# Need help to save my mbuna!



## westyuma (Jan 14, 2009)

I have had a single female Melanochromis auratus for almost 6 years. She currently has a 24 gallon tank which she has been in for almost 2 yrs now. She lives alone and I feed her cichlid pellets and have not changed her food. For the past week she has been acting very wrong. She lies on the gravel up against the side of the tank wedged between her rocks. Then sometimes she goes over by the pump intake and presses herself against it vertically, nose up for hours on end. She does not want to eat and when she comes out she swims very fast and erratically and then jams herself into her rocks again. Her water tests the same as always, low nitrate under 20ppm, zero nitrite and chlorine and very high hardness, alkalinity and pH, but it's always like that - it's Colorado River water. Now today I notice that she has developed a very thin but bright orange margin along her top fin and her tailfin. A few months ago I thought that she was suffering some tailfin rot and was advised to use Melafix, which I did, but am not sure it helped. Is this neon orange coloring at the fin edges normal, I never noticed it before? Is it a disease? I also do not know how long this species lives and am concerned that maybe she is dying of old age. Can anyone help me out? She is clearly suffering. I adore this fish. She is our only fish and has been the clown of the kitchen for nearly 6 years. :-?


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## lotsofish (Feb 28, 2008)

When I don't know what ails a fish, I'm inclined to try adding aquarium salt. Dissolve it in water from the tank and slowly add it over an hours time. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't.

Do you get the feeling that the fish wants more oxygen by the way it jams itself near the pump intake. If so, you might try adding an airstone or lowering the water level so there is more surface agitation and air exchange.

If you feel the fish is suffering, clove oil is the best way to put it out of its misery. There are a few sites that explain the process.


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## westyuma (Jan 14, 2009)

Thank you!! I did add aquarium salt at the outset of the problem, then again after another water change a few days ago. I think I'll go get some Maracyn and Maracyn-Two tonight and dose her tomorrow with those unless someone thinks it's a bad idea.


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## westyuma (Jan 14, 2009)

She is still hanging in there and her behavior is getting better, she is swimming around a little and hanging out in her usual rock more. The bright orange edges have subsided and now I think they were her own colors gone super bright for some reason. Now that she is a little better the problem is that she wants to eat but when she sucks in the pellet, she can't swallow it and she blows it back out, then chases it and tries over and over to eat it, but can't seem to get it down. She has very long thin white streamers coming our her anus. Her poop is usually the orange color of the cichlid pellets and curly, but she hasn't eaten in over a week now. I have no clue what is wrong since she does not appear bloated and she has no visible symptoms. To date I have treated with Melafix, then Parasite Clear, all the while using aquarium salt. Started in with a combination of Maracyn and Maracyn Two a couple days ago and am continuing the parasite clear treatments as well. In the past when it was bloat she got a dark colored and clearly bloated up and she would hide when I got out the food. This time she wants to eat, but can't seem to. Any idea why she can't swallow?


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## BRANT13 (Feb 18, 2009)

well two very important signs of bloat are spitting out normally fed food and white stringy feces so id look into bloat cures if i were you...


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

How many treatments of the JPC did you do?

It does sound like bloat, but at her age, there might be other factors involved.

What is your normal tank maintenance routine?


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## westyuma (Jan 14, 2009)

I have only done two treatments with the JPC, 6 days apart. Normal tank maintenance is a 30% water change weekly, but it often goes two or even three weeks because I travel for business a lot and the parameters never show a problem. I vacuum the bottom once a month or so and there is not much there. After 5 1/2 years she seems to be fine with this program, probably because she is the only fish in the tank. It's a 28 gallon tank with the cichlid sand and gravel and a couple swim through rocks. No other living thing in there but her. I use dip sticks for checking parameters and it never shows chlorine or nitrite and the nitrates are always under 20 ppm.

In the past what has happened is that my pet sitter has overfed - easy to do because she is so fun to feed - and then I think she gets bloat. She's a yellow fish and when she gets sick she usually turns dark, appears visibly bloated and goes and hides under her rock and refuses to come out to eat. After 2 - 5 days she feels better, is bright yellow again, and resumes normal behavior without me doing anything - no meds. This has happened once a year or so.

