My cichlid is acting crazy! Please help!

[AlizeElizabeth]

I am not a very experienced fish owner so please bear with me as I try to explain everything.

I noticed some spots (black ones) on my fish's side, and I was told it was ick. I treated the tank for it and the fish seemed fine. During the time before I treated them, though, one of my cichlids was spinning in circles and his eyes didn't look quite right. After treating them they seemed fine.

A couple days later, today, I noticed my blue cichlid was shaking /vibrating like when he gets mad, and then he stopped and starting darting around the tank. It stopped, but then a few hours later, he went insane and swam full speed, very hard at the top hood of the tank and literally knocked the hood up into the air and half off the side of the tank; this scared me. Immediately after doing this, he swam hard face first into the glass of the tank and then into the divider screen. I notice now, he keeps going to the top of the water and sticking his head up out of the water, like as if he's trying to get out! I feel so bad, I love my fish and I have had him for 2 yrs now so there is no reason he should be acting like this...

Also - one other thing. I noticed some very teeny tiny white stringy things on the top of the inside of the tank before I cleaned the tank out the other day, and they almost looked like worms! But very tiny. They did move. Im assuming it was some type of parasite, and I was told this can be taken care of when I treated them for the ick, as the medecine would kill off whatever parasites were in the tank. Could this be what is causing my fish to act so out of his element? Any help to my situation would be very much appreciated!

[Barb Okla]

well for one thing, ICH is white spots, not black spots..

Shaking/vibrating is a male trying to attract a female to spawn. NOT sure on the dash across the tank deal. UNLESS he was chasing the female.
NOT sure also on why he banned his head on the top.. U could be right, he is insane..

I dont' know if any fish other than a big American, Oscar, Midas or a Red Devil, that can make a hood go sidways on a tank..

What kind of cichlid is it? AND HOW big is the tank?

As U did med for ICH then U need to run fresh carbon in the tank to remove all of it out and do a 30% water change and see if that helps with their behavor.

the worms are a asign of your gravel not being VAC every water change. Harmless really, they just look bad..

Some of the ich meds can really mess with fish and it has been known to kil them out right..

[AlizeElizabeth]

Thanks very much for the reply!

Well, I have no female fish in the tank. I have two males, and I have to keep them seperated via a divider because they are both territory freaks and end up nearly killing each other when they're together. I was thinking of buying a female today, but decided against it until I can get whatever he's going through figured out.

I am shocked that the people at the aquarium store would tell me that they had ich when in fact that isn't at all what it is. I am going to call and complain tomorrow and ask to speak to a manager. And here I went about 15 minutes ago giving them their second dose of medication...I had no idea it could be harmful to them! Thanks for the warning!

I suppose I should change half the water out? I just did this the other day so I'm not sure if its such a good idea...Any advice?

Well, I only have the two cichlids, and they are both African. Oddly enough, there is a pic of two fish in the gallery (actually, there are three fish in the picture but the top two are the ones Im referring to) that look identical to mine! [url]http://www.cichlidfish.com/fishgallery/displayimage.php?pos=-18[/url] (The top two are the ones that look identical to mine) It was a pic you actually posted up, Barb. I have an adult male Kenyi and also an adult male cobalt blue zebra. The zebra is the one acting insane.

Anyways, I am going to vaccum out the gravel tomorrow - I had no idea the worms could come from that! Who knew! I did it about a month ago - I'm not sure how often Im supposed to do it but I am going to do it tomorrow!

Thanks so much for all this awesome info. Any further tips or advice is welcome!!!

[AlizeElizabeth]

Oh -- one other thing. The tank is a 10 gal right now - My father in law is giving me a huge tank tomorrow so that should help! Thanks again.

[Barb Okla]

Well black spots on an african is black spot. seriously!! U can only treat that with cooper salts.. AND that is another dangerouse drug. SO right now DO NOTHING as they are not a serious problem like the ICH but can get their later.

