Sunken stomach?

[ksmith3631]

Hi,
I have a 40 gallon tank with a Penn-Plax 700 canister filter and 6 small African cichlids in it. I noticed that 2 of my cichlids have sunken stomaches, like an inward curve to them. They eat well, but seem a bit shy, so I am thinking something is bothering them. I have seen in other posts that it could possibly be a parasite. I am wondering what I can do to help my fish with this issue.
Any advise would be very much appreciated.
Thanks.
Just as a secondary note the 2 fish with the sunken stomachs are small, just about 2 inches long and haven't fully developed their color, so they are young. Also I do not have a quarantine tank, so was wondering if they need to be treated can I treat the whole tank even though most of the fish are healthy?
Thanks again.

 

[dudley]

What does the feces look like, thick and food colored or whitish and stringy?

How long have you had them and what are you food are you feeding?

 

[ksmith3631]

Hi,
I honestly haven't seen the feces to tell you. I will keep an eye out for it though.
I have only had them for about 2 weeks now.
I am feeding them 3 different things to mix it up.
Spirulina 20
Bug Bites - Cichlid formular
TetraCichlid - Cichlid flakes

 

[ksmith3631]

I just inserted a picture to show what he looks like.

 

[Wyomingite]

I just inserted a picture to show what he looks like.

View attachment 229374

This one is a female hap or peacock, or a very young male. I'm leaning female.

Dudley started asking the questions, repeated with mine as well...

What do the feces look like?
What are you feeding them?
What are all of the species in your tank (all six fish)?
How large are all the fish in your tank?
How much decor do you have in the tank?
I'm not worried about all the water parameters since it appears the other four fish are healthy.

A full tank picture would be helpful toward determining whether the cause may be aggression and stress or not. Pics of each fish would be helpful as well to double check you do have the species you were told you have. Even if they're sold as mixed Africans, it may be possible to ID the species.

It may be a parasite, but I'm wondering if the fish are actually eating as well as they should or as well as you think. It sounds to me like the two that are shy and getting sunken bellies are either females or subdominant males, and that they are shy because they're isn't enough cover in the tank and they're getting bullied. Females will get bullied because they are unwilling to breed and subdominant males will get bullied by more dominant males. Rift Valley cichlids like you have can be very territorial, and it looks like you have Lake Malawi species. A 40 gallon is small for a tank for most Malawi species. It can be done with the right mix of "peaceful" species or a breeding group of peacocks or small haps. But it is nearly impossible to accomplish as a mbuna or mixed mbuna/hap tank unless you have a lot of experience with these fish and really know your species. I don't recommend anything smaller than a 55 for newer hobbyists.

So more questions than answers for you, but in order to make sure we're giving you the best advice we need the additional information.

WYite

 

[dudley]

Thanks for the info K ksmith3631 !

Yes the belly looks a bit concave in that pic and as Wyomingite said, it's possible those are not getting enough to eat.

Do you see any of the sunken belly fish staying up near the top of the tank or in the upper corners of the tank or hiding in the decor? If so that is usually a sign they are being bullied by the other fish.

 

[Sprinkle]

Can be worms as well

 

[ksmith3631]

thank you for the reply.
To answer your questions.

I honestly haven't seen the feces to tell you. I will keep an eye out for it though.
I have only had them for about 2 weeks now.

I am feeding them 3 different things to mix it up.
Spirulina 20
Bug Bites - Cichlid formular
TetraCichlid - Cichlid flakes

I know these fish can be agressive, but to be honest they have all been getting along very well. A little chasing here and there, but nothing extreme.

1) Haplochromis sp. "flameback", 1.5 inch, Victorian African Cichlid
2) Aulonocara Blue Neon Undu Point 1.5 inch African Cichlid
3) Sunshine Peacock Aulonocara Cichlid
4) Reuben Peacock "Ruby" Aulonocara African Cichlid
5) not sure what it is called (orange fish) but think it is a Malawi
6) same on this one ( has a salmon color to it)

I do have caves for them to hide in. I have attached pictures for you to see.

 

[ksmith3631]

Thanks for the info K ksmith3631 !

Yes the belly looks a bit concave in that pic and as Wyomingite said, it's possible those are not getting enough to eat.

Do you see any of the sunken belly fish staying up near the top of the tank or in the upper corners of the tank or hiding in the decor? If so that is usually a sign they are being bullied by the other fish.

At times they will stay in the corner for a bit.

 

[Sprinkle]

1. I would add more rocks maybe and some wood?

2. that leaves me with worms then, cichlids are susceptible to them.
Fenbendazole or flubendanzole, but i still sould wait for others’ opinions.