Sick mbuna

P

powellmacaque

AC Members
Feb 16, 2005
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St. Petersburg, FL
My scofoli mbuna has been swimming weird as of late, but it would normally subside after about an hour, only to return maybe a month later.

Now it lays on its side barely moving. Sometimes its breathing is frantic, other times it's relaxed. He shows no other symptoms, and the other fish in the tank are fine. What should I start looking for?
 
Not looking good for him by the sound of things. Set up a quarantine tank, do a large daily water change for a week, see if he improves.

Without description of physical symtoms (if he as any others) its impossible to say what it might be or how it might be treated.

How old is he btw ?

And can you test your water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate with a good liquid drop test kit.
 
Sorry to hear that. 5 or 6 years is not terribly short of his full life - although you would expect perhaps to come closer to 9. I suspect it is just one of those things.
 
I was thinking it was aggression. Although he had no nip marks, he was the king of his tank for a while, and now it seems as though a new pecking order was established shortly before his death.

I'm actually surprised it lived that long. I got him and another scolofi at a pet store about 5 years ago and they were both sickness ridden. I'm glad to have cured him and given him a good home for at least 5 years.
 
I'm sorry about the sad news. Can you explain better how was that weird swimming? I'm thinking about a tumor that was gradually getting worse with time.
 
You'd be guessing but if it got either one of an injury or infection to its swim bladder this would cause that kind of behaviour - either one of those could be brought on by stress/aggression (acute injury, chronic infection).
 
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