help! is my fish dying?

[iWantKicks]

I have a 1" demasoni cichlid in my 55gallon. He was eating fine when i fed him in the morning (dainichi sinking), and now he is floating/swimming on his side at the top. His fins are not eaten up or anything. His coloration may be slightly darker. im not completely sure though.

Did a 20% water change 4 days ago.

Whats wrong with him ?

There is also a lot of hiding spots in my tank, and i'm running 2 penguin 350's w/ bio wheel

The rest of my fish are acting normal.

Just did a water test..
Nitrate:20
Nitrite:0
Hardness: 150
Alkalinity:180
Ph: 7.8

Water temp is 78-80 degrees.

Any fixes or tips to make him better?
Please help me! i dont want him to die!!

PS: I looked all over the internet, and most sites said he has "float." but he doesn't eat floating foods.

 

[Chicklette]

Is someone picking on him? It may have been due to aggression. Your water seems fine but you don't have an ammonia level.

 

[iWantKicks]

They might be. he's one of the smaller ones in there. What do you suggest? i put him in a quarantine tank with 30% fresh water and added salt accordingly. Anything else i can do? thanks for the fast response!

 

[Chicklette]

Im glad you put him in his own tank. The salt might help, you could add some primafix. Im really not sure what is wrong but I would add primafix. Hopefully the salt should work. But once they are that sick Im sorry to say it's hard to cure no matter what you do. Is he eating?

 

[Chicklette]

Does he have a swollen belly?

 

[iWantKicks]

he was eating this morning. and i don't have any primafix at the moment. his belly doesn't appear swollen. but ill post some pics so you can see for yourself

 

[iWantKicks]

 

[Chicklette]

Can you check the ammonia in your tank? Sometimes they hang at the top when there is ammonia in the tank. Also does he have white string poop? Is he flashing? Rubbing on rocks/gravel?

 

[iWantKicks]

I ran out of ammonia test strips a couple days ago. and i think he was flashing a little, come to think about it.
what is it?

 

[Chicklette]

Fish flad when their gills are irritated by something. Parasites, bad water parameters. You can go to asny LSF and they will test it for free. I just need to know if ammonia is in that tank. Because that is the first place to start before adding a bunch of meds that you are unsure of. If your water parameters test out okay, something else is wrong.