They Turned Their Nose Up At This Evening's Feeding

[GoinNuts]

**Update** They didn't eat a thing this morning. I took a sample of my water in and it tested a bit high in ammonia, so I did a partial water change, cleaned the filters and added Prime. I also got some peas and romaine lettuce and gave that to them just a while ago and they aren't interested in that, either.

Now what?

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I have 3 cichlids in a 55 gal and they ALWAYS eat like food is going out of style. Tonight, when I fed them their evening meal, they were totally not interested. Didn't eat even a speck.

This is not normal, yes?

I know more info is needed in order to advise me, so here's what I can tell you now:

Tank has been set up for a little over 2 weeks (post fishless cycling)
I have: 1 Electric Yellow, 1 Red zebra and 1 Female Kenyi
My ph is 7.5 but I do not currently have the test kit for the other parameters. I've been taking a water sample to the lfs weekly and they've assured me it's good, but being a bit of a zygote at this point, the actual numbers are escaping me. I'll bone up on understanding and remembering them (and invest in my own broad-range test kit. Once I convince dh of the real need, lol.)
I have 2 bio-filters in use.
Oh, dinner was bloodworms and brine shrimp. If they don't eat it overnight, I've got a nice cleaning job in store for me in the morning.

Lisa

 

[mamafish68]

STOPPPPP the blood worms

gawd I hate those dam things. !!!!! they need more vegitation in their diet, get some spiraluna flake, a good brand, also grab a can of peas, small can will do take a few peas and with your fingers kinda squeeze 1 a little until the thin but hard (not easily digested) hull comes off and feed them about 3-5, peas aid in cleaning out the system which is what I'm thinking you need to do, your feeding them too much protien, they need more of a balance between the 2.

your kenyi is a herbivore while the other 2 are omnivores. take the kenyi (lombardoi) back and get another omnivore.

some romain lettuce and sliced zuchini wouldnt hurt either.

hope it helps

OH and get a test kit ASAP!!! you really only need 2 living in Fla. the PH and Amonia test kits.

 

[GoinNuts]

STOPPPPP the blood worms

Will do, and gladly. Ugh, they are nasty things. They're actually supposed to be a 'treat', and only get them twice a week (along with the shrimp - can I stop the shrimp, too?). The rest of the time they get Hikari Cichlid pellets and vegetable crisps (a flake food).

Good to know about the peas, but do you mean fresh ones? All I have on hand at the moment are the squishy canned ones. I don't even know if our store carries fresh. They do have the lettuce and zuchini, though, so I'll pick some of that up today.

Thanks for the help, mamafish. Don't us newbies drive you crazy?

Lisa

 

[Miss Wiggle]

you can use frozen peas if you can't get fresh, defrost them in a little bit of water then take the outerbit off as mamafish said and they'll love it

 

[GoinNuts]

you really only need 2 living in Fla. the PH and Amonia test kits.

Wanted to say thanks for telling me this, too! The kit the lfs has told me I NEED tests everything and is quite expensive. I've already gone waaaay overbudget than what we'd originally agreed on, much to dh's dismay. My first go-round of communities got wiped out by ick. That was horrid.

If all I need are the ph and ammonia, I can get the ammonia kit today and be done with that. Btw, do you know if those little ammonia indicator things that hang in the tank are any good or not?

Lisa

you can use frozen peas if you can't get fresh

Dang, I cooked up my last bag of those the other day. I do have brocolli, though. Is brocolli good or a big no-no? Probably have too much iron in them, I'd think.

Lisa

 

[mamafish68]

Since they wont eat the peas lets try Epsom Salt, it's laid out here easier then I could explain so here ya go, I've seen this work MANY times!!!:



Treatment

Once you notice that your fish has lost an appetite for food (and is not just holding fry in her buccal cavity), you should remove it and begin treatment immediately. There are two effective treatments for Bloat that I know of. The first and most common is Metronidazole (Emtryl or Flagyl), and the second is Clout. The treatment should be preceded by a 30% water change (in an effort to improve water conditions) and increased aeration, followed up with a 50% water change. It is also a good idea to remove any biological filters you may be using, even though these drugs claim they don't harm denitrifying bacteria. The initial 30% water change is not necessary if this is a hospital tank not previously in use. The water change is important partially because you won't be performing water changes for the duration of treatment, not to mention the fact that you have just removed a large percentage of your bacteria. Store your filters in some of the water you removed from the tank prior to treatment.

In addition to treating your tank with either one of these drugs, it is also recommended adding an Epsom salt/Table salt mixture to your tank. Mix the two half-and-half, and add a handful of this mixture for every ten gallons of water. Epsom salt is a natural laxative and will help your bloated fish lose some of the water it has been taking on. Epsom salt is very cheap, costing something like $2 for 3 lbs. It can be obtained from any grocery store or pharmacy.

If treating with Metronidazole, add 100 mg (about 1 ½ scoops) for every 10 gallons (or 38 L). Repeat this dosage every two days as required. Fish usually heal (if they

survive the disease) within a week. You can typically tell when this occurs because the infected fish will regain its apetite. If, on the other hand, your infected fish has retained its apetite, you can easily administer this drug with its food. In a disposable cup, add some water from the tank, a few fish food pellets, and a single measure of the drug. After the pellets have soaked for a few minutes, pour all of the contents of the cup into the tank. When administering this drug, turn off any UV, ozone, or chemical filtration as these disable the active ingredients of the medication. Following treatment, perform a 50% water change. SeaChemTM and AquatronicsTM both sell drugs containing Metronidazole, the former being called Metronidazole and the latter being called HexamitTM.

Treating Bloat using Clout is also relatively simple. As already mentioned above, before you begin treatment, remove any carbon you might be using in your filters and perform a 30-40% water change. Using a disposable cup, dissolve in some tank water one tablet of Clout per 10 gallons (round up if necessary). Pour the mixture into the tank just a little bit at a time, perhaps taking a half hour to administer a complete dosage -- this drug can be very strong and so it is important to follow this guideline so as not to shock your already stressed fish. Repeat the same dosage for the next two days, again performing a 30-40% water change beforehand. Daily water changes are essential for Clout's maximum effectiveness. The water changes also facilitate the removal of the old, disabled chemicals. Three days of treatment should be sufficient if the inflammation is not too severe, otherwise treat for a full five days. If after five days, you still don't notice a change, then resume treatment again after a two day hiatus. Once you have concluded the treatment, perform a final water change 24 hours after the last dosage.




PS, YOU HAVE A DH TOO LMAOOOO PM me if you need to and we'll trade emails, hope this works and we can save your fish!