# Cichlids Dying Off One By One. Please Help!



## JP_92 (Aug 2, 2013)

In the last 2 weeks a trend has started to begin. It started with my demasoni who just died. After a few days the next fish was my rusty. The rusty is still alive but in critical condition. Now my flavus has also stopped eating and showing some symptoms.

Same symptoms for each sick fish: Lethargic, stays at bottom of tank, rarely swims away from territory, doesn't eat or show interest in food, sometimes makes a coughing motion even though they haven't eaten, sometimes flash on gravel/rocks.

Note that I have not seen stringy poo. The poo I have seen is brown. The fish themselves look physically fine.

Water Parameters : Temp 79, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrates 10, pH 7.9, GH 215ppm, & KH 125ppm. (tested just now)
Feed twice a day cobalt cichlid flakes. They eat it all in 2-3 minutes.
Do a 30-50% water change weekly, amount depends on nitrate level.
Water additives: Epsom Salt, baking soda and just recently salt. I started the tank with info from the article fishgal wrote http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/w ... mistry.php 
Prime on water changes.

Right now *** decided to treat the whole tank with API general cure which is 250mg metronidazole and 75mg praziquantel. Id really appreciate some advice on how to prevent this from happening any further!


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## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

Hi,

it sounds like bloat. Can't be 100% sure but I would go ahead and treat for bloat. The API General cure might be okay but wouldn't be my first choice for bloat. Before treating start with a large partial water change and siphon the gravel thoroughly.

good luck with it

Robin


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## JP_92 (Aug 2, 2013)

ok so with bloat *** read that once they stop eating food they usually die pretty soon afterwards like a day or 2.... is this true?

My demasoni before it died was alive for almost 2 weeks and when it died my heater broke so it could have been the temp drop. My rusty has stopped eating for about a week and now that *** put him back into the hospital tank after a trial back in the main tank his status has improved from critical looking to fine, just not eating.

Another question I have and its a BIG one... once a fish stops eating, how do you get it to start eating again? so far *** done 1 and a half treatments of metronidazole for the rusty and hes still not eating.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

It is very rare to be able to get them to eat again. Isolation helps, so they don't have to compete for food in their weakened state. You can also try soaking food in garlic to entice them.

How long has this tank been set up? Did these fish go through the cycle?


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## JP_92 (Aug 2, 2013)

Well sad to say that I woke up today and the rusty is dead.

Tank has been running for about 4months. They didn't go through the cycling. the rusty was in the tank for around 2months while the demasoni and flavus have been in the tank 2-3 weeks. It definitely must be rare to get them to eat after they've stopped because I couldn't find a single thread anywhere about how to get them to eat again. Pretty much they're write offs at that point the only thing you can to is treat the tank to try to prevent others from it.


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## testeve (Sep 17, 2012)

JP_92 said:


> It definitely must be rare to get them to eat after they've stopped because I couldn't find a single thread anywhere about how to get them to eat again. Pretty much they're write offs at that point the only thing you can to is treat the tank to try to prevent others from it.


Unfortunately this has been my experience as well. But the last time my tank got bloat, I recognized and treated quickly enough that I only lost the one fish.


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## JP_92 (Aug 2, 2013)

So my flavus definitely has bloat. saw stringy white poo. The worst part about this is the 2 fish that died plus my likely to die flavus were my favourite in the tank. Now im not sure but one of my rock kribs might have stopped eating. Could be pregnant as its the female I believe. Im not sure as I haven't been feeding much while I treated the tank so I kind of forget. I did give some metro soaked flakes.

From now on im only going to feed once a day. One day a week im going to feed de-shelled peas, one day I wont feed and maybe one day ill feed metro soaked flake once a week too. The amount of food *** fed them really didn't seem like a lot im surprised they got so clogged up by it. Maybe I should get a different type of flake or pellets too for variety.


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## JP_92 (Aug 2, 2013)

So the treatment of metro is over. My flavus is still alive and not eating but he still an active fish for the most part.

I did a small feeding and my male rock krib has been determined as the one who spits out food. Since *** finished my treatment and im all out of metro what should I do for my rock krib? just not feed him? I definitely don't want him to die hes colored up quite nicely.


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## JP_92 (Aug 2, 2013)

This is a great sign! 2 minutes after posting this last post I went over to my tank and the flavus is straight up to the glass looking to be fed with the rest of the fish! so again what should I do the metro treatment is over and the rock kribs spits food out and this would be the first feeding for the flavus in at least 5 days. Should I feed or still hold off?


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

You need to get some more metro. Do a 50% wc and start another round of treatment. Add your dosage to a small disposable cup with enough water to cover the bottom, and soak a small amount of food in it. Feed this to the fish.

Didn't you just add some fish recently? The flavus and demasoni, right? Did you quarantine them at all?


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## JP_92 (Aug 2, 2013)

didn't have a quarantine tank at the time. I added the demasoni, flavus, acei, thickskins and convict straight to tank. I did quarantine all the fish except the rock krib after they got sick. At that point I was running low on metro and felt I should do the whole tank so I put the flavus back in. I have metro being shipped in at the moment. I don't think itll make it in time so ill have to get the api general cure again.

In other news, Im going to trade in my rescued convict. Its female and has a very mild aggression level but I just don't like it much. Update on the flavus is hes eating. The rock krib spits out food and only ate a little today. I fed deshelled peas tomorrow will be nothing.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Well at least you seemed to halt it, but the krib spitting food indicates another treatment is required.


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