# Please help my fish! he won't eat



## termin8er48

:!: *What size is your tank and what SPECIES of fish do you have?* 20 gallon tank, african cichlid. He is blue

:!: *How long has it been set up? Is it CYCLED?* about one year, yes

:!: *What are your water parameters: Temperature, ammonia (NH3/4), nitrite (NO2), pH, GH, KH and nitrate (NO3)? It's not sufficient to say that your water tests "okay" or "fine."* -temp is at 79 degrees F, I used a test strip to get the levels and have read them to the best of my ability. ammonia (NH3/4) unkown , nitrite (NO2) at 0, pH at around 6.2, GH at 300, KH at 40 and nitrate (NO3) at 20

:!:* How long have you had the fish and what symptoms do they have? What do you FEED them? Have you introduced any new fish recently? What is your MAINTENANCE schedule, and what product/s (if any) do you use to neutralize chlorine or chloramines in your TAP WATER?* I have had this fish for almost a year now, i feed them regular cichlid flakes, have not introduced any fish, i clean and change water once a month, i use the tap water conditioner (API brand) and the stress coat (API brand)

:!:* If you have something unusual to describe, post a photo if possible.* 
I bought two cichlids about a year ago and the first one died roughly 2 weeks ago. This last fish is my last fish in the tank and he has not been eating for about 4 days now. He will swim to the flakes like he normally does, but he will spit the flakes out in little pieces. I do not see him go back and try to eat these pieces later, and they stay on the bottom. The tank has had an algae problem during the last 4 months, just in case this will help diagnose anything. The fish likes to go into the Krusty Krab house at the bottom of the tank for large amounts of time. Please help me cure my fish of whatever is wrong with him, I don't want to lose my last one! :fish:
If it helps, my last fish died after half-swimming on the bottom for about 20 hours. I didn't notice him stop eating like this one.


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## Deeda

Can you describe what color his feces are?


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## termin8er48

Quite honestly I can't find any, if I happen to see some then I'll reply with it


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## chopsteeks

I suspect bloat. If so....

Stop feeding.

Get API general cure or Tetra Parasite Guard and Epsom Salt.

Water Change 25%.

Raise temp to 80 or 82.

Administer the medication and Epsom Salt (1 tbsp per 10 gallon).

Try to feed after 2 days or so.

Hoping fish will respond well to treatment.


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## termin8er48

Can I put the treatment in the current tank? Or do I need to move him in a smaller area? I guess it would make sense to use current tank because he is alone? I will buy the stuff today and post later


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## Kalost

why is the pH so low?


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## termin8er48

I'm going to fix it soon


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## termin8er48

I have to get the stuff tomorrow  I couldn't make it to the store.


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## GTZ

Please see the bloat article linked below. There's no need to raise the temperature.
With regards to your pH and KH levels, how are you planning on fixing the pH?

KH levels need to be above 75ppm to maintain a higher reading. Assuming that your tap water is higher than 75ppm KH, I recommend a few, small water changes, perhaps 10-15% each every few hours. You need to sort out your water parameters before medicating.
While on the subject, what is your tap water pH and KH?
Lastly, I would increase your monthly water changes to at least bi-weekly.


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## termin8er48

I will use my ph-up bottle to fix the ph. I decided to give it one more try before treating, and he ate! Hopefully he will continue to eat normally and live on . I will fix the water this week and post with details on how he is doing.


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## GTZ

Glad to hear he's eating. FYI, a stable pH is healthier than a fluctuating one. With that in mind, I still recommend checking your KH and pH levels from your tap. If KH is below 75ppm, you'll be constantly fighting a dropping pH. If this is the case, you may want to determine the required amount of baking soda to raise KH. A 5g bucket comes in handy for this.


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## Cichlidman14

What type of African cichlid is he/she? Glad to hear its getting better


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## termin8er48

Glad to say my fishy is back to normal  I'm not even sure what kind he is to be honest. Thanks for all the great advice guys!


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## Cichlidman14

Post a picture and maybe we can help you tell you what it is


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## termin8er48

Here he/she is


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## Cichlidman14

Looks like a cobalt blue zebra


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## Cichlidman14

Though I'm not to sure even though I keep Africans I'm not good at guessing them.


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## GTZ

It's not a cobalt (Metriaclima callanois). It resembles Pseudotropheus socolofi, however the finnage seems a bit off, particularly the pelvic fin shape and length and caudal fin coloration. Possible hybrid IMO.


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## Cichlidman14

Alright I wasn't to confident in my answer


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