# Yellow Lab looks "dirty" ?????



## kbaij (May 3, 2007)

This is an established tank, no new fish, no changes, everyone else in the tank looks fine. The fish has dark marks all over his body, including his fins. He lookslike he rolled in the mud. Still acting normal. eating swimming around. 75 gallon tank with 8 acei, 6 yellow labs, 1 common pleco, 4 s. fryeri. Filtration is penguin 350, whisper 30-60, I change the filters every two weeks. Weekly water changes, about 30%.. I add cichlid lake salt to the malawi specs., 3/4 teasp. per 10gallons water. ammonia 0, ph 7.8 - 8, nitrites 0,nitrates never over 3. Help! I don't have aywhere to quarantine him, my hospital tank os now a grow out tank.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Can you post a pic?

Unfortunately, this trait is becoming all too common in the Yellow labs we find these days. It's not unusual, just not desireable for a good quality yellow lab.

But it would be great to see a pic to make sure that's what is going on.


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## kbaij (May 3, 2007)

http://i415.photobucket.com/albums/pp23 ... G_0419.jpg
http://i415.photobucket.com/albums/pp23 ... G_0411.jpg
Here are two pics, I'm a TERRIBLE fish photographer! The first one is the best side that has the least marks. The blurry one (sorry) is the worst side. These don't look like just markings to me. He is a little over two years old and was a beautiful clear yellow and then these marks started to appear over night, over the course of two weeks he has gotten more and more of them. They are also on his fins now. His scales look like they are a different texture than before. Thanks for helping me try to figure this out!
Kathy


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Kathy, the first pic is kind of hard to see clearly. Are there red streaks on his body? (If so, I'm wondering about septicemia...)

You mention his scales. Are they raised? Are they starting to take on a pine cone appearance? (This could indicate dropsy.)

In the second pic, it looks like the typical black spots that show up on cichlids now and then. There are a couple of theories as to where this comes from...It could be stress, too much spirulina in the diet, or it could be parasitic.

Where does this guy rank in the dominancy ladder? Any shifts in "power" lately? Spawning activity among the Yellow labs?

What are you feeding them? Have you changed anything recently?

Is he flashing against objects in the tank?

It's a bit confusing. His finnage looks great, he doesn't appear to be stressed at all in that last pic. You can tell that he was a stunning specimen before this happened.

Is there anything at all abnormal in the tank?

Stock wise, this _should_ be a good set up. Do you happen to know your male / female ratio for the yellow labs?


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## kbaij (May 3, 2007)

The marks are more of a really dark brown, his scales don't look like a pine cone, but they do appear to be "rough like sandpaper where the marks are. I feed Omega One cichlid flakes, alternated with Hikari Cichlid Staple floating pellets. I drop in some sinking hikari algi disc at night for the pleco, but the cichlids like it too. He is in the middle of the lab pecking order, I have thrree adult males and three females. I know that isn't the greatest ratio, but I only see very slight fighting with the males. I have a female holding right now (nothing new!) I have never seen him flash against anything. He doesn't seem to be stressed, greets me when I come to look in like he always does, not hiding or anything different. I haven't changed a thing, been using the same food containers for a while now, they are half empty, same filters, same water. The spots almost look like they are added to his body, not just colors? If that makes any sense!


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## kbaij (May 3, 2007)

http://i415.photobucket.com/albums/pp23 ... G_0429.jpg
Here is a little better picture of his worst side. When I put the camera near the glass they all hide and swim around really fast, must be camera shy, they don't do that if I have no camera.


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## kbaij (May 3, 2007)

Here's an update.....most of the marks on the lab's side have disappeared and the ones that are still there are very faded. He doesn't seem any worse for the marks, but they sure worried me, all I could imagine was waking up one morning to find them all sick or dying.....Thanks to those who offered information.


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