African Cichlid Not Looking So Hot

[nukeonekitty]

She is a very mature fish. I noticed her in a hole in a rock where she may have been stuck. She is getting rather pale and it looks like the other fish have been picking at her back fin because it is shredded a little and have some scale missing. Her gills are extremely red. She wont eat and she is swimming crazily. She keeps going upside down too. Let me go check my water stats, but if you have input please help!

 

[WILDER]

Not aounding good to be honest once they go upside down hard to treat.Red gills can be poor water quality so need to look at your water stats in ammonia,nitrite,nitrate, and ph.Is the fish rubbing it gills on things in the tank, does it look like they are bleeding.Also red gills can be bacterial any holes in the gills. Is she out of the rock now as being pale is stress.If she darting around the tank with red gills it could and sounds more like gill flukes, which can cause bacterial infections on top.

 

[nukeonekitty]

I would think she does have a bacterial infection in the fins. Anything I can do?

 

[WILDER]

You need to issolate her she stressed to be honest she in a bad way and not looking good.
Is she flicking and rubbing against objects.
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[nukeonekitty]

Stats are ammonia at 0 mg/l and NO2 is at 0 or below .03 mg/lShe isn't doing much of anything. She is floating on her head and her gills look like they might be bleeding.

 

[WILDER]

Thats fine then ruled bad water quality out.Looking at gill flukes to bacterial.Look into gill flukes as they are nasty as in there hooks they carry a nasty bacteria which when they pierce the fish skin enter the fish blood stream.Any other fish in the tank darting around or flicking and rubbing.I would still issolate her and make her comfortable.If they look like there bleeding dealing with gill flukes.There a med called clout in the states.http/www.fishyfarmacy.com/koipond/parasitic_disorders.html

 

[nukeonekitty]

Do you think I need to treat my tank for it, whether or not she makes it? I didn't see how it actually gets into the tank. How does it?

 

[WILDER]

I will get you another article most fish carry gill flukes its only when they get infested with them they start to do the harm.Young fish are more prone to them.Yes you have to treat the whole tank.http/article.dphnet.com/cat-02/flukes1.shtml

 

[nukeonekitty]

She is now completely upside down and she just coughed up (atleast that is what it appeared to be) clear bubble looking things. Maybe skin but it was about the a 1/8 inch (pretty small) bubble thing and there were 3. Sorry for the explanation but I really have no idea what it was. They were not round but kind odd shaped bubbles. wtf?Is she savable and do the bubbles mean something?

 

[WILDER]

They can spit and cough will gill flukes.
Are her gills still red.
Is she laboured breathing.

 

[nukeonekitty]

She is breathing extremely hard, but her gills aren't as red. My mom just went to get meds and a 10 gal tank.

 

[WILDER]

Once fish are infested like she is with red gills and laboured breathing they don't make it as the parasite has destroyed the gills.
To be honest I would end her misery she already showng signs of dieing by being upside down.
With bacterial gill rot they do not tend to dart around so it point more to gill flukes.

 

[nukeonekitty]

So I shouldn't try and isolate and treat her? Would it be a lost cause?

 

[WILDER]

You need to treat the whole tank anyway if its gill flukes.
Yes treat her but to be honest I don't hold out much hope of her survving bless her.

 

[nukeonekitty]

Thanks a lot. I will do my best to try and help her out.