# Jack Dempsey not eating and staying on the bottom



## krazyju84 (Jul 10, 2014)

Electric blue jack Dempsey about 2.5 inches stopped eating almost a week ago and it only sit on the gravel on the bottom of the tank, it also seems to be breathing heavier than normal. It does not have any interest in food even when flakes and pellets drop right in front of it. No visible signs of physical damage or illness. It doesn't seem to have trouble swimming away when other/bigger fish comes near it. Started treating the whole tank with Melafix and Pimafix, today will be the third day of treatment but no signs of improvement. 25-30% water change every 2 -3 days and all water parameter tests have been as usual. PH 7.5/7.6, Ammonia and Nitrite 0, Nitrate 10-20. It is in a 95G tank with Oscar, Blood Parrot, Silver dollars, Severum and Pleco. All are around 3-5 inches. I am planning on doing the Melafix and Pimafix treatment for a few days more and hope to see some results. Anyone have experienced this type of problem? Advice and help will be appreciated.


----------



## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Is there another tank you could put the EBJD in? Any white/clear feces? They are more prone to illness than the normal JDs.


----------



## krazyju84 (Jul 10, 2014)

Yes I have seen white/clear feces from the EBJD couple of times in the past few days. I do not have another tank available but if I did what would my next steps be? I am thinking of setting one up hoping I'll have enough time to get it going. All other fish have good appetite, normal behavior and has been growing nicely. Other fish don't bother or harass the EBJD.


----------



## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

The clear feces is a symptom of bloat. Here is an article about identifying, treating and preventing it. It is not strictly a Malawian cichlid disease. http://cichlid-forum.com/articles/malawi_bloat2_pt1.php
You already have 3 symptoms- reclusive/not active, not feeding & white feces.

A simple 10 gallon with a small HOB filter(filled with media from the main tank) will suffice for treatment. It'd be better to treat separately and feed the main tank food laced with metronidazole.

I'd be happy to provide a source for inexpensive meds. Let me know...


----------



## krazyju84 (Jul 10, 2014)

Iggy, thank you so much for the replies. I will be heading to petco/petsmart to pick up some medication to treat bloat, any specific one that you could recommend? Also, should I stop with the Melafix and Pimafix treatment in the main tank? Thank you


----------



## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Pimafix is anti fungal and Melafix is an antibacterial med. What you should get is something with metronidazole in it. Petsmart should have have API General cure, which contains metro and pratziquantel. They may also have Tetra Parasite guard, but I think they may have stopped carrying it. Probably best to call before you leave. General Cure is kinda pricey, but one box should be enough if you're treating a small volume of water like a 10 gallon.

Pure metro in powder form would have to be ordered and shipped. It's very inexpensive this way, but you're in a situation where you have to act fast.

If going with Parasite Guard, follow the directions in the article above. General Cure is not covered in the article. Follow the directions on the box, but do a water change before each treatment. Epsom salts should be used as well before treatment and after each water change as per the article(1 tbsp per 5 gallons) regardless of the med being used.

If you have any more questions please ask. I'm going to move this into the Health and Illness section, but will also still be viewable here in CA. Good luck.


----------



## krazyju84 (Jul 10, 2014)

Took trips to many different places and finally was able to get API General Cure and Epsom salt to start the treatment. Will update you on the condition of the EBJD! Thanks Iggy!


----------



## krazyju84 (Jul 10, 2014)

Quick question. Box recommends treatment after 48 hours, article recommends 24 hours. Which shall I do?


----------



## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

The General Cure is not covered in the article. I've read that metronidazole is only effective in the water column for around 8-10 hours. If it were my fish, I'd do daily treatments with a prior water change.


----------



## NZSIC'S (Apr 30, 2013)

My first EBJD never had this problem and I had him for 1+ years.

I now have 2 EBJD's in a 4 foot tank... that have each had this issue a couple of times (initially spitting out food, then eventually not eating and have white stringy poop). My thoughts.. I have either passed this from tank to tank (I now have 3, 4 foot tanks), or it was due to my tap water being too soft which caused problems with PH fluctuations and stability (i.e. overstressed fish)

I use Praziquantel. 5ml per 80 litres of water, every 3 days with a 25% water change (3 doses). Once the EBJD's get their appetiate back I then mix some with bloodworms and garlic juice (garlic guard) and feed it to them.

Speaking from my own experience this has worked for me a couple of times with 2 different fish.


----------



## krazyju84 (Jul 10, 2014)

Thank you NZSIC for your advice. So far the API General Cure & Epsom Salt treatment has gotten him to swim around and not just sit on the bottom, but still not eating yet and breathing heavier than other fish.


----------



## krazyju84 (Jul 10, 2014)

Thank you guys for all the help and information. My EBJD didn't make it, he started swimming much more after starting the treatment but soon after that his stomach got noticeably larger and went down hill quickly from there. Looks like I didn't start the treatment soon enough to save him but I have learned much about keeping an eye open for possible illness to spot the problem early to treat them.


----------



## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Sorry to hear that.


----------



## NZSIC'S (Apr 30, 2013)

Sorry mate... EBJD's are beautiful fish.

Out of all the amercians and hybrids I have raised they certainly were the least hardy when they are young, so need to be careful about not introducing any nasties to the tank and ensuring your water parameters are good and don't fluctuate. From my experience once they age.. they become more hardy.


----------

