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Common Cichlid Diseases
Common Cichlid diseases
Like all fish kept in tanks, Cichlids are prone to disease. The artificial environment and closed system are the perfect breeding grounds for pathogens and parasites. Of course, wild fish get diseases, but these go unseen by everyone but fishermen and wildlife biologists. The best cure is always prevention. A clean tank, quick removal of uneaten food or the isolation of either aggressive fish or their victims is the ounce of prevention that is worth a gallon of cure.
Most diseases can be traced to dirty water, rotting food or unhealthy feeder fish Feeder goldfish often carry and transmit Ich, a parasite that is endemic in goldfish stock tanks in even the finest aquarium shops. It doesn’t seem to bother the goldfish nearly as much as it bothers every other fish. There are a variety of over the counter treatments for tank cichlid ailments. Consult a good cichlid book and don’t be afraid to ask questions of the aquarium staff.
Other diseases and parasites that can plague tank cichlids include fin rot, body fungus, skin and gill flukes, hole-in-the-head, white spot, pop eye, swim bladder disease, velvet, dropsy, and cotton mouth.
With a list like that, it would seem impossible to keep fish healthy. But by following a few simple rules, diseases in cichlids can be avoided for the most part, and treated successfully in the event of an infection.
Hope this helps, would love to hear your comments
HELP !!! I have a S.African cichlid tank that has been set up for approximately 2 + months . In it are a livingstoni, kenyi, demasoni, lelupi, electric yellow, jewel, bumblebee, and one that looks like a moorii . My problem is this, the tank is staying cloudy . I’ve done water changes, changed tank filters , added various chemicals , and even kept them hungry for three days. Still no luck. Any suggestions ?
Can cichlid eggs survive and hatch outside of the mothers mouth? I recently noticed one of my fish wouldn’t eat or open her mouth. The local pet store said the fish probably had lockjaw which sometimes happens to fish. In the process of netting her to place her in another tank, she blew her eggs out. She has not taken the eggs back in. I placed her back into the tank and her eggs in a breeding box within the tank. I feared if I put them back in the tank with her the other fish would eat them as they fell to the bottom. Can you be of any assistance? Will these eggs hatch like this? Or have I destroyed the hatching process in doing all of this? I feel pretty badly and sure hope I haven’t killed her eggs by listening to poor advice.
Thank you,
Joyce
I HAVE A 120GAL SETUP, I RECENTLY FOUND FRY IN MY TANK, I DON’T WANT TO REMOVE THE FRY, BECAUSE THAT WOULD MEAN I HAVE TO REMOVE THE OTHER FISH, DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE FRY WOULD BE UNCOVERED AND MAYBE EATEN. I FEEL I HAVE MORE IN THE TANK, AND I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE THEM A FIGHTING CHANCE TO GROW. WHAT IS THE BEST OPTION ABOUT THIS SITUATION.
the other day i was enjoying my tank, when i notice a white spot on one of my cichlids. i thought it was just a bump from another fish (i was wrong) in a matter of days my fish whole eye became cloudy and now looks like a cotton ball on the eye and to make matters worse my other three in the tank look like they are getting it to. ive had this tank set up for 5 months and no problem.
now i have a problem and i dont know where to go so if you can give me some advise i would gladly take it. i clean my tank every 3-4 weeks. i went to a pet store and asked and they give me the run around,,, im coming to u as a last resort..thank you for your quick responce,,,,,,,,thomas
Thomas, I’m having the same problem – were you able to get any information?
Judy
Hi one of my cichlids started swimming in a circle and then i noticed that one of the eyes where poped out. What is this and what can i do. Thanks Chris
hi one of my cichlids started with cloudy eyes now progressed into a bubble sack over one eye what is this so i can treat this fish thank you
the white stuff on the eye could be a fungus you can try fungus clear from walmart i had the same problem with my glow tetra
please help me with the dreaded bloat my poor female pkennyi is curled in half lay on tank floor, i’ve started her on a tonic for bacterial infecions,i havedone water changes regular,is there anyfink else i can do to save her as she is so sweet
hello my p.kennyi female is curled in half she can’t swim properly,i started her on med for bacterial infections,done regular water changes,extra oxygen,is there anyfin else i can do as she is so sweet i don’t want to loose her, could it be bloat?
I have 4 SA cichlids and 1 red oscar in a 55. 1 SA I notices has a growth coming out it’s butt. It’s been there for about 2 months. I just noticed tonight the largest one has it also. It looks like some kind of sack. Anyone know what it is and how to cure.
