Yes, I am posting a HELP thread

[badger126]

Alright here's my best go!
Yesterday I noticed that my little female convict's egg tube was down and was very excited expecting my first spawn. The only thing unusual, which I offhandedly wondered about was that both my convicts were flashing. I had been told that this wasn't something to worry about if there were no other signs of sickness, so I ignored it.
Today, upon arriving home however, the little girl looks tremendously bloated. She was fat last night, I presumed from carrying eggs, but today her stomach is so huge it's kind of white and stretched funny on the sides. The rest of her has a slightly different coloration than I'm used to.
She's not swimming around as much as normal, preferring to sit on the ground for a few minutes at a time before swimming to a different spot, flashing along her way.

So here's the deal:

I have a 55 gallon tank with the two convicts, a firemouth, an african red zebra (I know, I know), two little dithers (a barb and a tetra, not sure which variety), a senegal bichir, and a bushy nose pleco. All these fish are babies so I'm not overstocked.

I know that my fish have undergone a lot of stress since I got them. They are all relatively new, I re-set up my 29 gallon tank like three weeks ago when I got most of them, and acquired my 50 gallon about a week and a half ago, and moved everything to that.

I live in an area with very hard, alkaline, high ph water, and I have heard of this as a cause of flashing for south american cichlids since they like the soft water. However I am pretty sure that they have all been pretty well acclimated and adapted to the water conditions since the LFS doesn't treat their water and so has the same hardness/ph/alkalinity. Since the tank is new I'm pretty sure I don't have an ammonia/nitrate/nitrite problem. I don't overfeed and I checked the water shortly after I made the switch to the 50 gallon and those levels were nil.

I'll provide some pics so you guys tell me what you think. I wish I could hear that inactivity and wierd colors and hugeness in girth were prespawn indications, along with flashing, but I'm pretty sure that they are not. HELP ME!

Here she is:

 

[badger126]

bump

 

[Lupin]

Do you have a spare tank to isolate her? A 10g barebottom tank shall do it. Operate it with a sponge filter and heater only. Keep the temperature to at least 78 degrees Fahrenheit. I'd treat her with epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) if I were you. Fast her for a week and see if her condition improves. Once she recovers, switch her diet to high fiber than protein.

 

[badger126]

So in regards to the proscribed treatment what do you think is wrong with her? I do have a 29 gallon that's empty atm, but I don't have any extra filters or heaters to run it

 

[Sab_Fan]

just an FYI regarding your water parameters: both convict and firemouth cichlids originate from central america, where they are more likely to live in water with relatively high Ph and hardness . . . they are not soft water fish, although they will adapt readily to most conditions

in other words, your water hardness and ph should not be major issues, unless they are extraordinarly high . . .

 

[badger126]

Oh thanks for the info, guess I was confused on that. Regardless, I agree about them adapting so I'm not really worried about the water. I just made sure and included it in the post so I wouldn't get flamed

 

[Pyramid_Party]

You can get a sponge filter for as low as $5, and a heater for around $10 or a little less. And with the flashing, alot of fish do this. Theres many reasons they could be doing it. But when you see it, dont jump to conclusions right away. Ive heard it is normal sometimes, fish do it to remove old scales etc. But it can also be a sign of flukes too, or even something worse. I woudlnt get worried just yet. Follow Lupins advice and you should be fine.

 

[Sab_Fan]

Since the tank is new I'm pretty sure I don't have an ammonia/nitrate/nitrite problem. I don't overfeed and I checked the water shortly after I made the switch to the 50 gallon and those levels were nil.

it's often on new tank set-ups that ammonia is most likely to be a problem; or has your tank already been cycled?

it's good that they tested well initially, but you should check it again just to be sure.

 

[badger126]

Would ammonia have to do with swelling/enlarged abdomen though? Also after looking at her some more I've noticed her eyes are protruding a bit. You can see it in the pics. Thanks for all the help

 

[Lupin]

Would ammonia have to do with swelling/enlarged abdomen though? Also after looking at her some more I've noticed her eyes are protruding a bit. You can see it in the pics. Thanks for all the help

You claimed in your first post you never had ammonia issues. I am sorry I skimmed this part earlier. Overfeeding or not, if your nitrogen cycle is not done yet, we are still having an ammonia source via uneaten food leftovers or fish wastes. Any organic matter will still produce ammonia and a lot of it if there is very little bacteria to convert it immediately to nitrite. What test kit did you use?

Your convict is suffering from dropsy which in itself is not a disease but rather a sign something is wrong with your tank. Please post again your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate and brand of test kit.

Has the fish been separated yet?