This time she was very different. She is still yellow and does not look bloated. At first, last week, she was lying on her side on the gravel up against the side of the tank not moving at all. No fins, no nada until I tap a bit and then she'd wiggle violently and lie still again. Then for several more days she was vertical, nose in the air smashed up against the pump intake and her fin edges turned neon orange. If I turn on the light she'd scoot for cover. (Her normal behavior when I turn on the light is to surface and throw water across the kitchen counter and swim around at the top wanting to be fed.) We are on day 8 of this illness and now she is coming out and trying to eat, but spits the food back and now I see the stringy white feces. She did eat successfully on about day 5, but just a few pellets and then back to lethargy. Also, she does have a little tail rot just showing up and I am wondering if that is the extra stresser?

I did a 30% water change this morning and added more salt. She acts better, swimming around now, but still spits out the food. At this point I am inclined to treat again with JPC and continue the maracyn/maracyn two for the full 5 days - we are on 3 days now. What do you suggest?


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## BRANT13 (Feb 18, 2009)

melafix is a great product for tail rot if it is in the early stages...it sounds like she has a little more than that goin on however


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

I'm a bit confused...Normal JPC treatment is 3 total treatments, spaced 48 hours apart, with a 25% water change prior to the 2nd and 3rd treatment. You should withhold food during treatment, and remove carbon from filtration if less than 2 weeks in use.

Since you waited so long between your two treatments with the JPC, I would start all over again with that. Hold off on the Maracyn and Maracyn II until it's complete.

Again, you could possibly be fighting a losing battle because of her age, but I would try, anyway.

Oh, and strip test kits are pretty inaccurate...I've never found one that works properly. Liquid reagent kits work much better. :thumb:


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## westyuma (Jan 14, 2009)

Shall proceed with the JPC therapy program and report back. I'm leaving town for 5 days and will trust to family to handle this.

Can't thank you enough for your considerable time helping me. This is pretty much my first and only fish. Her tank is where everyone in the house sees it all day every day and she is the clown of the family, interacting with us all the time. Sure will miss her if this is the end of her lifespan. Thanks again for all your help.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

No problem at all...I hope things go well.

And I would really keep the food going into the tank to a minimum or none at all while treating. :thumb:


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## 55gal (Jan 19, 2009)

I would also try soaking the pellets in water before feeding to soften them up. Where he is not acting it's normal self, it might be having a problem digesting a hard pellet.

Because test strips are not that accurate I would try an additional WC a couple of days apart and see if things improve.

Also I would put it out of its misery, try your best to cure, and let nature take it's course


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## westyuma (Jan 14, 2009)

She started eating today!!! And she is swimming around in the open again for the first time since this started about March 25 - almost a month ago. A month without food. Wow.

While I was gone, my husband did the JPC again as instructed with a dose April 8, and then again with the 25% water change on April 10 and 12. When I got home Apr 14 I did another 25% water change, but she was still hiding and looked dark. I have just left her alone. If she was out I'd offer food, but she would dash back under her rock.

Yesterday she came out and looked a little lighter colored, but again avoided the food. This morning she came out when she saw me and this time she surfaced and threw water out of the tank. That's my girl! So I offered food and she snapped it up and kept it down. I went easy on the feeding, just 4 small pellets for now.

We live in a small town and I couldn't find Clout at PetSmart. That's our only store. I'd like to get some Clout to have on hand. Where can I purchase it?

I want to thank you all so very very much for helping me through this. I know she's not out of the woods, and I know she's old, but for now I have my fish back and she obviously is feeling better.


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## BRANT13 (Feb 18, 2009)

thats great to hear congrats :thumb:


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## hollyfish2000 (Aug 23, 2007)

You can order Clout (or metro) online. I actually just ordered some of the latter from Drs Foster and Smith, but it's widely available at many online retailers. Order a few things that you need to make it worthwhile . . .


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## westyuma (Jan 14, 2009)

Thanks so much. I will place an order.

Mbuna is 100% recovered today. She is swimming very aggresively, slamming the surface and interacting with us constantly. She's a big strong fish, over 5 inches long, and loves being full of life again. I am praying we get many more years of inspiration from her example of how to live.

Cichlid-forum, you're the BEST! :thumb:


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