Lance
The stuff you gave me really helped me to take my fish. That is very good infomation.
Hi,
I was wondering if you can help me. I have 4 Neolamprologus caudopunctatus and 3 Neolamprologus multifasciatus in a 40 gallon tank along with some guppies and mosquitofish. A week or so ago, one of the N.caudopunctatus got a weird thing where one of his gills appeared to be red and swollen and was sort of emerging from his gill sllit area. Now one of the N.multifasciatus also seems to have the same condition. They are continuing to eat but I think they are on their way out. Any idea what this could be? Possibly flukes?
Thanks, any help would be greatly appreciated.
Randy
I have a Kenyi Cichlid (yellow) in a tank with a Texas Cichlid, a Livingstoni Cichlid, 2 Jewel Cichlids, a Green Terror and a Convict Cichlid. I have had the Kenyi and Texas Cichlid the longest, about 3 months, the others are new addiations. My Kenyi Cichlid was a nice bright yellow color with dark bold horizontal stripes. Over the past month the yellow color has faded away, and the fish has become also gray, but still has the horizontal stripes. I read on another site it might be stress, but the fish shows no signs of stress. It eats normally and swims freely, matter of fact, it rules the tank. Is this normal. I think it’s a male because it has a bright yellow egg drop on it’s anal fin. I just wanted to know if the color change is normal in the Kenyi? Please email me at zetaace1920@hotmail.com.
i have recently cleand my tank, and with less than twenty four hours there is hundreds of tiny white things that look like lint on the glass . they look as if they are moving. please help me i do not know what this is or what to do with it.
My cichlids occasionally develop this whitish stuff on their side fins that they steer with that seems to dissolve the fin and then the fin slowly grows back. What is this whitish stuff. It doesn’t hurt this fish because all my fish are still thriving with great coloration. Also my fish don’t seem to grow at all. I do weekly water changes and feed my cichlids spirulina and the water temperature is at 77 but still growth is incredibly slow. What is the problem with their growth?
i have a greenterror hes about 6inches long and just recently hes been swiming about like his swimblader is burst ie his abdoman has sunk in and he is swiming about on the bottom……….I have just got rid of my 11 inch plec because they were both fighting could you please advise me on what it could be
On my cichlids that i have, 4 of them have some type of paricite on them. I was told that it was some type of little worms that are under the skin, I was given medicine for the fish and after a few days of treating the fish, a lot of black spots came out on these four fish. These black spots get better and then come back. The fish have stoped rubbing on the rocks for about 2 weeks, but are now rubbing every now and then for the last week. The fish seem fine and lively, but i am concerned about the black spots. What should i do, please help with any suggestions, thanks.
Does anyone have any pics of their cichlids when they have eggs in their mouth when breeding. I can’t tell if mine are or not and I don’t know what exactly to look for.
Any help ould be appreciated.
jayd_75@hotmail.com
after weeks of searching my local fish shops i finally found what i have been looking for a meduim sized frontosa to go into a tank with a jack dempsey and a arrawana. my enjoyment was short lived cause the jack was so aggressive toward the frontosa i had to move it to a nother tank. the frontosa is know being bullied by a green terror half, jaguar and a texas. these three bullies are all half the frontosa size. is a frontosa that placid a fish that it can not survive with aggersive fish half it size.
My cichlids lips are starting to turn spotty black and theyre also getting black spots under their mouths on their body. One of my sisters goldfish in a different tank at a different house is getting black splotches on his body too. Is this some kind of disease?
Hi i have had a lake malawi cichlid tank that has been up and running for 8+ months and they seem to keep getting dropsie. How can I keepthis fromoccuring because I hate seeing my fish in pain and the medscausean armand a leg.
i noticed the other day 1 of my malawis had fungus all over its body so i moved it in 2 an empty tank but lost it now 2 more of my fish have it what can i do to stop this problem
This is very detailed (the complete history) in the hope that someone can help
I have a new 290 liter tank. 1200mm long, 600mm high, 450mm wide. An undergravel filter, two Powerheads for air, a Dophin 1600 Bio-filter, a heater. Underneath the hood the water surface is covered with sliding glass panels. Fitted in the hood is 3 aquarium bulbs. The tank was filled with tapwater of excellent drinkable quality, added to that was the prescribed dosage of Nutrafin Water Conditioner Aqua Plus and also Nutrafin Cycle for new tanks. The filters and heater was running for a week before I started putting in fish. This was done in 3 batches over about 6 days.
