# Hollow / concave stomach - Taiwan Reef Cichlid (Albino)



## EdTheWolf

Does anyone have any ideas what could be causing this - or if it is actually a problem? This is a female protomelas stevenii who otherwise appears to be totally healthy. She eats well, and is active in a 180l malawi setup (sharing with 5 cynotilapia afra, 1 nimbochromis livingstonii, 1 Sciaenochromis ahli and 2 synodontis nyassae). They're on a diet of spirulina flakes - with tubifex worms or brine shrimp every 2 or 3 days. No-one else shows these symptoms - and apart from her stomach, this fish shows no signs of stress or weakness (never even a torn fin).


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## MalawiLover

If she is eating well, then my bet would be on internal paracites, like tapeworm types. Easiest way is to treat with Jungle Paracite Clear. While she may appear healthy, she would likely not breed well, and if her immune system was challenged, she would have a much harder time fighting off illness without reserves.


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## bibbs68

Hi Ed. I don't have an answer for you but did recall someone else having fish that exhibited these same type symptoms that you describe. Here is the link to the post...

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=131404


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## cichlidaholic

How long has she been like this?

No white stringy feces? Is her behaviour normal?

Kim


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## EdTheWolf

Normal faeces and behaviour - she's been like this for as long as i've had her - i thought it was normal until a week ago!


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## bluemoori

I am so upset.
I have had a 55 gallon african cichlid tank set up with sand and ocean rocks set up now for 7 or 8 years and everything has been perfect except 1 outbreak about 7 years ago of a little ick.
(but not a bad one)
Now recently I have noticed 4 i my african cichlids having this same problem (curved in stomaches)
This is so devistating!
Yesterday I put the 4 cichlids in a hospital tank with some jungle parasite medicine and today I added a little maracyn,and to be safe I put 2 jungle parasite tabs in my 55 gallon as well.
Is there a way to tell if the hospitalized cichlids are getting better?
I assume this must be a desease that spreads? because 2 of my fish have stomachs badly sunk in like in your picture,and 1 has a slightly sunk in stomach and the other looks like its just starting to sink in.
I love my cichlids and hate to see this happen! The one with the very slightly sunken stomach also had some puffy "pop eye" but that has gone away.
My water conditions have been perfect for the past 7 years and my fish do breed quite often,in fact one has fry in her mouth right now.
I never had plants in my tank until about 5 months ago i put a money wort plant and a bamboo plant in and have since taken them out.
I wonder if it came from the plants?
But My BIGGEST question is is this shrunken stomach parasite spreadable?
Also I have had an auatic turtle in w/ my cichlids for 6 years now and they live in perfect harmony together, but he does eat the cichlids stool sometimes,I hope this parasite wont effect my turtle too.
Help! plz


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## bluemoori

btw what happened with your cichlid with this stomach problem???


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## EdTheWolf

This fish was kept in an isolation tank for a while (can't remember exactly for how long - probably a month or so) before it developed pop-eye and died soon after that. None of the other fish in the tank ever showed the same symtoms. i remain mystified.


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## bluemoori

looks like im in for a long tedious process.
pop eye is when their eye puffs out of their head right?
Sorry to hear about your fish dying. Sounds like you did all you could


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## knotty dreadlocks

im in the same situation here with my rusty lets see how things turn out. hopefully all goes well


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## moonlight

I have the same sunken belly on one of my larger mbunas, I always thought it was a lack of feeding on my part, eats well, acts normal, no stringy poop (since that is always the first question). I noticed this when I saw an old picture of the same fish when it was fatter. I scan the health part of this forum waiting for this topic to be addressed, but have never seen it. I'v had this fish for at least a year and a half, 4-5 inchs, 75 gal, 24 gal water change twice a week. Any thoughts are welcome, sorry to kind of highjack, but it's relative information.


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## Atchu

hi guy.. i am having the same problem with my fish.. did you guys ever found a cure for this ? 
i have 1 fish with sunken stomach and others started to sink.. one of the fish got a popped eye, but i have seperated this one to another small tank... none of the medications seems to help... any help/advice would be appreciated.

thanks,


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## Atchu

hi guys.. i am having the same problem with my fish.. did you guys ever found a cure for this ? 
i have 1 fish with sunken stomach and others started to sink.. one of the fish got a popped eye, but i have seperated this one to another small tank... none of the medications seems to help... any help/advice would be appreciated.

thanks


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## navygirl76

Im fighting this same issue. Some of my fish are unaffected, and others look exactly like the pic you posted-concave stomachs. I am currently treating with Metronidazole 500 mg tabs- and Paracide. Im on day two of treatment, Ill let everyone know what happens.

For the most part, my mbuna are still eating, and i am feeding them the frozen veggie pellets with a mashed up metro pill mixed in-let it soak for about 20 mins, then put it in the tank-they go crazy over it.

I had 4 deaths last week, the first one was a large mbuna dead, trapped in the rockwork that i didnt notice for a day until the water was getting a milkish tinge, did a huge water change and had to euthanize 2 who couldnt even swim straight-heading headfirst into the sand. this tank is a mess..


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## pkut

Has anyone had any luck curing this problem?


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## topher68

I'm currently having a very similar problem..

it seems like the problem is an internal parasite and someone recommended using Praziquantel..

i'm currently treating my fish with it so i cant say if it works yet but i'll keep you updated


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## zazz

i have had some success on this with sera bakto tabs... the fish literally eat food that has anti parasitic meds in it.. but low dosage enough not to kill the bio in the tank.


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