Interesting thing happening to one of my cichlids

[SorryEh]

I went away for a week a month ago and came back to one of my cichlids I have in quarantine bearding and thought it was strange. So I tested the water thinking something must be wrong and it was stressing him and for some reason the PH had just plummeted which was extremely concerning so I spent a couple days slowly raising the PH through little water changes daily and got it to the normal levels of the main tank and put him back in. Now he has been in the 55 gal for 3 weeks and the apparent bearding has spread throughout almost his entire body. Just today I noticed that where the most colour change is happening is under his mouth and it almost appears blue to me. Is it possible he may have been cross-bred and is now only showing his other colours? He is also dark orange as you will see by the pictures, my others are all, as the name says "Electric Yellow"

 

[Colin_T]

How big is the fish?

Has the fish always has a clamped tail and a tail that is not as wide as the caudal peduncle region (area where the tail fin joins the body)?

Black patches on the body are usually from chemical burns, a bit like bruising, and usually clear up after a month or so. If the pH dropped a lot it could be acidosis (pH becoming too acid too quickly).

If the black patching has not cleared up in a few months the fish could be a hybrid with another mbuna cichlid.

 

[SorryEh]

How big is the fish?

Has the fish always has a clamped tail and a tail that is not as wide as the caudal peduncle region (area where the tail fin joins the body)?

Black patches on the body are usually from chemical burns, a bit like bruising, and usually clear up after a month or so. If the pH dropped a lot it could be acidosis (pH becoming too acid too quickly).

If the black patching has not cleared up in a few months the fish could be a hybrid with another mbuna cichlid.

His tail has been like that for about 2 years. He lost his entire tail fin from rot as a little one and it never fully grew back sadly. It has been a month and 1 week since his ph has been full returned to proper levels (I keep them at 8). I should also note his behaviour has remained the same as always since this started. What would cause a chemical burn?

 

[Colin_T]

Chemical burns can occur if the pH dropped below 7.0. If there was any chlorine/ chloramine in the water when you did a water change. Ammonia if the filter stopped working for a bit. Even chemicals, detergents, perfume, deodorant, oil, etc, on your hands can wash off into the water.

I assume the hospital tank had an established filter and air stone in it?

Did you do a water change on the hospital tank before you left?
Do you mix water & dechlorinator, and aerate the mixture before adding it to the tank, or do you add them directly to the tank?

Any new water should be dechlorinated and aerated before being added to an aquarium. The aeration helps the dechlorinator to come into contact with all the chlorine/ chloramine molecules in the water. Aeration also helps add oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen to the water. Mains water can be under pressure and lose most of the gasses in it. Aerating tap water for 30minutes or more before using it can get the gas levels back to where they should be.

If there was a rapid drop in pH, to levels below 7.0, that might have caused the issue.

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If the dark markings have not gone after a couple of months then it is most likely colouration. However, that should have appeared when the fish was about 6-12months old, not 2 years old.

 

[SorryEh]

Chemical burns can occur if the pH dropped below 7.0. If there was any chlorine/ chloramine in the water when you did a water change. Ammonia if the filter stopped working for a bit. Even chemicals, detergents, perfume, deodorant, oil, etc, on your hands can wash off into the water.

I assume the hospital tank had an established filter and air stone in it?

Did you do a water change on the hospital tank before you left?
Do you mix water & dechlorinator, and aerate the mixture before adding it to the tank, or do you add them directly to the tank?

Any new water should be dechlorinated and aerated before being added to an aquarium. The aeration helps the dechlorinator to come into contact with all the chlorine/ chloramine molecules in the water. Aeration also helps add oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen to the water. Mains water can be under pressure and lose most of the gasses in it. Aerating tap water for 30minutes or more before using it can get the gas levels back to where they should be.

If there was a rapid drop in pH, to levels below 7.0, that might have caused the issue.

---------------------
If the dark markings have not gone after a couple of months then it is most likely colouration. However, that should have appeared when the fish was about 6-12months old, not 2 years old.

Yes, the quarantined tank was entirely cycled filter. I use declorinator just to be on the safe side but the water I use is right from the well so any chlorine in the water is extremely unlikely. The water was changed a day before I left. I did have someone feeding him of course so they might have done something accidentally. No matter the case, now that he is in pristine conditions he should be okay wether it's genetics or burns?

 

[Colin_T]

Your well water might be contaminated with something and it might not show up in a tank with hard water because the minerals can sometimes bind to chemicals and make them less toxic. But in a tank with soft water the chemicals could be an issue. However, if you did a water change on both the main tank and hospital tank, and the main tank is fine, I would say it is not the well water.

You should aerate well water for 30minutes or more before adding it to an aquarium. Well water can be stagnant and have low oxygen levels. Aerating it before adding it to the tank, will balance the gasses in the water.

If you had someone feed the fish, they might have had something on their hands that contaminated the hospital tank.
If you have to go away for a week, do not bother getting anyone to feed the fish. Lots of fish die from being overfed by well intentioned friends, but no fish die of starvation if they are not fed for a week. This is because fish get their body temperature from the surrounding water, and the food they eat is used for swimming and growth. Subsequently they can go for weeks or even months without any food and still be fine.

If the fish is in good water, then it should be fine.

 

[SorryEh]

Your well water might be contaminated with something and it might not show up in a tank with hard water because the minerals can sometimes bind to chemicals and make them less toxic. But in a tank with soft water the chemicals could be an issue. However, if you did a water change on both the main tank and hospital tank, and the main tank is fine, I would say it is not the well water.

You should aerate well water for 30minutes or more before adding it to an aquarium. Well water can be stagnant and have low oxygen levels. Aerating it before adding it to the tank, will balance the gasses in the water.

If you had someone feed the fish, they might have had something on their hands that contaminated the hospital tank.
If you have to go away for a week, do not bother getting anyone to feed the fish. Lots of fish die from being overfed by well intentioned friends, but no fish die of starvation if they are not fed for a week. This is because fish get their body temperature from the surrounding water, and the food they eat is used for swimming and growth. Subsequently they can go for weeks or even months without any food and still be fine.

If the fish is in good water, then it should be fine.

Sounds good, will aerate water from now on. I'll update if he heals/stays this way

 

[SorryEh]

Update: He is still acting normal. The black has not gone away, the colours on his face seem to be more of a baby blue now and is kind of shiny. Around his gills it has an almost green tint. I am not super concerned as he is showing no signs of distress.