I have 25 African cilchids – Malawies (varying sizes +- 1″ to 4″) and 2 s.catfish (1″ &1.5″). I was adviced by various people to overstock the tank to overcome aggressive nature of these fish.
The floor is a gravel & coral bed. Plenty of rock caves. Enough free open swimming space. One small mature log from an older fishtank for the benefit of the catfish. No plants at all.
They eat a variety of Daiichi frozen food and some Aquafin cilchid pellets, sinking Tetra pellets for the catfish.
I have a couple of Tetra test kits. I can’t get the ammonia en nitrite on the ideal levels. The nitrite and ammonia both stay in the beginning of the stress/danger zones. The Ph is about 8 and the water is hard(both ideal for malawies). Alkalinity is also in the ideal range. Nitrate is very low. Temperature is 28.5C
The first batch of fish was in obvious high stress (high nitrite readings and obvious stress signs) so I did a 50% water change and added more Nutrafin Cycle according to instructions. With the second batch of fish the dealer sold me a bottle Marc Weiss Rift Lake Vital which I added as prescribed by manufacturer. After that I did 2 more 20 – 30 % water changes to try get the water quality right. With 2nd water change I also added some fizzy Ammonia clear tablets from Jungle labs, yesterday I bought some Kent granular Ammonia sponge, that was put inside the bio-filter – all to no avail. I added a little salt, only about 30ml coarse food grade seasalt per water change. (I must mention the area where we live in the Western Cape of South Africa has realy exceptionally high quality tap water)
It is now 12 days since I’ve put the first batch of fish in and when I got home I found one of the smallest fish dead (I do not rule the possibility out that it might have been attacked). The rest of the fish still doesn’t show signs of stress, but I’m worried that the continued wrong water quality will cause stress. I did a 50% water change and added the required amount Insta Pure Magic De-Chloranator.
For the past couple of days I have reduced the food with about 50% to try combat the high nitrite readings.
The symptoms for my fish are unusal, this morning he seemed fine, but now, in the evening he’s on the brink of death.
–My bright blue south african chilchid’s body is covered with what looks like scale-loss or loss of coloration of the scales, to a grey-white-ish coloration–almost as if his scales has been ripped off.
–His fins are frayed, and one fin has red streaks in it.
–Labored breathing
–He turned upside-down and is at the bottom of the tank, hardly moves.
Please, I need to know what this disease is and if it’s contagious–I’ve taken out my fish and put him in a seperate tank, but i’m worried that my other rish are at risk for this disease PLEASE HELP!!
My cichlids in my tank all of a sudden got this blackish stuff on their fins which seems to be dissolving the fin away. Any ideas to what this is?
i have a chichlid mixed with a goldfish so it looks like a gold fish but with the husge eyes lol….its eyes got cloudy and then poped so mi fish now has no eyes and swims querly in tank …..is eating and every thing but with two poped eyes :S
Hi
Iam having problems because my fish arent breeding and i would like to know why
most of the time if the water is cloudy for more than 3 days odds are you need a bigger filter to clean the tank better, because the filter says that it cleans a 30 gallon it doesn’t always mean that it will clean the tank, i have a 20 gallon and had to put a filter for a 60 gallon to keep it clean.
i have a peacock cichlid that got stuck going out of a store bought cave. he has a huge chunk missing on his forhead. ive put him in a ten gallon and treated him with melafix. the wound looks fuzzy and im worried about infection. its only been two days i have no idea how long to expect recovery to last. he did eat one flake of food today but id like to know what else if anything i should do.
I have white (possibly albino) African Cichlids and they are mouth brooders. They have already hatched a first batch of frys and one has ended up in our filter trickle filter system. I have left the fish there as it is thriving on deposits on the bottem of the filter. I have noticed that the female has another batch of eggs in her mouth and the tank is getting dirty but I am afraid of cleaning it. I am not sure if this is how the first fry was put in the filter in the first place. When should I move this fry? It is about 2cm long.
Please help we have only had this tank for 9 months and I am very green in regards to raising this breed of fish. I found this website extremely helpful but would have liked to see the answers to the e-mail comments underneath to gain more information.
Thank you,
Sandra
I can’t figure this one out:
Of two cichlids in my tank with a catfish, one has what can only be described as a “zit” on his nose. It doesn’t seem to bother him except the very occasional flick. It is about 3 or 4 mm in diameter and protrudes about 2mm. It is greyish white in colour, although it started out as greyish red. I assumed it was an injury sustained in territorial squabbles, but now I’m at a loss to explain it. Could it be Ich? If so what’s my best cure option?
