Lost My Red Zebra

[GoinNuts]

He was one of our first 2 cichlids. About a week ago, he started swimming funny and looking pretty 'fat'. I put him in my 10 gal hospital tank and did the salt bath and a bacterial treatment but to no avail. He fought the good fight, but finally lost the battle last night.

I noticed this morning that my other red is not acting happy now (hiding, not eating) so I took my water in for sampling and my nitrites have spiked. Nitrates and ammonia are good, but the ph is 8.4.

I treated the tank with biozyme and am not sure what else to do next. (ETA: I also did a 50% water change before adding the biozyme.)

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. TIA.

Lisa

 

[Nick Sw]

I`m having a similar kind of episode I hope you get to the bottom of it and good luck.

 

[fish_r_great]

What were you feeding?

 

[GoinNuts]

What were you feeding?

Hikari Cichlid pellets and tropical crisps (to provide spirulina). Once a week they get a few brine shrimp and a couple of shelled peas.

The other fish (2 electric yellows, 1 albino red zebra, 1 johanni and a female kenyi) seem to be just fine. Only the reds are having a problem.

Is the diet I am giving incorrect or too varied?

Lisa

 

[brewyn]

I dont think that throwing treatments into your water without 1st identifying what the problem is will help you, I would suggest that you do yourself some smaller water changes, 15% every other day untill you nitrites come back to normal. It does appear that you tank is suffering a mini cycle and the water changes are no doubt the best way to go at the moment.

sorry Lisa, although the info is correct, I have mixed you up with the poor woman on here yesterday who was losing fish after fish.

 

[GoinNuts]

I dont think that throwing treatments into your water without 1st identifying what the problem is will help you

So adding the biozyme was a bad thing? If it's a mini-cycle problem (which spiked nitrites would indicate?) , all my research led me to think that b/z (along with water changes) would help. What else do I need to look at to identify the problem? Temp? It's 78. Diet? I posted that info above.

Lisa

 

[fish_r_great]

Hmm. I don't think it will spread to the other fish. I don't know why it happened you diet is ok maybe more Spirulina and less protein, but that shouldn't have caused the bloat.