Help With Identifying Cichlid And Possible Problem.

[lowcontrol]

I bought my first tank a little under a year ago, got a good deal on an already established tank. 
One of the fish was this guy. I know it is a cichlid, but thats about it. 
Also today when I went to feed the fish, he just kinda sat there floating just above the substrate, didn't even try to eat at all. That, the whitish spots on its face (buddy of mine ruled out ick), and the bloated appearance has me worrying a little. 
Any help on identifying the fish and/or the issue would be greatly appreciated.
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

[fluttermoth]

I'm not sure of the exact species, but it's some sort of Rift Valley cichlid; probably a Lake Malawi one.

The bloating is probably caused by the wrong diet (usually too many pellets), but could also be related to the water. Rift Valley cichlids need very, very hard alkaline water to do well so if your water is soft, that could be a factor.

The white spots on the head look disturbingly like hole in the head disease, which can be difficult to cure, but I know some of our members have managed to treat it successfully.

I'm going to move your thread to 'Tropical Fish emergencies', where you'll get more help.

 

[lowcontrol]

Thank you for the movement. I wasn't exactly sure where to post it becauseof the dual nature of the post.
While it is too late for him, he passed last night and I found him this morning dead, I still wanna try and figure out what happened so it doesn't happen to my other fish.
I did forget to mention that I did do a water test and PH, ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites levels were all ok.

 

[the_lock_man]

Can you post the exact readings, please. You're idea of "OK" might be different to mine
 
And are you using strips or a liquid test?

 

[lowcontrol]

Sorry, I know I should have posted the exact readings.
I am using a liquid test set, the API freshwater master test kit.

PH - 7.6
NH3 - a little darker than 0ppm but not near 0.25ppm
NO2 - same as above a little darker than 0ppm but not near 0.25ppm
NO3 - between 5-10ppm

 

[fluttermoth]

I'm sorry for your loss, it was a handsome fish

What do you feed the fish?

How big is the tank, and what fish are in it?

What's the hardness of your tap water? Do you do anything to the water before you use it for water changes; add salt, a mineral mix, or anything like that?

 

[lowcontrol]

Thank you for your condolences. I am gonna make a post in the next day or so to show off the rest. I love them.

It is a 55gal tank. When I originally got it, it was WAY over loaded. Three cichlids, two oscars (a tiger and a Lutino), and two plecos. Guy was just gonna dump the fish and sell the equipment if I hadn't of gotten it. I was able to find two of the cichlids good homes quickly to reduce the load in the tank, but until last night it was still the oscars, plecos, and the cichlid. They all have been doing well for the past 10 months or so.
I do a 15-20% water change weekly as well because of the load.
I treat the water change water with Seachem's Prime and let the water sit for a day before adding it to the tank.

I have been feeding them cichlid pellets. Unsure of the tap water hardness.

Thank y'all for y'all's replies so far.

 

[star4]

I agree with FM it did look like hold in the head. If you can get a couple of pics of the oscars heads and post them, they might have early stages. Caught early enough it is curable, its long hard work but can be done.
 
Malawi bloat is unfortunately quite common, it can be down to the wrong foods. What brand cichlid pellets are you using, does it say on the packet what sort of cichlids they are for? you can get different for american (oscars) and african (the blue chap, sorry not sure what he was)

 

[lowcontrol]

I am currently using the API Cichlid pellets. It says on it that it is for "All Cichlids".  Here are the pics of the Oscars heads as best I could. Those water puppies wouldn't stay still. haha
 
Sorry for the large pics, I didn't resize and post them only because I wanted to make sure as much detail as possible in trying to identifying the issue.  BTW: Happy Freedom Day to everyone.
 

 

 

 

 

[star4]

The oscars look fine I can not see any signs of HITH with them. Stress can cause it also, my own oscar got it when he lost his tank mate. I am not familiar with API pellets. As far as I remember (you must forgive my lack of knowledge I dont keep malawi) some malawi require spirulina in their diet, this may have been part of the problem. Mixing African and American cichlids is not a good idea as they have different requirements.
 
Oscars are really messy fish, I would increase the amount of water you change weekly to at least 40-50%

 

[lowcontrol]

Phew. I was getting a little worried. The little pits here and there from the Oscars being Oscars had me starting to get a little paranoid lol.
I will do some more research into that spirulina to see if that what it was Even though he passed, not stopping yet because I would hate for the others to have the same fate.
Thank you all for the help and advice. I will be upping my water changes and closely monitoring them.

 

[star4]

Those little pin hole dots on the head are sensory pits, they are quite visible and normal
 
The only other thing to make the oscars and the plecs happy would be to add some wood (I said on your other thread where you posted the pics ) Plecs love to rasp on wood.

 

[lowcontrol]

Thank you, I try and learn as much as I can about my fish, and kinda learning as I go. I'll be adding that tidbit about the pits to my internal database.
I saw that, and I am currently looking for a good place to get some wood from. I wanna find a decent sized piece so I can remove most of the live rock as well. Im trying to leave as minimal in there as possible that will still be comfortable for the fish until I can afford a bigger tank for the gang.

 

[star4]

I know its too late but I finally found the fish that passed away Pseudotropheus socolofi..
 
http/www.seriouslyfish.com/species/pseudotropheus-socolofi/
 
Oscars do grow pretty quickly, good water is a must with them and they would be really happy in a larger tank.

 

[lowcontrol]

Thanks for finding him for me. I know it might seem weird, but not knowing what he was would have bugged me for a long while. I have upped my water changes for the time being, and as soon as finances allow, a bigger tank is next on the list. Im thinking a 120 or a 150tall, depending on what I can find.