Thanks in advance for your advice.
George
Bristol, UK
I have 2 cobalt blue cichlids and a blue gourami in my tank. A couple of days ago one of the cichlids quit swimming around for the most part and just hides in one of the caves in the tank. He comes out to eat but doesn’t take much in because he always spits it out. The other cichlid is very active and did eat fine, but now she is having the same problem. Also, her colour is fairly dark.
I have read about this problem on other sites, but I haven’t seen anything that will really help me out.
thanks a lot for your help
Hi, I have a pink convict that swims and lays on one of its sides. It’s oviously sick, but I don’t know from what. Help, if you can.
I have a Jack Dempsy that has been in our family for 10 plus years. I recently noticed a white bump above his eye. The bump looks like it has opened up. Also one of my poor fishes eye looks popped out. Could you please help me get the right treatment for my fish. Thank You.
I need some help I have the same problem as Thomas I have a 150 gal tank- I noticed last night one of my cichlids that i have had for 3 years now had cloudy eyes like a film over them- I put a little melafix in and today I noticed 4 more of my fish have the cloudy eyes- I did have like 35 fish and just recently have given some away because it was becoming a project to keep the tank clean now there are only 12 and the are all brothers and sisters- I just cleaned the tank 3 days ago and it looked like there was all kinds of weird looking things looked like white and orange things like body parts???? I am so confused and am crazy about my fish I have 4 other tanks with other things going on that i wish i could talk to someone – I just put 15 teaspoons of melafix in my tank and did a partial water change took out my filters – Thanks to anyone who can help
Hi, I have 2 fish tanks. A 72 and a 210 gallon. I recently bought a few more cichlids to add to my tanks. I treat them in my 72 gallon, and when they seem healthy enough, I add them to my 210. I make sure to pick out nice, healthy looking fish, and they all looked great when I got them. But I have this one fish, who since the day I got him, won’t eat at all. When all the other fish are up at the top of the tank, he stays in a corner. He is very mellow, and even when I specifically try to feed him, he doesn’t seem to notice. I added him to my 210, because I thought it was a space problem. But now he stays in the rocks and has the same problem. He doesn’t seem to be showing any signs of extreme hunger, or a thin stomach, but i’m afraid if he dies back in the rocks, I won’t be able to find him. I really would like to know if it’s an internal disease or that he might be eating algea.
You mentioned if our fish are already showing signs of sickness then aggressive treatment is necessary. What would that be? My fish is on the verge of death, he has had hole in the head for about 6 yrs. now but it’s taken a toll. metro isn’t helping also tried baytril, that’s not helping he hasn’t eaten in 2 weeks and he’s still holding on. Just started giving him Vitamin B complex as well. When is enough ….enough I’m wondering. Please help!! I have him in a separate tank to treat. Thanks for any advice on aggressive treatment.
i have two female hap. ahli cichlids one is still an electric blue color where as the other one has turned the same color as my cobalt cichlid. she still has her strips though i was just wondering what this means?
also i have a kenyi cichlid. whenever i put food in the tank i think she thinks the food are eggs because she grabs a whole bunch in her mouth and swims off into a corner where she waits for a bit then spits the food out thats when my other cichlids come and eat her food. she also puffs up her face here and there like shes holding something inside. does this mean she is ready to mate? her face even looks more grown up then the rest of my cichlids they all still have a regular skinny fry face. should i go and buy a male kenyi? they are the yellow ones right? because i was told mine was a girl and she is silveryblue with dark vertical strips.
also how can i tell the differnce between males and females with my hap. ahli’s? so far in my tank i have 7 cichlids and to my knowlage i only have one male in the tank i wanted to keep the aggression to a minimum. he is and electic yellow cichlid and i have two females for him. how old are they when they start mating and what conditions should i prepare for them?
I have 3 african cichlids and one huge problem.Litraly over night our biggest,meanest king of the tank is rotting before my eyes.His top fin is almost gone with shreads of whats left of it hanging off.He won’t eatand just floats at the top of the tank.My husband and I have had cichlids before,have seen ick before,know about chemical levels in the water,etc.We just did a 75% water change,filter change blah blah.I have no clue what’s hapening or what to do.I don’t have a secondary tank to isolate him and our other two fish still look great.Plz somebody HELP!Any help would be appreciated.
I can’t help but notice that Feb 24 was the last comment.I guess that would explain why my questions/comments were never even posted.Thanks alot,next time I’ll ask Petco and probably get noticed.
