# Sick Lwanda - What is this?



## AussiBlood (Nov 20, 2013)

Hi folks,

I have come to you for help. From knowledge base I cannot account/point to what my Lwanda has come down with. About 1.5 weeks ago I noticed the 'white flakes' at rear tail area and it looked to me like discoloured scales. The illness has now become more pronounced and am starting to worry for the fish.

Ownership : had 9mos from juv.
Behaviour : normal. He has always been tank alpha and maintains this. perhpas if anything to point out is he seems to 'drift' a bit when not moving
Eating : normal. eats eagerly and chases down food. NLS staple
Tank: 100L (I know know dont hate me )
Environment : no new tank members or changes past 3 mos. He has 5 other (m) peacocks in tank (past 3mos)
Water Quality : Perfect temp and all API pro test kit readings in bingo range.
Water Temp : 26C (couple of hot days recent - perhaps spiked to 28C?)


























Hope I have got everything you might need - Open to ideas and treatments.


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## chopsteeks (Jul 23, 2013)

A Tangerine Tiger had something similar but way way less than your Lwanda. It appeared to be a white pimple or a scale fell off. At most he had around 10 white pimple mostly on the upper part of his body.

From researching it without getting accurate diagnosis, I started to treat with a combo of Melafix + Pimafix for 10 days with a daily 25% water change.

The white pimple started to disappear after 2 days BUT it kept coming back. I continued with the treatment. As days went by, the number of new white pimple was getting less and less. Until it stopped re-appearing.

If you decide to use Melafix + Pimafix, increase aeration.


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## Sparrow19 (May 31, 2013)

Looks like maybe Ich to me. Ich looks like the fish is covered in salt, little white spots. After a few days they will fall off, then come back. Do some research but you need to understand the lifecycle to fight it. First noticeable as the white spots. That is the bacteria growing on the outside and inside of your fish. When it falls off it doesn't go away. It lands in your substrate and multiplies. After that it releases more into the water as free swimming bacteria (cant see these) looking for a host. Will reattach itself to a fish and repeat.

There are several treatments but what seems to work for most and worked for me is turning up the temp a little and using aquarium salt. Cichlids will not be harmed by salt, but please do research to know which salt to use and how much. You can't use normal table salt.

What worked for me: Start by turning up the temp to 82-85 degrees. Do a salt treatment. I think 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons. As soon as you notice the spots go away, do a very thorough water clean and change. Make sure you vacuum your rocks very good. You want to get as many as those spoors out as you can. Refill and do another salt treatment. The salt works the best when they are free swimming. So in the lifecycle, that is after you notice them off your fish. I'd continue that for a week or so, maybe longer until you notice its completely gone.


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## AussiBlood (Nov 20, 2013)

Yeah thing that did not point to me re: Ich was always belived Ich to be more rounded 'spots'. My Lwanda presents what is more like flakes. This is why I thought was his scales at first - because I could not see the usual 'ball' I have seen in my past aquaria re: Ich

A strange one.


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## Sparrow19 (May 31, 2013)

Yeah looking closer it does look like larger spots/scales. But I'm not sure. Maybe a combination of something. Hopefully more people will chime in.


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## AussiBlood (Nov 20, 2013)

UPDATE

I have begun treatment with Tri Sulpha (Blue Planet). Its a broad spectrum sulfonamid.

After day 1 the 'flakes' are less pronounced. 3 day initial treatment is over tonight - I'll be 2nd dosing.
Hopefully he is all cleared up after the 2nd round - so far, its promising.

Still know idea what it is/was.


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## gverde (Mar 3, 2010)

I had a couple phenochilus tanzanias develop this type of disease out of the ones that I grew out. I tried everything to get rid of it but wasn't very successful. I tried a combination of antibiotics, kanamycin, furan 2 but it had no effect on the fish. The disease just kept getting worse covering the whole body. I ended up euthanizing them because I didn't want the disease affecting the other members. This was the worse disease I ever had in my years of fish keeping that I was not able to cure. It seemed like for me it affected the weaker less dominant fish of my group. I hope you have better luck than me but that was my experience.


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