What Would Cause A T-Bar Cichlid Not To Eat?

[razer121]

Guys....i dont tend to post to much as ive learnt so much i barly need to but this time im stumped! my t-bar breeding pair....have gone into a very odd way of life...as in there not eating anymore! its been 4 days now and there starting to become none moving!

so tank states are ok, the tank is a 140Litre and has been up for about 8 months now, its hevily planted and they have spawned in it 3 times now, problem is....the last batch they decide to kill! its been since then that they have become none eaters i decided to break the tank down and clean it completely, filter and all (in old tank water) ive been keeping an eye on things and now im just stuck, now water change or clean is helping them and there is no signs of illness, the only problem is white stringy poo (there not eating so i exspect this) the female is hiding behind the filter and the male is sitting underneath it, ive caught him nipping at her and chasing her, im pretty sure he wants to breed again!

Also something else i noticed when watching my male, he will grab abit of the food then spit it out....as if he doesnt want it! im lost guys

 

[star4]

Have they sucessfully raised fry before? I am just wondering if something was wrong with the fry (bacterial infection?) which made the parents eat them and the parents have caught it. Personally I would run a course of an antibacterial meds see how they go.

Forgot to add, I would also seperate them if possible till they are both fit and eating again.

 

[mattlee]

white stringy poo is normally internal parasites. interpet anti internal bacteria treatment has worked well for me in the past.

 

[shroob]

How long ago was it since you completely broke the tank down? From your post I think its 4 days ago (when they started to act funny), so it may be that they are just sulking from the change around.

Though to be on the safe side I would treat with meds if you feel that needs to be done.

 

[razer121]

thanks for the input, it was a few days ago i striped the tank, but they was acting like this before, they have raised fry once on there second attempt (from memory) but they have lost a fair few (bad parents if you ask me!) Anyhow i dont want to run any meds if i dont need to...i'm going to give them untill friday then i think i may add meds

 

[mattlee]

plenty of fresh water and observation until friday then. maybe even run carbon for a few days incase anything has entered the water
dont forget to remove though if you do treat with meds

 

[razer121]

Ok but i've started treatment! i noticed my female is badly bloated (like dropsy kind of bloat but without the scales sticking out) the male is showing no signs at all gos for the food then spits it out as normal, anyway im using interpet internal parasite to treat carbon is not in the tank. I've also pulled a bit of white stringy poo from the tank floor it was about 2 inchs in length, there was thicker parts to it

 

[mattlee]

Ok but i've started treatment! i noticed my female is badly bloated (like dropsy kind of bloat but without the scales sticking out) the male is showing no signs at all gos for the food then spits it out as normal, anyway im using interpet internal parasite to treat carbon is not in the tank. I've also pulled a bit of white stringy poo from the tank floor it was about 2 inchs in length, there was thicker parts to it

it might be worth treating with wormer plus or similar as well, these meds can be used at the same time. just to eliminate any worm infection etc at the same time

 

[razer121]

ah thats great news! i just happen to have some. Something i noticed, my male has beaten the poor female up pretty bad, she has a very white mouth now...his is not as bad but its obviouse what has happened, the only problem is im not able to catch her to remove her from the tank there is alot of hiding places mind, i belive they lip locked so im hoping she is fine, otherwise i will end up pulling the tank down to catch her and move her to her own tank!

 

[razer121]

Well im still unable to get them to eat...ive split them up and all breeding colours have gone....yet they still refuse to eat whats a good source of food to try with them? ive thought about live bloodworm, or is there something else i can try?

 

[kizno1]

I would try live bloodworm because its moving it might get there attention and eat it. Evan small shrimp might work. Im not sure what else you can do apart from keep treating the tank. Hope it works out

 

[razer121]

treatment is over...i dont want to treat again