I just bought a african cichlid and i have it in a 1/2 gallon bowl. Will it survive??
I have a 750gallon cichlid tank with a 100 gallon sump tank and a lot of my fish are swimmin sluggish. I’ve noticed on some of my fish that their scales on their side looks chewed up. Some of the fish that died I ended up leaving in there because it’s so hard to get them out. Do you think that might be the cause of these other fish dying? What can I do to treat this tank. I took out all the dead ones already.
I have had tropical fish before and have recently aqquired Cichlids. I have always tested for PH levels, kept tank clean through gravel cyphoning and outside coal filter, used a stress coat and add good bacteria to tank through water treatments that also lower nitrates. But the other day my african cichlid was listing( swinging slightly to the side). I looked online and thought that it was probably suffering a bacterial infection. So I administered blue malecyte to the tank. The listing stopped but no more than two days later the fish started to develop dark discoloration similar to algae and my other cichlid is darting around the tank all spooked. I added stress coat and healthy bacteria (aqua gold) to remove chlorine and make water hospitable. Also I tested ph noticed it was alkaline. I lowered the Ph slighty as I did not want to shock the fish anymore. What else can I do? Tomorrow I plan to cyphan tank remove and rinse with hot water all tank display objects and add fresh clean treated water. Please help. I love my fish. Is it nutrition? Do they eat something special? My babies!
I have a cichild, I am not sure what kind, I haven’t found a picture that looks like her anywhere. She is VERY large and blue. I inherited her from a relative. She is about 5-6 years old. She has white, fuzzy stuff covering one eye. I have cleaned the tank, treated her for fungus a couple of times now, and nothing helps. I had another cichlid that suffered from the same thing, and he ended up losing his eye. She is in a tank with a large plecostomus who seems fine. Please tell me if there is anything else that might help, I don’t want her to suffer and I want to keep her healthy.
I doubt any of these people will come back to read this comment but if another happens to read these and has similar problems I thought I would discuss my thoughts.
Firstly the mother who spits out her eggs most likely will not take them back, you can attempt to hatch the eggs like any other egg layer but this is not always successful. A light doseing of some anti-fungal treatment is recommended (eggs are very susceptable to fungi) and good areation as well as frequent partial water changes.
Second the eye problems are caused by fungus, it’s a disease often called popeye. If possible remove the fish from the aqaurium to a hospital tank and treat it there (I also personally use slightly over recommended dosings and generally don’t feed the fish until it looks healthy) Remember that when a cichlid rejoins it’s community other cichlids will treat it as a newcomer, rearrange the decorations to help distract them.
The question about the kenyi is difficult. Some cichlids lose thier vibrant colours as they age especially males of the Mbuna Cichlid group (The kenyi is an Mbuna- meaning rock in a local african dialect). Your kenyi is definatly male the females stay a blue color instead of making the transition to yellow.
Tammy your problem sounds like planeria (flatworms) they are an indication that your tank either is or was very very dirty. They are harmless and can be left for the fish to eat or you can kill them (I’ve read people turn thier tanks temp way up to do this), keep your tank clean and they will naturally go away in my experience.
i have a male green terrer who is sick. he has big holes in his face and near his eyes. i am concerned. i have five babies and the mother in this tank with him. he is the father. he dosent look like hes going to make it. is there anything i can do for him or the others.
we had the tiny white thing like lint in my sons tank.and now the fish’s tail has the white fuzz on it and some of the tail is missing. plus there is also small white bumps like pimples on the head area.please the me know something as soon as you can.thanks
I have an Oscar that is about 5 years old. Tank is clean PH is fine. Feed him cichlid food from petsmart. All of a sudden he quit eating. He has not eaten for one week now. He either lays at the bottom of the tank or just barely moves around the tank. All other fish are fine. No hole in the head no other disease that I can detect. Do you have any suggestions. I would hate to lose him.
i have a 90 gallon tank with a cichlid(also called a parrot fish),3 bala sharks, a blue channel cat ,and two kissing gouramies. all lived happily for a couple of months untill i noticed the parrot fish started hiding in the cave all day and now it barely eats and its turning a whitish/grayish color. the temperature is at 81 degrees and all other fish seem healthy.please help me! i do not want this fish to die. thankyou
I have three jewels, two green terrors, and two firemouths. One of my jewels has clamped fins and does some flashing. He also statys on the bottom and does not seem to be eating. I have treated him for parasites and fungus. Nothing has changed. I do not know if I should put the fish back in the tank with the others, or just leave the fish out. None of the other fish seem to have anythig wrong with them??????
