Need help ASAP please! Cichlid in distress.....

[bettaman]

Yesterday I moved my two tanks from girlfriends house, about 165 miles back to my home. I've done this before with no problem. I put the fish in small styro coolers, line them with garbage bags, put some air into them and transport the fish.

I estimate the fish were in the containers from 10:30am to about 12:00am - one container had three loaches, two giant Dainos and my Yellow Lab. I've done this move sucessfully twice...

Last night while acclimating the fish, one of the Dainos died in the bag I was floating. And now the Yellow Lab is at the bottom of the tank breathing VERY heavy and for the most part does not swim.
When he does swim, it seems it is with difficulty. I'm not sure what's going. ALL of the other fish are doing excellent - 3 loaches, 1 Giant Diano, 3 Neon Tetras, 2 Black Phantoms and 4 Panda cory cats - All of these fish are swimming around normally, have a healthy appetite and didn't miss a beat.

What could be going on with the Yellow Lab???

 

[bettaman]

I was thinking....

I had about 6 good sized fish in that small cooler. I have to admit when taking off the lid of the cooler there was noticeable smell.

Is it possible the Lab was poisoned by Ammonia? If so, why are the other fish not affected?

 

[liv2padl]

it does sound like a water quality issue to me. ammonia/nitrite most likely culprit. why some fish succumb and others go unfazed is due to the variability in resistance to these and other toxins by different species and even within the same species. African cichlids are notoriously not hardy to these toxins.

 

[~*LuvMyKribs*~]

I agree sounds like ammonia poisioning... the fish were in the bag for 13.5 hours right? Its a high possibility that they polluted the water, especially if you had fed them before the move.

Did you make sure to preserve the bacteria in the filter/gravel during the move?


-Diana

 

[bettaman]

They were in there for long time, almost 14hrs.

Yes, I preserved the bacteria in the both of the tanks (filter and gravel/sand)

I tested the parameters in the new tank the Cichlid is in:

Ammonia: .25-.50

Nitrate: 5.0-10

Nitrite: 0.0

The Lab is still on the bottom breathing heavily, any suggestions?

 

[liv2padl]

any suggestions?

water changes ... lots of them and big ones.

 

[bettaman]

50% once a day enough?

The parameters of the new tank aren't that bad right?

 

[jm1212]

my question is why were they in the bucket for 14 hours?

 

[liv2padl]

50% once a day enough?

actually, i misread your numbers and mistook the nitrate for nitrite ... in which case the numbers were terrible. the ACTUAL numbers now i have my glasses on, are in fact not that bad. i'd just go ahead with one 50 percent water change and monitor it from there.

 

[bettaman]

Well, after a 50% water change some AmQuel, and plenty of aeration the Yellow Lab is doing MUCH better, not quite his old self yet but he is getting around the tank nicely.