Fish Permanently Sick?

I had an outburst of disease in my new tank months ago. I referred to it as the plague. I lost a green terror and a spotted pike cichilid within a week. My spotted sailfin pleco appeared to have ich, and my 2 Jewel Cichilids also became ill.

I treated with elevated temps to around 84-86, salt, pimafix, melafix, and later jungle labs anti fungal tabs. I believe the fungal tablets are what healed up the fin rot, and the excess body slime I was seeing.

Unfortunately it's been months since the outburst and my 2 jewel cichilids don't appear happy. They are almost always hiding in seperate spots in the tank. One does come out from time to time and likes to lay on the bottom. If it sees something like a big german shephard or person, the fish tends to go absolutely berserk and zip around the tank looking for a way out.

This is not how the fish behaved before they became ill, and from what I've read, is not normal for jewel cichilid behavior. Everytime someone mentions jewel cichlid, someone gets up on their soap box and says there are 6 species. I'm still trying to figure this out. Mine look very similar to this picture.


I took the picture from this site.

Things seemed to take a turn for the even worse when I started feeding them jungle labs antibacterial food. Instead of just sitting around, the fish became determined to hide and super easy to spook as described above. One hides in a spanish gallion, and the other in a plastic rock formation cave thing. Interestingly enough, I've found the one in the rock formation hiding nose up. I figured they had something internal because they weren't very active. After 2 weeks of that, and a lot of slimy, clear, yucky, fecal matter, I put the tank back on hikari mini pellets.

Breathing doesn't seem heavy. Color is somewhat pale. The one that comes out usually sits on the bottom with it's tail slightly cocked to the side. I think the food is being eaten, because I do see waste on the bottom of the tank, and it's disappearing.

My tank has been cycled, though I did detect a minor disturbance from the jungle labs tabs, that gave me a detectable (.25-.50ppm) amount of ammonia at one point. My water vitals are 0 ppm amm, 0 ppm nitrite, 10-20ppm nitrate, 78F.

I'm open to any suggestions. It really sucks having a 40 gallon with a pleco, and 2 cichlids that rarely show themselves.

OrionGirl said:

Have you run carbon to remove the meds from the water? Done enough water changes to reduce the salt levels? Just trying to get a better picture of what's happening here...

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I reintroduced carbon into the filter about 2 weeks ago. Should I remove the carbon again? I've read it's lifespan is 2 weeks and then it's just for show. My filter sponge is died green. Should I replace that, or is rinsing it in the removed tank water sufficient. I have been doing frequent water changes to get the salt out, though when the meds were in, I cut back and just watched the levels of amm/nitri/nitra. I let it go 2 weeks without a change in water the last time I did the jungle tabs. that was about a month ago.

I will continue to do the water changes and see what pops up on here.

OrionGirl said:

I'd replace the carbon. It's effective life span is not set--it's based on use. When there is more in the water to remove, like right after medicating, it can be used up pretty quickly. The additional water changes help as well by diluting the meds, by I prefer to go with carbon. The dying of the filter media isn't really an issue.

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ok... I'll pick up another carbon cartridge

Any other changes? Different lighting, or different lighting schedule? In the future, when medicating, rather than reduce water changes, keep on the same water change schedule, just medicate for the water removed as well--if you remove 20%, add medication for just that amount of water. I prefer to use just a single treatment method as well, since drug interactions can have unknown consequences.

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Now that you mention it.... My light went out a while ago and it was on the dim side. I think I have a 24" fluourescent fixture. The light I replaced it with is much brighter. It's not an aquarium specific bulb. Maybe a cool white. I'm not sure.. I can check when I'm out of the office. I do recall a change in behavior after the light was change in terms of timidity. I'd expect them to get used to it, but I'm by no means an expert. I have them on a 12 hour light cycle I think. 8am-8pm

For grins I went to the fish store today to peek at their Jewel Cichilids again. Last time I went to see if there were any with the odd colored eye. One of mine has weird eyes. By weird I mean that the outer ring around the eye is black. I can almost swear the 2 fish look somewhat different in terms of fin shape, and body coloring but I may be mistaken.

This time I noticed something very interesting. It's been a month since visiting that particular fish store, but I noticed all of the jewels were of a red tinge. Last time they looked very simililar to mine or like the picture at the beginning of this thread. The tank was the same. Maybe they turned all the fish around or they all died and were replaced by another batch.

I know there are turquoise colored jewels, and the site I linked says something about different degrees of redness. I know mine have pretty much no red like the picture. When I bought them, the tank said red jewel cichlid. I wonder if the lack of red is from being sick, or just the fish.

OrionGirl said:

That one I can't address--don't have anough specific knowledge. Sorry! Posting a pic of your fish might help others, though.

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Maybe the little buggers will give me a chance to get a snapshot one of these days. Maybe they're just content hiding? I could see the one inside the spanish gallion yesterday being nosy when I changed some water. The other one came out from behind the rocks, but went frantic as usual when I looked at it wrong.

I put white paper between the light and the glass lid. It's a lot darker in there now. Maybe they will come out?