NOW ON doing your 10 gal tank, U do need to do a 3 gal water change ASAP!! But I would wait until U move the fish to the new tank to really clean the gravel. AND not use anything from the 10gal. just empty it out and really wash the gravel in hot water and trash it or put it in a container/other and mark it as used but washed good.. ( I use old/bad gravel in my flower pots! just a suggestion)

HOW big of a tank are U getting?? On a tank bigger than a 29gal U need 2 filters. ON a 55gal I run 2 Emperor 400..
Filter your tank 10x the gallons or close too.. Bio-Wheel filters are the best U can have for a tank. they help with cycling and getting your good bio started faster. ON LINE is cheaper for a Emperor if U go that route. Other filters too..

YES U need to VAC the gravel EVERYTIME U do a w/change!!
Also the filter need to be cleaned. Concider the filter as the tolit of the tank.. U wil totally remove it EVERY OTHER week to clean it!! (africans only need it cleaned by-weekly, not weekly) they are great at eating most foods.

some tips from an OLD tank ot a NEW tank:

IF U ARE USING THE EXCISTING GRAVEL IN THE LARGER TANK and it was RUNNING before the trear down,, it has good bacterial in it to help U RECYCLE the tank faster!! IF the gravel has not dryed out, U can just reuse it. DO NOT clean it with tap water!! this distroys all good bacteria. IF the gravel is dryed out, then U can go ahead and clean it or do a different substrate U want in the tank, but the tank is going to have to CYCLE back from everything being NEW..

IF the larger tank is running right now, then remove as much water as U can SAVE without disturbing the gravel!! Then VAC the gravel good and use it as is.. IF the tank is staying put and U are just adding in the fish, then great!!

DO NOT USE ANY PART FROM THE 10GAL!! WATER/GRAVEL.. U can do the deco but I would clean it good under hot tap water to kill out most parasites that might be on it. This way U know U are starting out fresh and U left most bads back in the 10gal. just clean the 10gal good and keep it handy for other later on. DO NOT reuse the gravel.

sound OK?? I wil get U a link on treating black spot. See secound picture.. is this what your fish have?? IF Not then let me know..
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/artic ... d=&aid=443

U need ot follow the directions ON the meds U GET. I use Aqua Sol in my tanks. it is a monthly med OR U can do it daily. . ONE TIME and U are set..works great for many problems..
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... catid=4720

[AlizeElizabeth]

Barb -

Your reply was so helpful and insightful! Once again - thank you!!

I am picking the tank up today from my father in law, and I'm so excited to set it up! He mentioned to me that live coral is a good way to keep the Ph balanced - do you know if this is true or not? I don't want to just go by what he says - even though he means well, I want to be sure that's correct before I go ahead and actually do it.

So, if I understand what you're saying correctly - don't use any of the water from the 10 gal or even the gravel from the 10 gal? How do I establish good bacteria for the fish in the new tank since I am starting out fresh with it - its not a pre-established tank. Any other ideas or tips you might be able to share would be appreciated once again!

How long have you been a cichlid owner? How many do you have? You seem to know so much!! Its impressive.

As for the picture - yes, my one fish has black spots on the side of him. Only a few - like 5 or 6. They're really small. I know they haven't always been there and seemed to have appeared a couple weeks ago.

As for the fish who was acting crazy, he's acting a lot more normal now. He does however have teeny tiny little bubbles stuck to his body. Do you know what this might be?

Thanks again!

[Barb Okla]

ON the Ph, what is it OUT of your tap?? IF around 7.8 to 8.0 and UP, then U dont' need to do much at all. IF Lower, I would do a buffer for a high Ph tank to keep it up and not worry about it swinging low or high. Also YOUR GH/KH need to be tested to see where they are at. these control your Ph.

