if they are being bullied and I am just not seeing it, could it be because they are not feeling well? They are very active when I feed them and I do see them eat.
Sunken stomach?
- Thread starter ksmith3631
- Start date
I would watch them at feeding time, see if they’re eating well , if there spitting food out or just ignoring food. If they’re eating well then watch for them to poop. If the poo is white and/or translucent and thread like or if they’re going for food and spitting it out, that’s probably a sign of parasites or early Malawi bloat and I would treat with Metronidazole. Kensfish has a good Metronidazole flake food.
If they’re interested in food but being bullied out of eating, I would grow them out some in another tank and then reorganize the decor before putting them back
You may be able to get by with that mix in a 40 gallon. They're all small and are growing up together. That is going to be an awful lot of cichlid in that tank, because they'll all get 4.5 inches or better. I would still consider upgrading to a larger tank at some time in the future.
You need a lot more cover if you're going to make it work. Here is a link giving some guidance for setting up a Lake Malawi tank. Note the picture toward the middle of the page as an example of how to reduce aggression. You don't need the exact type of rock or even driftwood or even full "rocks". You can use the hollow cichlid rocks like you have in the corner and any type of decorations or plastic plants you want. You just want more of it. The key is to create a lot of hiding places and plenty of paths through the cover which the fish can use to flee aggression. You want to break up the line of sight. With these fish, an aggressor won't usually chase another long once the that fish is out of its sight.
When you're right there you may not see a lot of aggression or hiding in the corner. The fish are conditioned to act differently when you're there because you feed them. But if you're seeing any, then it's a lot worse when you're not there. Increasing the cover in the tank will help that.
I'm still not entirely convinced it's a parasite; if it is it's probably worms. It very well may be due to stress. If they do appear to be eating well and the poop doesn't look right (whitish or grayish and long and stringy), then it may be worms and Sprinkle gave a couple of possible meds. Since you don't have a hospital tank. Treating the entire tank will be fine. You don't have any sensative inverts or plants.
WYite
You need a lot more cover if you're going to make it work. Here is a link giving some guidance for setting up a Lake Malawi tank. Note the picture toward the middle of the page as an example of how to reduce aggression. You don't need the exact type of rock or even driftwood or even full "rocks". You can use the hollow cichlid rocks like you have in the corner and any type of decorations or plastic plants you want. You just want more of it. The key is to create a lot of hiding places and plenty of paths through the cover which the fish can use to flee aggression. You want to break up the line of sight. With these fish, an aggressor won't usually chase another long once the that fish is out of its sight.
When you're right there you may not see a lot of aggression or hiding in the corner. The fish are conditioned to act differently when you're there because you feed them. But if you're seeing any, then it's a lot worse when you're not there. Increasing the cover in the tank will help that.
I'm still not entirely convinced it's a parasite; if it is it's probably worms. It very well may be due to stress. If they do appear to be eating well and the poop doesn't look right (whitish or grayish and long and stringy), then it may be worms and Sprinkle gave a couple of possible meds. Since you don't have a hospital tank. Treating the entire tank will be fine. You don't have any sensative inverts or plants.
WYite
One thing I forgot to say. Fishorama is right; you need to get them eating very well soon. To that end, I suggest feeding these guys twice a day if you can. For the evening meal, get something irresistible such as chopped beef heart, chopped shrimp, frozen blood worms, frozen mysis shrimp or frozen brine shrimp. All of these should stimulate appetite. Feed enough that there actually is a little extra to ensure that the sickly fish are getting enough, and after an hour siphon anything left out so that it doesn't rot over night and foul the tank. Also, I've never liked flakes for cichlids. My fish always seem to gradually end up wasting away on flakes. Flake foods never seem to be enough. Look into a pellet or stick food and start feeding it now. Just break the pellets or sticks into bite-sized pieces. I've always had better luck weaning cichlids away from flakes and onto pellets at a smaller size/younger age.
When you're feeding them this second meal, watch the stomachs of the two with sunken bellies to see if there is any distension of the bellies at all. If it looks rounded you know they are eating. If the poop still looks white or greyish, I'd go a head and start treating for a parasite.
WYite
I do
Did you buy them at a LFS or online? I ask because many times fish I’ve bought online from farms have this concaved stomach. I think parasites are rampant on farms but a lot of them also hold the fish without food for a few days to limit the poo in the bag while shipping. Because of this, any fish i buy online i always feed with a medicated food for the first two weeks. Even if they look fine.