My Convicts always have babies and they are always eaten.Can sum1 help me keep the babies alive?
I have a 55 gallon tank with a pair of Convicts, a Jack Dempsey, A Green Terror, and a Jewel Cichlid. The problem is the Male Con and the Jack are fighting alot! They liplock for about 5 minutes! Then they nip each other. They are suffering badly. I am buying a 10 gallon aquarium for the Jack. Is this big enough for him or does it need to be bigger?
I have a 95 gallon tank with a Jack Dempsey, a Jewel Cichlid, A Convict, a Green Terror, And a Electric Yellow Ahli. The Jack is always fighting the terror. They always fight. No matter were the Terror goes the Jack tries to chase the Terror and that results in the terror fighting back. I am moving one of these aggresive fish to a seperate tank. Which one should I move? How big should the tank be for either one.
I have a new 70 gal. set up.
10 fish to start
2 days 2 fish died
looks like they are gasping for air
any suggestions
I have a cichlid tank that I have had set up for a couple years. I had one Cichlid that developed a bulge on its side. She had it for for a long time and it never seemed to bother her. A few months ago, whatever was in there came out and now she has a hole in her side, not on her head. Now another one of my fish has the makings of a bulge. I got some parasite medicine from Jungle and some internal medicated food to try. Can anyone tell me what this is and if I am doing the right thing. I could not quarantine the fish so I treated the entire tank. Hopefully this will help the rest of them. I am assuming that they will all be affected eventually. None of the fish seem to be ill with this. Thank you for your help.
hi i am having a problem with my african chilids they are starting
to develop white cloudy eyes what can i do to red of the fungus please email me
asap
I would like to say…
I have 7 bright yellow chilids with blue fins , and 2 pink chilids on occasion the yellow ones seem to develope a brownish color is this normal ? they seems fine, they are eating, and the water is clear.
I would like to say…ME AND MY FIANCE HAVE A 180 GALLON TANK AND WE RECENTLY HAD 3 PICTUS CATFISH AND 1 TALKING CATFISH IN WITH ABOUT 9 AFRICAN CHILIDS WE HAVE HAD THE TANK FOR ABOUT 8-9 MONTHS AND EVERYTHING WAS FINE BUT ABOUT 1 MONTH AGO ONE OF MY AFRICAN CHILIDS WAS NOT EATING AND HIDING THE NEXT MORNING HE WAS DEAD,THEN I ALSO NOTICED ONE HAD LIKE SOME KIND OF PARASITE ON HIM LIKE WHITE SPOTS ALMOST LIKE ICH,BUT NOT EXACTLY,WELL WE WENT AND GOT A MEDICINE FROM PETSMART FOR PARASITES,FIN ROT,SOME OTHER P WORD ANYWAY WE TREATED THE TANK AS IT SAID TO DO AND THEN AFTER TREATING IT WE CLEANED THE HOLE TANK AND PUT NEW FILTERS.THEN WE NOTICED THE PICTUS CATFISH WERE HANGING AT THE TOP OF THE TANK WHICH WAS VERY UNUSUAL FOR THEM WELL ONE BY ONE ALL MY CATFISH DIED,FINALLY I LOOKED THE MEDICINE UP ONLINE TO FIND OUT TO READ THAT THE PICTUS CATFISH COULD BE VERY SENSITIVE TO IT AND COULD EVEN RESULT IN DEATH,SO I TOTALLY WAS BESIDE MYSELF,SO AFTER DOING ALL THAT EVERYTHING LOOKED BETTER,EVEN THE FISH WITH THE WHITE SPOTS ON HIS SIDES AND ALL SEEMED TO BE ALITTLE BETTER,WHICH WAS GOOD BUT ITS BEEN ABOUT A WEEK AND I NOTICED THAT 2 ARE BEGINING TO LOOK LIKE THEY DID BEFORE WITH WHITE SPOTS BUT NOT ICH AND LIKE SOME KIND OF SORE ON THE MIDDLE OF THEIR BODY I AM GOING TO TRY TO GET PICTURE OF THEM AND PUT ON HERE BUT I AM DESPRATE NEED OF ADVICE PLEASE I HAVE REALLY GOTTON ATTACHED TO THESE FISH AND I WANT TO DO WHATEVER I CAN TO HELP THEM SO PLEASE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE GET BACK TO ME…THANK YOU
I have an African Chilid and it still eat but it has not used the restroom in a week
My african cichlids have some new grey spots on their scales. The spots are very small and scattered about their bodies… about 4 little spots on each fish. Anyone know what this is and how to clear it up? Thanks
I would like to say… Im new to the cichlids and i love them, but after reading over all the problems everyones been having i feel a little concerned! I dont want my cichlids to die!
