Weirdest Cichlid Ever

[kubora666]

right my 8" green terror has this most amazing habbit.
i got him for £1 when he was 1"long, but now hes grown really fast and he used to be so active swimming from side to side following people around the room,
whereas now he sits at the bottom of the tank lieka goby, and he shuffles along the gravel. and only swims to the surface for food, but then drops like a rock right to the bottom, asif hes full of stones. hes perfectly healthy and active, trying to kill you through the glass and puffing up his gills.
but is there anyway i can get him out of this habbit?

tuurlijk

 

[kubora666]

BUMP

 

[cheesy feet]

BUMP

Someone elses GT was doing this a while back,said it was just his behaviour.Might of been you ( ).Maby they get tired of swimming?!

 

[thegnu]

the behavior dosnt seem natural, maybe there is something wrong with its swim bladder

 

[Mystix212]

Wouldnt that suck, if a fish got to a certain age said, bah this swimming is boring, all I do is go from one side of a box to another, for 10 years!

On a totally different topic, your GT might have serious consipation weighing him down, feed him peas, and perhaps an epsom salt bath.

 

[cheesy feet]

Wouldnt that suck, if a fish got to a certain age said, bah this swimming is boring, all I do is go from one side of a box to another, for 10 years!

On a totally different topic, your GT might have serious consipation weighing him down, feed him peas, and perhaps an epsom salt bath.

Hold on hold on .Before you tell him to treat a fish with a salt bath (and god knows what other methods will be thought up ,not directed to you )we need to know if he is ill! kubora said it was a habbit , if he swims, comes for food and tries to kill you ( ) i doubt he's ill.Tolak seems to know a alot about diseases.Maybe pm him if you are worried.

 

[Mystix212]

I was just thinking of something out of reason. Of course he's not phyically sick

 

[kubora666]

he was fine and active in my other 4ft
but i changed it into a Skilpadder tank and he went to live at a huge dispaly tank in the entrance of a LFs who im very good friends with the owner. he said he would hold onto him for me until i wanted him back, and he sed he was even offered £250 once for him. however he started excibiting this behavoir at the lfs, and i hoped bringing him home would change it.
these are some of the things i thought of...
*Gravel or stones inside him
*Swimbladder deformaty, as the fish grew he adapted for a lifestyle on the substrate
*swimbladder problems.
i really am confused what to do because other then the being really heavy and falling to the bottom after feeding, or generaly being boring, he is an absolutely stunning fish, when he swims he swims like a Bichir with his head high and body flailing behind.
if he needs medication im sure il be able to treat him, but surely it cant be psycological.
id really apreciate some help on this, and thanks all for contributing so far.

kubora666

 

[Mystix212]

250 quid! Thats roughly 500 or so australian which would buy about 2 excellent canister filters in my neck of the woods.

I he used to sand sift perhaps a build-up of sand has increased in his stomach and so its too much to cope with?

Can you please post a few more pictures of him, particually of his stomach area.
Thanks

 

[kubora666]

i took some pictures just now of him, he sandsifted before in the LFS showtank,
his stomach is completely flat, like a plec. he swims from side to side, but it looks very forced and tiring,

hope this helps shed some light on the sitch
kubora Vuohenraiskaaja

 

[Scott MacAdam]

WOW! beautiful fish.... I really don't know why that would happen.....

maybe it has something to do with what you are feeding it??? just a random guess though....
maybe if he is constipated these symptoms would occur? as mentioned above.... try feeding him a pea or 2 and see if it makes any difference.....

On a side note.... how big/old is that fish?

 

[kubora666]

hes about 9" and a year and a few months old.
exept this he seems really healthy, i really want him to start swimming again, how is this possible ?
my brother seems to think as he grew so fast in the LFS showtank his swimbladder didnt have time to grow,
but i personaly dont see why a fish with alot of room would develope wrongly... if anything hed be mega colourful and healthy, like he is.
surely someone else has had this problem ?
äc vuohenraiskaaja

 

[cheesy feet]

i took some pictures just now of him, he sandsifted before in the LFS showtank,
his stomach is completely flat, like a plec. he swims from side to side, but it looks very forced and tiring,

hope this helps shed some light on the sitch
kubora Vuohenraiskaaja

i would change the substrate,maybe the sand is getting in his stomach?

 

[kubora666]

no its not, he started doing it in the LFS show tank, i brought him home a month ago, and since before then hes been doing it, so its not my substrate
i tell you its a real mystery...

 

[Paul_MTS]

Doing the same as my GT except mines on his side flapping about and wont eat.

I suspect he had a stroke, I'ved tried a few treatments with him but they all do nothing.

He had the stroke back November and he hasn't eaten since, needless to say hes a bit skinny now.

Dont have the heart to kill the fella.