# Unkown disease wiping out Tropheus Moorii tank



## digedags (Apr 23, 2020)

I registered here in the hope anyone has any idea what it could be.

For about 2 weeks my tank has an unknown disease which so far killed 60% of the fish
About 1 day before the first fish died my father gave me a surplus plant from his aquarium. Suspecting it might have been the plat I immediately removed it, but that didn't help

The symptoms only appear in 1 or 2 fish at a time, the rest act and look normal, except for the past 2 days.
Following symptoms I could observe: 
Lethargic, don't react to other fish unless attacked
Tend to hide most of the time
Breathing very rapidly and strong
No interest in food
The skin and mucous membrane look perfectly normal. Even a normal strong colour.
All but one died without me being able to observe any close to death symptoms.
The one that had a death struggle couldn't move one Pectoral fin, all movements appeared very stiff with barely any movement of the body itself, just the fins. It could rise and sink volountarily but rather uncontrolled.

It's probably not Cichlid bloat as they don't swell in any way.

I tested the nitrite and nitrate levels which were below the detection limit of the test kit. (<0.3mg/L) I don't have other water tests at the moment. 
Upon closer inspection I saw a small living filament moving and thought it might be some worm infection, even though the fish in the aqaurium the plant originated from are perfectly healthy. The Cichlid specialist I bought the fish from suspects intestinal flagillates and recommended Metronidazol. 1g per 100L and after 48 hours half the dose again. On the 5th day I changed 50% of the water to remove the Metronidazol.
Unfortunately it didn't help and 6 days later another 2 fish were dead. By now all my fish are lethargic and don't eat and those that do eat take the food flakes into their mouth and spit them out again after a few seconds.

Information about my tank:
400L/ 105 gallon
15 fish (used to be) just Chichlids
Running for about 8 years, 5 years with the current fish. The Tropheus Moorii before the current ones where killed by a heat wave.
Water temperature 24.5° Celsius verified by 3 thermometers
Water change every 2-4 weeks.
Filter change every 3-12 months
Food once per day. The same food the specialist I bought the fish from used


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Cichlids with bloat do not always swell...sometimes they are too skinny. Metronidazole has worked for cichlids for me on several occasions. What do the feces look like? With bloat (may be a.k.a intestinal flagillates?) the feces are white or clear and long and thin or thready.

The dose you describe sounds low to me, this is what has worked for me and others in the past.
https://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/vie ... 40#p272716

If your tank is cycled, you should get a detectable nitrate reading. 10ppm would be a good result.


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## digedags (Apr 23, 2020)

The feces is either normal, but long and stuck to the anus. Or indeed white/ clear and thready


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

So it is thick and food colored?


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## digedags (Apr 23, 2020)

The healthy fish have long, thick and normal feces, the ill fish have white/ clear and thready feces


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Then I would do the metronidazole treatment in the link I provided.

I think it is a higher dosage than what you used before, do you agree?


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## ken31cay (Oct 9, 2018)

I had to double the stated dose of Metroplex before it worked in my tank. The lower dose didn't have any effect.


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

Unless I'm reading it wrong, the first thing that sticks out to me is that you are showing zero nitrates. Have you checked for ammonia?


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