I would like to say… I caught a chilchid in a canal here in florida and well, see he’s 7in. and he eats well and everything but he’s aggressive so i had to get all the other fish out of the tank. And when there was fish in the tank and I wasn’t around, he would eat them alive and when i would come near the tank he would get shy and “play” dead. Any suggestions? help
I caught a chilchid in a canal here in florida and well, see he’s 7in. and he eats well and everything but he’s aggressive so i had to get all the other fish out of the tank. And when there was fish in the tank and I wasn’t around, he would eat them alive and when i would come near the tank he would get shy and “play” dead. Any suggestions? help
Confused! My bumblebee wouldn’t eat, and she looked sick. Before I knew it she died
I looked in the tank a little while later(say half hour) and found all kinds of little babies swimming around. Could her having the babies make her sick? I have 5 other chiclids in the tank, all of them are big including the one that died. She was getting picked on all of a sudden. Not sure if that had anything to do with and the babies. I hope all the babies live. If anybody could help me understand what went wrong, or how I can keep the babies alive with all my other chilids it would be appreicated. I am afraid with how large the other fish are they might get eaten. Thank you!
i have two of my african cichlids that are swimming upside down or if they ain’t upside down they’re setting on the bottom…. you have any idea what it is????????
I would like to say…hi, i have a jewel ciclid that has this bubble like cyst on his forehead between his eyes. he is not eating or swimming. he stays t the bottom of the tank. is tis some type , disease and if so what can i do for him.
I would like to say…My ciclid has developed a large bruise like thing on his face that is getting worse by the day, i have had him for well over a year with no problems, but am unsure what this is… Can some one help please?
I would like to say…Hi, my african cichlid has been acting strange lately. I’ve had him or her (not sure) for nearly 5 months with no problems. I recently lost a fish and I’m afraid my other fish might have caught a disease or something. My fish refuses to eat but is still swimming properly.. im confused with whats going on, thanks for the help.
I would like to say…hi my yellow fish has red spots on hes body he will not eat and swims up like he needs more air what can i do …
HELP!!!
so i set up my fish tank about 3-4 months ago. and i had only one fish die when i was setting it up…. then today i looked in my tank and two of my prised fish were dead. I noticed they were a little sluggish earlyer. I know i dont make enough waterchanges. i have a 80 gallon tank and normaly only do about 20 gallons a week because its hard where i live to come across the cichlid salts. they have small white spots on them where skin is torn off… i’ve seen ick i know its not that. this isn’t my first fish tank, but its my first cichlids. my fish are really lazy and most of them suffer from this so i think isolation wont help much now…. but i want to save the fish i have. i did a 40 gallon water change today. please help me out
I would like to say…i have a bumblee chiclid that after reading other info i may have been overfeeding for a while. He now wont eat only inch and a half long and i notice redness on his botton side and right where his side fins connect but all his fins look fine he is dying and cant really swim what do i do
I have a 60g tank with about 5 cichlids for a few yrs now. The fish are acting fine and eating well, but I noticed most of them have “indentions” in there bellies. Does anyone know what that is about? This has been going on for sometime now, but they don’t seem to be in any stress….
I would like to say…my fish has what looks to be air bubbles all over it i had 3 fish die on me after cleaning thjm out of the blue every thing is to there spects for there living but dont know what to do
I have an African blackhead cichlid.Suddenly it has started developing a cloudy bulging eye and it is going to die. Do u have any idea what it is? WHAT CAN I DO?
So I have a yellow African cichlid. Its all yellow exsept on it fins he has a black line at the top. He looked fine for the past three weeks and we fed him and the other fish we have in the tank feeder fish and now his face is all black from his gills all the way to his mouth. Is that mean there’s something wrong with him? I’d it some type of disease? None of the other fish have it and I’m worried. P
I have a 30 gallon tank the is established. I had 2 african cichlids and when I changed the water (10 gallons) one of them dies. I just changed the water again and the other one dies too. I only changed 10 gallons of the30 gallon tank. Why are they do they die and what I am doing wrong???? It will become to expensive to keep this hobby.