YES and NO on the coral keeping it high, it really depends on your HARDNEDSS= GH/KH to begain with.. IF low, say under 7.6 by the time U do a tank cleaning and water change, it brings it down, so really having the coral IN the tank is useless.. Coral breaks down as it sits and really need to have water rush over it. U can however, place some in a filter media fine bag and place it in the filter AFTER the media pad so it does not catch waste/other in its crevices and that wil break it down to replenish the hardness, GH into the water. A good buffer wil do this for U and NO worries incase U forget and dont' get the shells changed out by-weekly..
So really U just need to kow where your GH/KH are at. these control your Ph naturally.. GH (general hardness) needs to be higer in # than the KH (temp hardness) This is a double test kit that is easy to use. one drop, cap, shake, redo until the water changes colors.. KEEP COUNT of the drops per shake then x that by 17.9 to get your PPM (parts per million) Say it is 12 drops per GH so it is 12 X 17.9= 214.8 ppm. that is good. NOW KH needs to be lower say 10.. 10x 17.9= 179. that is a stable KH. but any # under 7 is trouble as it is not strong enough to handle the Ph from crashing later from Ammonia to hight nitrates in your water.

I have been keeping fish since 2000. started with a 55gal then add more as I needed them. 12 tanks running right now. sometimes it is to much, and other times it is NOT enough tanks. O well.

NO do not use any part of the 10gal. I was thinking MAYBE the water, but with the meds and other probs, U migh do more harm than good.

NOW if U do a 50% water change, 2days before U do the new tank, THEN U can add the water in, BUT DO NOT DISTURB THE GRAVEL!! U said U had worms so U do not want them in the new tank..

Any deco, like plants other is a ify deal. IF U do have parasites in these tank, U do not want to have them in the new tank.. so again, U are going to have to start from scartch on this tank.. U can however, do the filter on the new tank and that should help U some.

U dont' say now big the NEW tank is..

[fightoffURdemons]

I am also new to this, but I have done quite a bit of research in attempts to try and figure out what is wrong with my little guys, but when you said "black spots" and "tiny worms that moved" it made me think of this site that I go to to (maybe you have already figured out the problem) but this site numbers the top 20 diseases and their symptoms, and one mentioned black spots, and one mentioned the worms.... Here is the link... Maybe it will help! Good luck!
http://www.fishdeals.com/fish_diseases/ ... ease.shtml

[Barb Okla]

Good link to keep handy AND WHEN U do click on the disease name, U bring up the cure and what to look for in your fish.. THAT is good to know too..

Old post but good to keep some coming back so other ppl can see what they did or didnt' do OR what was suggested to do.. well something like that..

Interesting handle U hve their!! Dont' we all need to chase some off one time or another!! Makes U stop and think on that one!!

[fightoffURdemons]

Well, thank you Barb!! I agree with you, thats why I try to use that phrase in everyday life, it truly is a good handle.... Just the fact that it made you stop and think, proves that it IS as thought provoking as I had hoped.

By the way, Thank you so much for your advice in my 911.I did exactly what you said. Since Im new, I didnt really realize that the AquaSafe, the Stress Coat, and the Prime were all water conditioners!! But now it makes perfect sense. And I WAS wondering if it was possible that I was just being a hypo-condriact about them being sick and that perhaps I had been treating them with TOO MANY meds.

I am getting a 55 gal this week hopefully, so I may need some tips on how to start that baby up, but I will post once I get it to give you the specs and the accessories that its coming with, and hopefully it will go smoothly!

Again, thanks for replying so quickly, I actually went to the pet store today to pick up some ornaments for them to make more hiding spots, and I was about to start with an Anti-Fungal or Marycn??... but luckily, I decided to check the post for a response right before I walked out the door, in which case my African Children may all be floating by now..... Instead, they seem pretty happy.... Well, at least I think they are happy, they havent stopped chasing each other since....

[Barb Okla]

I am SO GLAD that U checked your Email before U left!! AND SO GLAD U did what i said/suggested,, on taking care of your tank ASAP..
So GLAD they are doing better!!

AND See!! A good water change and less of dechlor/salt/meds does wonders!!

I see U hve more ?? in the other posting, so I will go their to post on your ??..

[Aether187]

I was wondering why it seems maybe twice a week I find dead cichlids in my tank. Out 60 peacock fry I have lost every single one. I saw with my own eyes the fish was startled by my slow moving Albino Pleco and darted back then forward, he stopped then began to shake as if to get a females attention. Darted to the top of the tank twice then straight into the side of the tank...dead! This is not the first time I've bred Peacocks but this is the 1st time this has happened. The water is perfect. I don't understand. I've been doing this forever and it makes no sense at all.