Who Gives A Fish Forums

I've got a group of 3 P. Acei (2 females, 1 male) in with P. Soulosi and Rusty cichlids, and I'm worried about the male Acei. His pectoral fins got damaged, probably from swimming in and out of the rocks too eagerly while chasing the females.

This damage has led to some concerning symptoms - he's almost pineconing, his scales are sticking out, and he's bloated. The other fish are fine, though, and he's still eating.

I've been treating with melafix for the past 7 days to help with the fin healing, did a large water change and cleanup, and I'm planning to retreat with melafix, hoping it's a bacterial issue.

His diet consists of small cichlid pellets (vegetable-based) and Spirulina flakes from JBL, with a starve day every week. I've stopped feeding the tank for now, just in case he's bloated.

My water parameters are: pH 8.0, GH 15, KH 13, no ammonia, no nitrite, and nitrate 20-40. I've ruled out Malawi bloat, but I'm not sure what's causing this.

Any ideas on what could be causing this, and any suggestions on a treatment plan? Should I set up a hospital tank and dose the water?

Could you post a pic of the affected fish?

Managed to snap a couple of pics of the affected male P. Acei.

http/s658.photobucket.com/albums/uu306/sarah326/?action=view&current=SickmalepAceifromabove.jpg

You can just make out the pineconing, but it doesn't seem to be progressing, so that's a positive.

http/s658.photobucket.com/albums/uu306/sarah326/?action=view&current=SickmalepAceibody-1.jpg

Here, you can see he's looking a bit bloated and his scales have lost their usual shine.

Thanks for the interest, all. Fingers crossed he'll start to turn a corner soon.

I'm getting the feeling it might be malawi bloat, though you mentioned you didn't think that was the case. Moving him to a quarantine tank could be a good idea, especially since the other fish seem fine - it would make treatment a lot easier. Unfortunately, the survival rate for this isn't great. One thing I'd suggest is trying to switch to a food with a lower protein content, maybe something around 40% or less, like a fluffnut.

fluxx, I've got a theory - light coloured sand gets dirty super fast due to its high visibility of debris. I'm guessing it's because of the way it reflects light, making every bit of detritus stand out. Anyway, if you haven't tried it already, adding a wavemaker or powerhead might just do the trick - it'll increase water circulation and hopefully prevent all that gunk from settling on the sand.

He's still on the mend, so I'll hold off on moving him for now. If I need to bring in the big guns with a more targeted med, I'll do just that. Melafix is all I'm using at the moment.

I've been careful with the protein levels, but I have had some unexpected additions to the menu - the fish have been breeding and he's been chasing after the fry. Could that be a cause of bloat, I wonder?

Even my veggie feeds aren't as low in protein as I thought - 43% is quite high. I do feed Spirinula regularly, but I also give them algae wafers and cichlid pellets, which have some fish derivatives in them. Would that be enough to cause harm, I'm not sure.

I'm not convinced it's not Malawi Bloat, to be honest. If it is, you're lucky you caught it relatively early. I've heard it's usually fatal if left untreated for too long.

Regarding your feeding, what's your typical routine like? How often do you feed, how much do you give them, and what specific foods are you using? I'm just trying to get a better understanding of what might be contributing to this issue.

By the way, have you considered using Clout? I've heard it's one of the most effective treatments for bloat.

It's a huge relief that the scales are no longer raised.

My feeding regime is pretty straightforward - I feed the fish once a day during the week, and twice a day on weekends when I do the water change and clean up. Mondays are starve days, so they get a break from food.

I alternate between different foods to keep things interesting for them. For two days, I feed them Spirinula flakes from JBL. On the third day, I switch to Cichlid Algae Mini from Tetra. Then it's back to Spirinula flakes on the fourth day. After that, I mix it up with algae wafers from King British, Spirinula flakes, or Cichlid Algae Mini until the starve day on Monday. Fresh food is a rare treat - maybe twice a month they get cooked peas or cucumber.