I would like to say…I have a (1) Large African Cichlid that I believe has a disease. He is about 6 years old and has a growing red bump under his mouth. I am not sure what this is? Anyone know?
pleae tel me how can i breed my african kribe cichlid? and in my other tank my cichlids have problem in there fins they are disperse seems to dissolves please tel me what shoud i do??????
i have a very sick African cichlid. its colour has gone dramatically grey and blotchy, seems to be having trouble breathing and is not eating well….any suggestions?
To : Cam
What species of african cichlid, what size tank, what’s your ph? How big is the fish?
To: Murtaza
They have fin rot. There are a variety of medicines you can buy for it from your local pet store. They get fin rot from poor water quality and stress. Get some stress coat and add it everytime you do water changes. Aquarium salt will also help with their health.
Bill,
How often do you do water changes? U should only change about 5 gal every two weeks, give or take. make sure everytime you do water changes you re-establish the ph, add stress coat, cichlid bugger is a good thing to have, aquarium salt helps with the oxygen levels and general health, and most importantly, condition the tap water. There is bio extract you can add every time you do water changes to help your tank cycle quicker. It is kind of pricy, but works wonders.
to: SHAGHAYEGH
It’s pop-eye. You can get medicine from your local pet store for it. pop eye comes from poor diet and poor water conditions.
My poor Cichlid has a quarter sized bulging sore on har face. It looks like it is rotting her face away and traveling up towards her eye. Now her eye has white spots around it and bulging out. The sore is multi colored and looks really foul. I have tryed changing and balancing her water several times and have run several antibioitic treatments. None of the other fish in the tank are showing signs of sickenss and she has been ill for weeks now. What should I do? I think we may loose her. She got beat up real bad about a month ago by these three other mean fish that were super aggressive and I thought she healed. We removed those fish.
My Jack Dempsey has a white bump at the base of his pectoral fin. He has had it for a few weeks. It has stayed the same size. It is not Ick. He is swimming around and eating normally. Is this something that will go away? What is it? Do I need to treat it? He is in a 32 gallon tank with one Convict and one Red Oscar (they all get along fine).
I would like to say…i have a 55gal cichlid tank ive had it fo 3 years now i have 120 gal of filter on it. it never gets cloudy. the best medicine i have found all round is melafix for sores n fin rot and super ich plus from walmart they work great and if you change some water be careful of the temp of the water you put in too hot or cold will shock the fish and you could loose some. get start right for water chages to it gets rid of the chlorine and i keep my tank at bout 72 degrees. always find out the aggresion of the fish you put in with other fish. american cichlids are less aggresive than african so try not to mix them. if they do nip at each other get shrimp food you can find it with the fish food. and dont mix antibiotic treatments it can kill fish i found out the hard way i lost half my fish when i first started. and no metal in your tank espesialy pennies!!!!
One of my cichlids recently got a bubble over one eye, it is starting to clear up and now one of my other cichlids has the same thing. What is this and how can I treat it? Iv’e checked the PH level and it’s perfect.
I just received a few new fish and, My pandamilia,about 2 1/2 inches suddenly stopped eating. I have noticed a few small black spots have developed below his mouth, is this a disease and if so what do I do?
hi … we jus bought new 2 cichild .. to mix with old ones … i did everything that i had to prevent .. but an hr later one my of the new one is dead !! y ?? pls help me if anyone know .. so that i can prevent next time
I have several cichlids that have white spots on their anal fin. I have 55 gal tank but only three fish seem to have this problem. Is this a disease? What should I do?
I would like TO KNOW WHY MY 40 GALLON CICHLID TANK IS CLOUDY. I WAS TOLD I OVER FEED. NOT THE PROBLEM. PUMP AND FILTERS FOR 60 GALLON, VACUME/ CHANGE FILTERS EVERY 3 WEEKS. THERE ARE ONLY 4 FISH IN THE TANK. PETSMART TESTED MY WATER AND ITS PERFECT. THIS IS NEW THE LAST 3 MONTHS MAYBE. I HAVE HAD THIS TANK UP WITH THESE SAME FISH FOR OVER A YEAR. HELP!!!
I have had my Jack Dempsey for 10 years now and this morning when I went to feed my fish I saw my big beautiful fish floating on the bottom of the tank. Her eyes are cloudy and her scales are now really dark. She seems to still be breathing, and I really want to help her. I added a bubble wall to increase the O2 in the water but other than that I have no clue what else I can do. My 55g tank is clean I did a water change a couple of days ago, my filters are all clean an none of my other fish have any signs of sickness. Could it just be old age? I have had her since high school and I’d hate to see her go. Any suggestions would be appreciated.