Urgent: Dovii Cichlid Jumped ship

Jake The Fisherman

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 13, 2011
7
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Canada
Hello everyone, I'm not a very active user on this Forum but I came here hoping someone with more large Cichlid experience maybe had some advice.
Let me start off by saying, my Dovii is still alive and breathing. But I'm not sure if he's concussed or ruptured his swim bladder. He is responsive but I have to prop him upright, as he automatically turns onto his side and lays on the bottom. He kicks frantically trying to right himself, but it's like his right side pectoral isn't trying to keep him up. When I prop him upright both pecs paddle trying to combat my hand from moving him forward or backward. So his brain is aware of movement, but not which way is right side up, his twists his tail trying to compensate for his pectoral not righting himself.

So my question is, has my Dovii experienced some kind of brain damage maybe from impact or is this a common thing with swim bladder?

Last night around 3-4am something startled my Dovii and he smashed through his lid and fell to the floor. I found him before I went to work at about 5:30, he was still wet so I figured it couldn't have been more than a hour. He was awake when I found him(tough dude) and only took about a minute to revive him by passing water through his gills.

I will keep everyone updated as this seem to be a hard topic to come by with large cichlids and not goldfish. Especially from injury and not neglect. He's currently about 12" long in a 180 gallon, I have a custom 350 gallon cycling as his new home so it would really break my heart not to see him recover. He's been my buddy for almost 5 years now.

EDIT: Could this maybe be a stroke? Fish only have two valves in their heart, so is it possible to shut down half their nervous system? Even though they don't have 4 valves like Mammals.
 
Last edited:

Ihsnshaik

Giant Snakehead
MFK Member
Aug 20, 2015
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First of all sorry to hear about the dovii. I want to say that it's trauma it's probably internal injury since he fell from a good height and there is no way of knowing what exactly is going on with him. I would aerate as much as possible and do salt treatment. He might've sadly broke his spine..
 

Ihsnshaik

Giant Snakehead
MFK Member
Aug 20, 2015
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Show us a video or pics of what's happening. Turn off the lights make sure he's comfortable. I've seen fish revive from the dead no joke.

Salt treatment is a must
 
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justarn

Arapaima
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May 24, 2011
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sorry to hear this, subbed. good luck pal, 5 years is a long time, sounds like a damaged swim bladder to me, not sure what you can do other than salt tbh but fingers crossed he heals up for ya.
 
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jwh

Plecostomus
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Feb 7, 2015
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that sucks, sorry to hear. Having been out of water for a considerable period of time, thus deprived of O2 he may have suffered brain damage as a result. I would also try to get him to recover
 
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justarn

Arapaima
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May 24, 2011
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have you tipped him upright/vertical to make sure all the air is out of him?
 

Jake The Fisherman

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 13, 2011
7
7
3
Canada
Thank you guys for the quick replies. My Dovii passed away just a few minutes ago, in my company. Unbelievably heart breaking to see such a powerful fish so lifeless.
I figure it was trauma to his head and not the spine as he wasn't himself, but completely aware of his surroundings. Again thank you guys for the replies, and best of luck to anyone reading this in the future.

Secure your lids everyone this is what can and will eventually happen.

image.jpg

image.jpg
 

justarn

Arapaima
MFK Member
May 24, 2011
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nice pics, starting over with a new monster cichlid or another dovii then, or something else? sorry you lost him man.
 
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