Please help I don't know what to do.

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DEVIANT NATION

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Apr 14, 2013
158
0
31
USA
150 gallon tank
PH 8.3 to 8.4
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10
according to API liquid test kit.

I got 4 menarambo cichlids 2 weeks ago they are about 1.5 inches big. At the same time I also got 4 baby IT dats and a baby silver aro and someone had ich and spread it to them all so I spent the first week and a half treating with high water temps (86 degrees) and salt to get rid of the ich. The menarambos had it the worst but all the ich symptoms went away 3-4 days ago. I have been continuing the daily water changes, temp at 86, and adding salt since just to make sure it is all gone. But then in the last 24 hours 3 of the menarambos have slowed from eating as much and lay close to the bottom a lot and look like they are breathing very heavily. And the 4th one in the last 24 hours hasn't eaten at all and will only swim small distances at a time and lay on his side on the bottom of the tank breathing heavily the rest of the time.

The whole time I have had them until the last 24 hours they have been extremely active and eaten very very well.

Last night i did a big water change and added prazi pro thinking it might be gill flukes.

Am I doing the right things? I really really don't want to loose any of these guys.

Other than what I have said they have no visual symptoms. The dats look and act fine (one hides a lot and is very picky about what he will eat unless I give him kril), the aro has pretty tattered fins from the ich but they look like they are beginning to heal and he acts fine.

Any advice would be great THANK YOU!
 
Do you aerate and circulate the water?
 
Do you aerate and circulate the water?

Yes I have 2 air pumps going one on each end of tank. I have one Rena 3 filter and one Rena 4 filter each exiting on the opposite side of the tank it is sucked in on, and I also have another pump that flows through a fluidized sand bed filter and a uv sterilizer.
 
Yes I have 2 air pumps going one on each end of tank. I have one Rena 3 filter and one Rena 4 filter each exiting on the opposite side of the tank it is sucked in on, and I also have another pump that flows through a fluidized sand bed filter and a uv sterilizer.

Also should note I took the carbon out of the filters and turned uv sterilizer off when I added the prazi pro last night.
 
Any advice from anyone would be great I am really worried. Three of them don't seem to be getting any better or worse. The other one still lays on the bottom some but definitely swimming more than it has been. Am I doing the right things? And is there anything else I can do to help them?
 
Try lowering the temp back to 82 degrees. See if that helps.
 
Try lowering the temp back to 82 degrees. See if that helps.

I ended turning the heat down a little sunday night and monday morning it is now sitting about 83 degrees. It didn't seem to help much but then last night they all started swimming more. 1 is acting almost normal again 2 others have improved but still have a bit to go and the 1 that has been laying on the bottom of the tank the most was actually up and swimming a little last night. He tried to eat a little but would only put it in his mouth and then spit it back out. I think he ate maybe one half of a blood worm that he didn't spit back out. But then late last night I thought he was going to be a goner he was just kind of flicking his tail once every few seconds and would float and spin around after that with no direction. He didn't look good :irked: but then 5 min later he was sitting on the bottom but in an upright position and stayed that way all night till I went to bed and was up this morning swimming just a little but in a normal matter and would not eat this morning. He is a fighter I really hope he pulls through.
 
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