# jalo reef sitting on bottom



## kgrieve (Nov 28, 2017)

hi,
so i have a juvenile unsexed jalo reef which keeps sitting on the bottom. 
its funny because there is no lethargy, if i hold my hand above the tank then it swims up to the surface in a big hurry lol.
and the other funny thing is that it returns to the same spot. then it swims off again, then it comes back. its not in a cave or anything, it just sits on the ground next to a rock. 
in the time it has taken to write this post, *** seen it do this maybe 3-4 times. update: hes now sitting in a different spot, but just moved again.
my tank dimensions are 150cm x 55cm x 53cm and im running a fluval fx6. it is a relatively new tank and has been cycled for maybe 3 months now? ish?
i have 16 juvenile malawi's 8 jalo reef cynos and 8 yellow labs. water parameters are 0,0,10-20
whats going on?


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## kgrieve (Nov 28, 2017)

also, it looks like he is struggling to swim. all the other fish just swim in an effortless fashion whereas this guy just looks uncoordinated as f***. when it swims its more of a calculated shake then a glide. he also bobs up and down ever so slightly when hes swimming


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Not enough symptoms yet to diagnose, but clearly not feeling well as they should never sit on the bottom. I would isolate and observe. Is he eating? What do the feces look like? When did you get him from the store...just recently right?


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## gillmanjr (Jan 27, 2017)

I had a fish in my previous tank doing exactly what you described. It didn't appear to be sick, it was just sitting on the bottom in the exact same spot. I can't be sure but I think the reason is he/she was being picked on and the spot it picked was as isolated as possible and nowhere near anyone else's territory. Eventually that fish ended up against my overflow exhausted and dying. I got it out and isolated in time before it was killed but I ended up bringing it to my LFS for rehoming.

Your situation is different though. Primarily because your tank is a lot bigger than mine was. So this may not be the reason at all.


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## kgrieve (Nov 28, 2017)

yeah, im not sure if he was a yesterday addition or the week before... it is eating fine, and is food motivated but likes to sit down.
the more i have observed then it doesn't always go back to the same place but i can actually identify the fish by how it swims as well.
i will keep watching and if it is exhaustion, i have an empty tank i can move it to. i dont know what the faeces look like, but i currently don't have another filter that i can run so i would have to get one. i have extra cycled media but no filter.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

If he is eating it is not bloat. One thing eliminated.


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## kgrieve (Nov 28, 2017)

ok thats good, i was hoping it wasnt that.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Well, good and bad. If it was bloat we could take an action. Now we can only wait and observe. I would isolate the fish ASAP. I had a calvus female who sat on the bottom frequently but she was being harassed by her male. Once he passed away from old age she recovered and was fine.


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## kgrieve (Nov 28, 2017)

ok, i will keep you updated.


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## kgrieve (Nov 28, 2017)

its still sitting on the bottom and showing all the signs it was previously. my attention is continuously being drawn to the fish is swimming? its quite obviously an effort to stay afloat which would explain why the fish is constantly sitting on the bottom (which makes me think the swim bladder is involved somehow). are there any diseases with side effects that stunt the fish's ability to swim, or effect the fishes swim bladder in such a way?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Same as with my fish, and she was being harassed...no disease. Maybe others will chime in with different experiences.

Swim bladder problems are a symptom, not a disease and you don't seem to have other symptoms for a clue how you might treat. What if he recovers just being isolated? At $40/fish might be worth a try.


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## kgrieve (Nov 28, 2017)

*** stopped feeding the other day in fear the disease might be aggrovated by feeding, or is this a bad idea due to hungry cichlids being more aggressive?


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## joselepiu (Jul 22, 2017)

after so many days with no obvious improvement i would transfer it to a tank by itself...
it is easier to observe and if the case needs you can medicate faster without messing up the other fishes on your main tank...
imo...


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

If he were alone it would be OK...but I would feed the tank. Are any others showing symptoms? Anyone picking on him


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## kgrieve (Nov 28, 2017)

nobody else is showing symptoms and i dont see any aggression towards him whenim observing


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Well seems we are stuck. Know that aggression is often not observed at all.


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## kgrieve (Nov 28, 2017)

ok, i honestly wish i had an overflow right now so i could just turn my spare tank into a sump style isolation tank because i dont have another filter to run in the quarantine tank


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## joselepiu (Jul 22, 2017)

DJRansome said:


> Well seems we are stuck. Know that aggression is often not observed at all.


+1...


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## kgrieve (Nov 28, 2017)

hi guys,
quick update, there has been no change in its behaviour. however i did set up a isolation tank of sorts which i have moved him to.
its not quarantine because the main tank and said isolation tank are the same system. i just got a cheap plastic tote and installed a bulkhead. i then just bought a pump to pump water from the tank up to the isolation tank which is sitting above the main aquarium. the bulkhead just drains to the main aquarium so the fish is constantly getting fresh water from the filtered aquarium. so hes up there now. in other news one of the male jalo reefs has coloured up beautifully and is being the dominant male. im not sure what this means in terms of whether he is the bully or not; but i stole more rocks from my friend and i re-arranged my tank so theres alot more hiding spaces now. i hope this makes the fish happier so that they are able to escape the torment of the males hahahaha.


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