What is wrong with my Electric Blue Acara

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swoup

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jun 20, 2024
9
2
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36
Have you tested your water?
Yes
If yes, what is your ammonia?
0
If yes, what is your nitrite?
0
If yes, what is your nitrate?
20ppm
If I did not test my water...
  1. ...I recognize that I will likely be asked to do a test, and that water tests are critical for solving freshwater health problems.
Do you do water changes?
Yes
What percentage of water do you change?
31-40%
How frequently do you change your water?
Every week
If I do not change my water...
  1. ...I recognize that I will likely be recommended to do a water change, and water changes are critical for preventing future freshwater health problems.
He was in a tank 75 gallon with blood, parrots, tiger, barbs, and serum all other fish are fine.

One day, I noticed him essentially sitting at the bottom and it looked like he had fin rot. He wasn’t acting normal so moved him into a hospital tank and it seems like he’s just deteriorating. His mouth seems to almost be stuck open and he’s been constantly breathing fast since the start of it. He’s refusing to eat as far as I can tell so I fear I’m almost out of time to fix it.

Treatments I’ve tried thus far are

aquarium salt

Maracyn

When that didn’t seem to help I did a kanaplex cycle and poly guard

Does anyone know what I should try or do?

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Reactions: tlindsey
swoup said:
He was in a tank 75 gallon with blood, parrots, tiger, barbs, and serum all other fish are fine.

One day, I noticed him essentially sitting at the bottom and it looked like he had fin rot. He wasn’t acting normal so moved him into a hospital tank and it seems like he’s just deteriorating. His mouth seems to almost be stuck open and he’s been constantly breathing fast since the start of it. He’s refusing to eat as far as I can tell so I fear I’m almost out of time to fix it.

Treatments I’ve tried thus far are

aquarium salt

Maracyn

When that didn’t seem to help I did a kanaplex cycle and poly guard

Does anyone know what I should try or do?

View attachment 1566901View attachment 1566900

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Click to expand...
Looks like columnaris aka duck lip disease. Highly contagious.
 
I would say the fish looks like the victim of aggression. The split fins are all consistent, and the lip damage is from lip-lock fighting with other cichlids.
Eba are quite laid back so it’s no surprise it’s getting beat up on.
 
I agree with deadeye. That fin damage looks like injury, and not a bacterial illness. Fresh clean water, salt, and a stress-free environment (lights off) may be all that is needed to help. As much as we want to help by throwing the kitchen sink at it.....throwing the kitchen sink contributes to stress.

Go to home base. Fresh clear water on a frequent basis, with some salt. No light, no tankmates, no stress.

Edit: the duck-lip disease I have seen makes the lip really blown up and puffy. This doesn't look like that. My EBA often picks fights he cannot win. I don't know why he does it...but he does. Let him heal up.
 
tlindsey said:
Looks like columnaris aka duck lip disease. Highly contagious.
Click to expand...
Yes that is what I thought it was, which is what led me to kanoplex. It didn't seem to help. Should I do another round treating this as columnaris?
 
Deadeye said:
I would say the fish looks like the victim of aggression. The split fins are all consistent, and the lip damage is from lip-lock fighting with other cichlids.
Eba are quite laid back so it’s no surprise it’s getting beat up on.
Click to expand...
I also thought this at first as well. His fins seem to be getting worse though and he has been in his own tank for over a week now.
 
quikv6 said:
I agree with deadeye. That fin damage looks like injury, and not a bacterial illness. Fresh clean water, salt, and a stress-free environment (lights off) may be all that is needed to help. As much as we want to help by throwing the kitchen sink at it.....throwing the kitchen sink contributes to stress.

Go to home base. Fresh clear water on a frequent basis, with some salt. No light, no tankmates, no stress.

Edit: the duck-lip disease I have seen makes the lip really blown up and puffy. This doesn't look like that. My EBA often picks fights he cannot win. I don't know why he does it...but he does. Let him heal up.
Click to expand...

I’ve been worried I might be making things worse, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t just stress. When I first moved him to the hospital tank he barely moved at all. It could be stress from being attacked, but he’s been alone in a clean, quiet tank for over a week and still refuses to eat. that being said 3/4 of that time I was medicating the tank. Also he might be eating when I’m not around—lately he’s started to respond to food but still won’t eat in front of me. I don't think he's eating at all personally.

Is there any way to tell if this is stress or an injury from fighting? I know it’s not exact science, but how long would you normally expect a stressed fish, once it’s in clean water and a peaceful environment, to start acting normally again?
 
Also if it helps the highlighted damage in red on his fin was there since the first time I noticed he was acting strange (fast breathing consistently, mouth open, little movement, not eating).

The part highlighted in blue is new and since he has been alone in the hospital tank. Screenshot 2025-09-21 at 11.31.36 PM.png
 
Tom’s got a good point that it could be columnaris and very well could be. However, looks to me more like it got a bad beat down than columnaris. Give it lots of clean water, rest, salt and see. Guess you could resort to Kanaplex if the fins continue to rot. Also, those fish are so inbred with such bad genetics, something will tip them over and they’ll go downhill
 
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