# Mbuna dying one by one



## bolly (Oct 14, 2013)

120 gallon tank
fx6, xp4, 306

I had a mbuna tank with about 40 juvenile mbuna in it for about 1-2 months, got them from live fish direct all healthy and doing well. About 2 weeks ago I ordered fish from bluegrass for another tank and decided to get 5 small acei for my mbuna tank. They came and they didn't look that healthy, they didn't look really bad either. I put them in and a couple went to the top of the tank for a few hours, didn't look so good. Eventually the next day they had gone around swimming like the rest. Then the day later one was dead. Then the next day a mbamba started acting strange and a day after that it was dead. And then a yellow electric with the same exact thing. and then a white tail acei same thing. Its just one after the otherfor the past 2 weeks and *** lost 7 fish so far, including 4 of the 5 acei's from bluegrass. Another white tail acei is doing the it now im afraid im going to lose him as well, he didn't eat today. It cant be all bloat can it? *** fed like half I usually did since it started with water changes and put in thawed peas. I have no idea whats going on. The one acei that just died yesterday had a white patch under his upper belly. Water parameters are spot on. Even put the temp up from 80-82. They all go to the same exact place of the tank, the back corner right next to the fx6 intake.

What the heck is going on? If one fish has bloat do all the others easily get it?

Why is it one by one?

I really need some help

ps. the fish I got for my other tank (silver dollars) had ich, bad. I haven't seen any white dots on the mbuna though

Will put pics up soon


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## Raiderdane (Sep 23, 2013)

I Bought 15 Saulosi from LFD online and all looked healthy, but same thing happened, one by one they started dying....I did my normal weekly water changes, water parameters were perfect, I do not know what happened, but I am down to 6 now out of 15. The ONLY thing I could think of was Bloat.......same symptoms, and I did have a different Flake that I was feeding them, but I read up on the Best food to feed, so I went straight to New Life Spectrum small pellets after my troubles and all seems to be well now. Freakin' WEIRD. I have never had that happen to me. So, I would check your cichlid food.....I will ONLY feed them NLS pellets from now on.


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## bolly (Oct 14, 2013)

I am feeding nls 1 mm pellets


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## smitty814 (Sep 27, 2012)

On 12/10 you had a death in the tank. Presumably "ich" because you described white spots. On 12/18 you introduce new fish and wonder why they are dying? Did I get that right?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

bolly said:


> If one fish has bloat do all the others easily get it?
> 
> Why is it one by one?


This is typical of bloat. Are the feces thick and food colored or thready and white/clear?

I like to treat bloat with metronidazole, I'd order it online overnight delivery.

The white patch sounds like columnaris...google that and see if it looks like your patch. Treating columnaris is different than treating bloat.


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## bolly (Oct 14, 2013)

No you did not get it right the ich was in a different tank. No fish had died or looked sick in my mbuna tank until after I put in the 5 acei from bluegrass. I looked it up and I put them in December 6th.

I don't think the patch looked like columnaris. Only one of the fish that has died so far I saw the stringy white feces


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## bolly (Oct 14, 2013)

DJRansome said:


> bolly said:
> 
> 
> > If one fish has bloat do all the others easily get it?
> ...


I looked on amazon and it came up with a few products that I'm guessing had metronidazole in it. Do you have a product name? Also is it alright to treAt the tank, and will I harm the tank if they do not actually have it? Seachem focus and seachem paraguard were the ones that came up. I'd like something that can treat a variety of things without fear of harming the fish


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I only use straight metronidazole. You can treat the tank.

So what do you think the patch is, if not columnaris? Just a scrape?


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## bolly (Oct 14, 2013)

I really don't know. That was the same fish that had the stringy white feces, so could It be related to the parasites and bloat?


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

As DJ said you need to start treating yesterday. Next day air is a must. I'll pm you a source if you're still having trouble finding it....


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## bolly (Oct 14, 2013)

That would be great


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## Austinite (Jul 27, 2013)

How are things going in the tank? Any updates?


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