# NEED HELP FAST: demasoni: Im losing him



## topcat64 (May 2, 2013)

I am a NOOBIE
This will prob b my 2nd one to die on me. My first one I thought was mouth brooding because she stopped eating and hiding out. Now my male who was the dominant one in the tank is doing the same thing since she died. I notice white/clear stringy poop comn from male demasoni 1/2hr ago(5:30am). He is swimming slow and getting pale from tale and under bottom. No other fish bother him n neither does he.
30 gallon tnk
tank in operation: 2-3mths
wtr changes weekly
tested wtr @ 6am today
Nitrate: 20
Nitirte: 0
Hardness: 300
Akalinity: 120
freshwtr: 7.2-7.8

I have had the 2 demasoni for about a month


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

You want to treat the sick fish with metronidazole. I can't find this at LFS, I order it online, overnight if I already have fish showing symptoms.

Once he starts improving you may want to change your stock to prevent the same thing happening again. What are the dimensions of the tank? What are the other fish in the tank, including gender?

As an example, you would want demasoni in a tank at least 36" long and you would want at least a dozen of them...mostly females.


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## topcat64 (May 2, 2013)

i posted I have a 30gallon tnk
I was so quick to post. I had:
2 Demasonis: I believe one female)died last wk) 1 male same syptoms as female now
2 yellow labs. not sure on gender
1 orange cichlids. 
1 black and yellow cichlid. horizontal stripes. dont know genger.
1 other cichlid. I have no clue


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## topcat64 (May 2, 2013)

I dont think he gone make till I can get meds. I tried to get him to move and there was no fight to even move. he is now in the back bottom of tank. If he doesnt make it, once I obtain the metronidazole do I go ahead and treat the tank with the other fish that are eating fine just as a precautionary.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Instead of the gallons, I am looking for dimensions...especially the length of the tank. Some 30G tanks are 30" long, some are 48" long.

You might want to post pictures of your fish in the Unidentified forum. Find out what the orange cichlid is...Metriaclima estherae maybe? And what the other cichlid is.

The yellow/black cichlid with horizontal stripes sounds like Melanochromis auratus which is one of the most aggressive mbuna.

Also mbuna are harem breeders so if you have both males and females you want to have only one male and plenty of females for each species. For example, maybe 1m:4f for the labs, orange and other. 1m:7f for auratus. 3m:9f for demasoni.

If you had males and females for all the species in your 30G...you would probably want a 72" tank at least.

If your 30G is 48" long, we can recommend some stocking changes that will help you keep the fish healthy once they recover.


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## topcat64 (May 2, 2013)

30x12x18 LxWxH


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## topcat64 (May 2, 2013)

Considering I dont know how to post pics yet. All my fish r pretty young
I'm guessing the orange is a Metriaclima estherae.
2 yellow labs
1 auratus
my last one I still cant tell from looking @ the species gallery.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

None of the fish you have are suitable for the size tank that you have, unless you want to keep a single solitary fish.

As stated above, demasoni should be kept as singles or in groups of 10-12, in nothing less than a 36 inch tank. Two demasoni will quickly harrass the other to death.

Auratus and estherae need even larger tanks - most would not keep them in less than a 4 foot long tank, and with auratus, another foot wouldn't hurt.

High stress tanks are sick tanks. Not much you can do, really. I would consider starting all over with some of the dwarf cichlids or Tangs that are suitable for that size tank. Or get a larger tank, 4 foot minimum if you want to keep what you have. Even then, if your male/female ratios aren't right, you will have a high stress tank and there will be losses.

Medicating the tank isn't going to solve the problems. These fish need more space. Proper stocking is key in keeping cichlids.


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## topcat64 (May 2, 2013)

This is my tank. Will I b able to stay wit cichlids.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

You might keep a single species of mbuna, but you would have to choose wisely. If you totally redo the tank with alot of rock and crevices, you might get away with a group of 10 demasoni, or a small group of yellow labs. There are a few dwarf mbuna that might work, but the tank is really better suited for some of the smaller South American cichlids or Tangs.

It can be frustrating to start out in the hobby keeping the wrong fish in the wrong tank. It's a whole lot easier (and more fun) to choose appropriately.


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## topcat64 (May 2, 2013)

Here is wat i have n tank


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

cichlidaholic said:


> None of the fish you have are suitable for the size tank that you have, unless you want to keep a single solitary fish.


This is true. If you are locked into the tank, there are other cichlid options as mentioned, such as a species mbuna tank with Labidochromis caeruleus for example. Or some of the Tanganyikan cichlids would work. Probably some cichlids from other continents and even other part of Africa.


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## tschmid723 (Mar 12, 2013)

Ok so I have posted in a dufferent post but my zebra has the same conditions and now it seems it has spread to a couple of other fish would you recommend that I treat the whole tank with metro?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Yes if the fish is not eating and has thready clear/white feces.


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## swimmingwiththefish (Aug 23, 2012)

What is your ammonia level? With a tank that has only been running for a couple of months, I wonder if it is cycled.


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## tschmid723 (Mar 12, 2013)

The tank has completely cycled, it cycled in about a month an a half and I have had new fish in the tank for about a month and a half now.

Prams:
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 15 - 20 ppm
PH: 8.2 ish
Temp 78 - 81 degrees F

I have been doing 25 percent water changes every week and 50% changes and filter changes at the first Saturday of every month. I did a 75% water change and treated the tank with Metro and every 24 hours I will do 50% changes and retreat after the change for 3 days or until I see the issues disappear. This wasn't part of the directions but should I remove the carbon in the filters?


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