Help with Bolivian Ram

[Jillsjake]

About a month ago, I purchased a Bolivian Ram from Petsmart (my only chain store fish). He was not a baby. He was the only one they had. I bought him to be the "hall monitor" for my male and female pair of Powder Blue Gourami's. He seemed to be perfect for the job, but has since been going down hill. No one picks on him, btw. He just stays in one spot most of the time and runs everyone off.

I have never seen him eat! I've tried everything possible (even garlic soaked). He is very skinny, white stringy poo and having a difficult time breathing. I'm going to try to attach a video. Watch when the female Gourami passes by him. His mouth looks like he is choking or gasping. This also happens when I feed the tank.

I had him in a make shift hospital tank for 10 days and treated him with Kanaplex. He has been back in the main tank for about a week and no change. I just bought a 5 gallon Fluval Chi and put him in it this morning (added salt- 1 Tablespoon). Tonight I was planning on starting API General Cure. Help

Tank parameters: 37 gallon
0- Ammonia and Nitrites
10- Nitrates
7.8- PH
78- temp
Tankmates: 2- Powder Blue Gouramis (male/female)
4- Cory
1- Sailfin Pleco
5- Dwarf Rainbow
4- Diamond Tetra
1- Dwarf Blue Ram
(all juvenile and seemingly healthy)
The main tank is about 3 months old and I am new at this.

 

[Colin_T]

Skinny, losing weight and doing a stringy white poop is usually an internal protozoan infection or worms. If you separate the fish you can treat it with Metronidazole and see how it goes after a week. If no better then try a dewormer for fish.
Praziquantel is used to treat tapeworm and gill flukes in fish and is often available mixed with metronidazole but you will have to see what is available where you live.

What are you feeding the fish?
Bolivian butterfly cichlids like live or frozen (but defrosted) foods like prawn/ shrimp, brineshrimp, bloodworms and daphnia. If you have only been feeding dry foods then pick up some frozen food at the petshop and see if it eats that.

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Don't feed garlic to fish because it can kill them. Same with onions, spring onions, leeks and shallots. They have a chemical in them that is pretty toxic.

 

[Jillsjake]

Skinny, losing weight and doing a stringy white poop is usually an internal protozoan infection or worms. If you separate the fish you can treat it with Metronidazole and see how it goes after a week. If no better then try a dewormer for fish.
Praziquantel is used to treat tapeworm and gill flukes in fish and is often available mixed with metronidazole but you will have to see what is available where you live.

What are you feeding the fish?
Bolivian butterfly cichlids like live or frozen (but defrosted) foods like prawn/ shrimp, brineshrimp, bloodworms and daphnia. If you have only been feeding dry foods then pick up some frozen food at the petshop and see if it eats that.

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Don't feed garlic to fish because it can kill them. Same with onions, spring onions, leeks and shallots. They have a chemical in them that is pretty toxic.

TY Colin! Is Metroplex what I am looking for? Will API General Cure do anything?
I have given him blood worms and some other sort of worm (long, brown and thin)) that my fish store recommended. He ate nothing. Oh, the garlic is a flavored liquid for fish. Should I just throw it away?
Thank you for your help!

 

[Colin_T]

Yes Metroplex will work. It is Metronidazole and should be mixed with food for best results. If the fish doesn't eat then treat it in a separate tank because the medication will wipe out filter bacteria, regardless of what SeaChem says on their website. And it doesn't treat viruses either. But it will treat a lot of internal problems in fish, usually internal protozoan infection, which is probably what the fish has. Just use it according to directions and do it in a quarantine tank if possible.

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The long thin brown worms are usually tubifex or blackworms. Blackworms are cleaner than Tubifex but both can be used if you put them in a container of clean dechlorinated water and keep it clean. If the worms turn grey or white they are dead and can poison fish that eat them.

Frozen bloodworm can be used with the Metroplex. Put some bloodworm in a fine mesh net and let it defrost and drain for a few minutes. Then crush up some Metroplex and mix it with the frozen (but defrosted) bloodworms. Then feed the bloodworm and medication to the fish.

If it still doesn't eat try getting some live brineshrimp from the petshop. You only need a small bag of them and you add some to the tank and hopefully the fish will eat them. If it doesn't eat live brineshrimp then the fish is very unwell. The remaining brineshrimp can be given to your other fishes.

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mmm garlic flavouring for fish. Turn the heater up, add some rice and vegetables, a little garlic and some salt. mmm tasty

yeah just chuck the garlic away, or put it on some sardines and toast

 

[IHaveADogToo]

Praziquantel ... mixed with metronidazole

This is exactly what API general cure is.

 

[Colin_T]

I knew I forgot something. Use the API General Cure because it will treat tapeworm and internal protozoan infections, whereas the Metroplex will only do the protozoans.

Thanks for that Ihaveadoggytoo