Calvus Cichlid (help)

[Jay88]

Hi guys,

Hope you are all doing well and so are your fish. Recently, I purchased a gold Calvus Cichlid, when I purchased him, he looked fine (only a day ago), he is very quiet and sits in a cave most of the days (I have a 60 gallon african tank with small peacocks and electric blues, yellows etc)

Now, when I put food in today, he was the first out, smashing to break the larger pellets down to get a meal. But once everything cooled down, he keeps his head down, and tail up... it looks like he cant swim? or balance? But he's in a vertical position, with this tail up, and still going for food when he can? He stays like this for a LONG time, should I be worried? He was horizontal like normal fish when he was in his cave yesterday, but after coming out today for the first time and eating, speeding through the water, he just floats vertical, and grabs food when he can... I put up some pictures of him from earlier today, he starts to tilt face down.... Is this normal at this young age? He is around 5 cm. PICS attached (same night pics when feeding)

PS He is completely vertical, head down and scavenging for food. Should I be worried?

 

[Aquanero]

How was the fish acclimated? Any major difference between your water and the tank at the LFS?

 

[Jay88]

Hi mate, thanks for your response. The LFS is a 5 minute drive down the road..im not sure about the water quality there...and i kept the fish bag in the aquarium for around 10 minutes, before I let them all out yesterday. He went straight into a cave, chilled out... and tonight he was out with all my other cichlids fighting over food...and now he floats around (swims when its required, as in horizontally), grabs food, and goes back into his cave.... do you know if they do this?

 

[Aquanero]

This isn't typical behavior and is a common symptom of a swim bladder disorder. Some fish are more snsative than others. The acclamation is important, slowly balancing temperature, pH, hardness, nitrate levels etc. Try a thirty minute bath in a bucket of tank water with a teaspoon of methylene blue. If it is an SB issue this would help, it won't hurt either way.

 

[FMA4ME]

Maybe needs time to adjust to a bare bottom tank? I had a similar experience with one of my Discus and was told fish will do this anticipating swimming to deeper shelter. My fish grew out of it, hopefully that's what it is, because it could also be swim bladder like Aquanero mentioned :/
Good luck.

 

[ehh]

Swim bladder problems can also be caused by constipation. I believe an Epsom salt bath helps with that.

 

[PassengerTN]

My small bichir tail floated like this when I got him. After a nice big poop he was fine. Trapped air I suppose. Try soaking your pellets prior to feeding?

 

[Aquanero]

I didn't notice the tank was bare bottom, it could just be looking at its reflection.

 

[Jay88]

Sigh...just got back into the hobby and lfs gives me a sick fish...so its curable with epsom salt bath?

 

[FMA4ME]

Sigh...just got back into the hobby and lfs gives me a sick fish...so its curable with epsom salt bath?

Try not to be down, it's one of those inevitable things. Especially when you take short cuts like not quarantining. Learn from it. I really dig your set up so far actually. I've never really given africans a proper shot, but I really like the colors you got goin, AND they are better off with lots of tankmates? Cool. I'm sure they they are much more hardy than what I'm trying to keep too. There is even satisfaction in learning to diagnose and treat your fish.