Convict Trouble!

[nanoMama86]

I bought a convict for eight ninety nine at ny local lfs brought him home, acclimatised him and bam that is when i found out he can not swim! He just sits on the bottom of his forty us gallon tank and does nothing. I noticed some of his fins are chewed off , but not to the extent that he should not be able to swim. he was in a ten gallon by himself at the store. if i stick my hand in the tank then he feebly trys to swim but it seems like it is exhausting him.

What should I do? I have a fiery disposition and REALLY want to give the guy a piece of my mind for selling me a sick fish!

He said it had been in a little tussle but was ok. obviously NOT!

 

[CrazyCichlaMomma]

first off i've never heard of paying $9 for a convict. they go for $1 or $2 each around here. even at petsmart and petco.

is he the only fish in the 40 gallon tank? was the tank cycled before you added the convict?

what kind of filtration do you have on the tank?

 

[nanoMama86]

Yeah he screwed me in the butt over a table. the tank is totally cycled with 5 rosy barbs. my filter is an old workhorse aquatech 30-60 jam-packed with bio-balls and floss. i know the rosies have gotta go but damned if i can catch'em. there used to be 20 fish in it until last week when i got my 100 gallon.
the fish is so brilliantly colored i was sure it was reasonably healthy.

 

[CrazyCichlaMomma]

convicts are known to be pouty like oscars.. he may just be pouting because of the new surroundings..

 

[minnnt]

Some sinking food such as Tetra Prima and daily water changes will see his (her) fins recover pretty sharpish if it's just a case of them being nipped. I would imagine you will notice him start to move around more as he settles in over a couple of days.

Make sure the water is well filtered and that the fresh water is always dechlorinated and temperature matched as close as possible before being added back.

And yes, $9 is a bit steep, i would say he turned you over big time.

 

[walkers101]

What are your water stats?

 

[nanoMama86]

my water stats are perfect! ammonia-0, nitrite-0, nitrate-10. He does seem to be perking up a tiny bit. I saw him swim from one end of the tank to the other this morning. i put in some melafix to see if it would help him any. I am about to do a 90% water change and some rescaping including adding sand to see if I can perk him up more.

 

[minnnt]

Surely the rescape would just stress him more? I would wait until he was a bit better before doing something so big.

 

[walkers101]

also dosing meds without just cause is a bit mindless

 

[nanoMama86]

@ walker101, I do not feel it is a mindless application. He is suffering with some torn fins and Melafix is an awesome preventative. I would never use it to treat anything, because it is just not effective if infection is already present.
I decided that for today, just a largish water change with warm water is my best bet.

 

[SBL]

would the sudden temperature change just stress him more?

 

[walkers101]

I have kept cichlids since i have started andd with them you always get aggression from time to time

i have never dose meds for torn fins a few good water changes are just as effective

 

[minnnt]

Water changes will be what save him ultimately.

 

[nanoMama86]

I am totally stumped. He is not getting worse, but he is not getting better either. I have done 2 80% water changes and no difference. I am starting to wonder if i am going to need to euthanize.

 

[CrazyCichlaMomma]

keep the temp up 86 degrees F is a good temp, add a little salt, and a couple air stones. do daily 25% water changes and keep the lights off in the tank as much as possible.

convicts like to do their own landscaping, it's best to just leave it alone unless you're going to add hiding places.