. What is a good algae eater that isn't lazy and does not grow to like 4 feet lol


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

cichlidaholic said:


> You would need to dissolve it in tank water first.


I meant you need to dissolve the epsom salt prior to adding it to the tank. 

Bristlenose plecos are great algae control, and don't get very large.


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## nutelladude (Jul 16, 2008)

I have tons of rocks and stuff, but my fish are constantly butting heads. What else can i do? I'll pickup a Bristlenose pleco this weekend.


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