# Ick? Food? HELP!! Please...



## Cobalt Blue (Mar 14, 2014)

I had my Red Zebra Cichlid in one of those holding box thingys. You know that clear box you can hang on the side of the tank. Well I had it in their for a day because he was being a stepping outside of his aggressive box and starting attacking the other fish. He left my favorite fish with a scar and some fin damage. Ok so when I put him back in back in the tank his lips were white not entirely white though, and his tail has a little faint white spot.. not really white is was whiteish clear. Then he starting scraping its body on the rocks, and I noticed my yellow lab did it before today then my snow white did it like yesterday or the day before. Should I treat for ick and protozoan parasites? The only thing I have to treat is Quick Cure.. its blue and makes the water blue..says it might stain decorations so I was going to take the plants out and the other stuff..thats ok? The funny thing about the bottle is it says do not use on baby whales I found that funny. I would of gotten something else, but the pet stores didn't have anything and kept saying they don't know whats coming on the truck. So should I treat my tank with the Quick Cure?

Also I ran out of Xtreme (food I was feeding my cichlids) the only cichlid food I have are to big for them and the other one contains protein. Not to sure but there not suppose to have protein right? The good thing about the food that the food with the protein is actually small enough for them to fit in their mouths. So can they thrive off of the protein food?


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## Cobalt Blue (Mar 14, 2014)

Just to add.. I added a Yo Yo Botia in there yesterday and he seems pretty healthy, but since the parasites are contagious he probably just got them. Im still wondering if there are parasites there.


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## surfersrevolution (Mar 4, 2014)

Ok first what are your water parameters? Fish can start flashing (scraping against decorations) if the Ammonia is even a tiny bit high in the tank. How big is your tank and how often do you do water changes? If you have added a new fish recently it could very well be parasites OR a spike in Ammonia, so it's best to rule out Ammonia first before stressing your fish out with powerful medications.

The white spots could be any number of things. If the spots are a bit fuzzy-looking it could be a bacterial or a fungal infection, in which case you should treat with Pimafix + Melafix, which are natural-based treatments and won't stain your tank or harm your fish.

As for the food, I feed the Xtreme food to my African cichlids as well, but I also supplement with fresh fruits and veggies. In my opinion Xtreme is one of the best foods out there but I also believe that any flake or pellet isn't going to mimic exactly what my fish would get in the wild, so I try to shoot for more of an "all natural" approach and throw in a little bit of fresh things here and there.


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## Cobalt Blue (Mar 14, 2014)

Ammonia is at 0 and I do water changes every week..once a week. Should I treat the water?


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## aicardi (Sep 15, 2012)

Cobalt Blue said:


> Ammonia is at 0 and I do water changes every week..once a week. Should I treat the water?


What about nitrites and nitrates?


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## Cobalt Blue (Mar 14, 2014)

Nitrite 0 Nitrate 6


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Who makes the quick cure? What does it treat? Can you net the zebra again and get a good photo of the white area?

Fish flashing occasionally is not a bad thing but when it becomes frequent it should raise some alarms. You said you added a loach. Was this after you noticed the white spot? Are any of the other fish showing a white mark? The zebra may have been lip locking with another fish, which could account for the whitish lips.

Temperature good? Dechlorinator used after last water change? Nitrate @ 6 ppm?


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## Cobalt Blue (Mar 14, 2014)

I don't know who made it, but I bought it at Pet Supplies Plus. It treats fin damage,ick,and protozoan parasites. Treats up to 400 gallons. Unfortunately I can't upload a picture I don't have internet on my phone currently. I had the mbunas in there for about 3 or 4 months and two days I ago I added a little yo yo botia. I noticed the white lips last night. 
I really love those fish..and its not just because shipping and handling cost more than them lol they have a special place in my heart. My other fish aren't showing white spots well I have 3 snow whites in there and I can't tell if they do have white spots because their body is white. Temperature its around 76-80. Thats what my thermometer says. I have a messed up heater it doesn't even tell me what the temperature is its just you either right or left. And Yes


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

My guess is that your red zebra got in a mix up with the fish with the frayed fins. You intervened, and removed the zebra for a timeout. The white mark is probably just a battle wound. Bite marks often appear whitish. Same with the white lips.

I would not use that product. If the white spot starts to spread, then there would be concern.

What fish do you have in the tank? There's always going to be some fighting/showing off for top spot in the tank with fish that have not been together for too long.


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## Cobalt Blue (Mar 14, 2014)

Yellow Lab,Demasoni,Snow Whites,Red Zebra,Cobalt Blue Zebra,and the yo yo botia.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Are the fish all singles?

Regarding the food- if you switch foods, due so gradually by feeding only about 30% of normal amounts for a week or so. Are you planning on getting more Xtreme? What's the protein content of the new stuff?


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## Cobalt Blue (Mar 14, 2014)

Yes except for the snow whites I have 3 of them. Its OMEGA One natural protein formula. Min.Crude Protein 38%. In a couple weeks yes.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

The turtle food?

Malawi singles is best accomplished with all males and only one of each species.

Watch this video. It's an example of what happens when mbuna are kept with one of each species including females. Look at the condition of the fish. Not good. The owner seems to cope with the aggressiveness as it being just something the fish need to sort out. It's not a tank I would enjoy. I have not tried all male, but they're hit or miss what could work especially with mbuna.


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## Cobalt Blue (Mar 14, 2014)

No sinking cichlid food. Its in a purple thing. The food itself is red. I don't get it...So its bad to keep mbunas with the same type of mbuna? Or is it bad to keep them with different mbunas?


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Keeping aggression to a manageable minimum is the goal. 'Overstock' the tank is common advice from pet stores. So they sell you one or two of several species. The chances for a successful tank drop with this advice. You may end up with two many males of too many species that look too much like one another. All males strive to breed. If that's with a different species, they don't care. When there are no females in the tank to fight over, the aggression is subdued. If you're keeping different species of mbunas then you need to stock accordingly- buy a group of each species, several females per male, avoid cross breeding risks, and avoid species that look very similar to one another.

How is the white area on your red zebra today?


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## Cobalt Blue (Mar 14, 2014)

My friend has a 37 gallon and he wants to put mbunas and peacocks and a rubber lip pleco. How many mbunas and peacocks can he keep in there if he is planning to overstock it? Im just guessing.. maximum number 18? Idk...I would love to see my demasoni cross breed with my red zebra I just think that would be awesome. My red zebra's lips are still white and he just did that flashing thing a couple minutes ago.


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## Cobalt Blue (Mar 14, 2014)

My friend has a 37 gallon and he is planning on keeping mbunas and peacocks and a rubber lip pleco. How many can he keep in there to keep it overstocked? His lips are still white and he did that flashing thing a couple minutes ago.


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## Cobalt Blue (Mar 14, 2014)

Sorry for posting it 2 times.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Everything is based on tank dimensions. The footprint being most important. A 37 gallon, regardless of dimensions, is very very small for Malawi. A colony of dwarf mbuna like pseudotropheus saulosi may work. A bristle nosed Pleco. Nothing else.


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