Not sure if my hybrid BP is sick :(   2/9/16     /RMF
Hello I have read like every section of WWM and I'm convinced its the best site out there to help people with their aquatic pets,(I'm a big fan), would also like to donate to the site as it has helped me a lot!
<Appreciated>
I'd be great full on info on how to do that but most importantly my Blood Parrot Cichlid has umm developed a bit of raised scales on his body but does not have a big belly/abdomen (I was thinking (from research on your site maybe dropsy?)
<Perhaps. Raised scales can occur from other causes... aspects of (poor) water quality like high Nitrate, physical damage...>
but is eating and pooping fine I think (his house/cave always has poop in there) and most important for you to know is I have had him for about 6 weeks give or take a few days-his tank is a 90 gal with a double bio wheel waterfall filter and a 125gal HOB aqua clear filter with a power head for surface movement and fun for my wet pets too, as well as 2 bubble bars
-he is 5-6 inches long from nose to tail,(when he was introduced about 5-6 weeks ago the tank had been cycled for about 6 months
-tank mates are 4 clown loaches
<Oh! Quite sensitive to dire and change-able water chemistry...>
(2 inches each and will be going to a bigger tank shortly as they are rescues) a 6 inch sailfin Pleco and a 2.3-3inch little blood parrot (who has the sweetest personality) he still is grey with black stripes but is so parrot (can't close his triangle mouth and his beak head)
-we do 15% water changes twice weekly on all our tanks(I'm a stickler for water cleanliness) -ammonia 0, nitrites 0 ,nitrates 10 ,and PH 7.4 I'd like to send a pic or video, I'm on my iPhone ,how can I do that for you and please let me know if you need any more info, thank you and you have no idea the difference your all making.
Sara Sidwell
<Well; your water seems fine... I suspect that trauma of some sort is at play here; likely a "bump in the night" with some object. I would do nothing treatment-wise at this point, but remain vigilant in observing this hybrid cichlid. Should other symptoms appear, please take a well-resolved (still) image and re-write us. Bob Fenner>

Not sure if my hybrid BP is sick :(      /Neale        2/11/16
Hello I have read like every section of WWM and I'm convinced its the best site out there to help people with their aquatic pets,(I'm a big fan), would also like to donate to the site as it has helped me a lot!
<Thanks for the kind words.>
I'd be great full on info on how to do that but most importantly my Blood Parrot Cichlid has umm developed a bit of raised scales on his body but does not have a big belly/abdomen (I was thinking (from research on your site maybe dropsy?) but is eating and pooping fine I think (his house/cave always has poop in there) and most important for you to know is I have had him for about 6 weeks give or take a few days
<Important indeed!>
-his tank is a 90 gal with a double bio wheel waterfall filter and a 125gal HOB aqua clear filter with a power head for surface movement and fun for my wet pets too, as well as 2 bubble bars -he is 5-6 inches long from nose to tail,(when he was introduced about 5-6 weeks ago the tank had been cycled for about 6 months -tank mates are 4 clown loaches (2 inches each and will be going to a bigger tank shortly as they are rescues) a 6 inch sailfin Pleco
<Not good companions for cichlids that can't look after themselves... such as deformed fish like Blood Parrots. The problem is Plecs are boisterous and greedy, plus they have a tendency to "latch" onto weak fish to graze at the mucous. Because this happens at night, it's easy to miss except for the fact the cichlid is stressed and has damage on the flanks, such as missing
scales or red blisters. Isolating the Plec may help turn things around.>
and a 2.3-3inch little blood parrot (who has the sweetest personality) he still is grey with black stripes but is so parrot (can't close his triangle mouth and his beak head)
<Hmm... odd deformity, but provided he can feed, not lethal.>
-we do 15% water changes twice weekly on all our tanks(I'm a stickler for water cleanliness) -ammonia 0, nitrites 0 ,nitrates 10 ,and PH 7.4 I'd like to send a pic or video, I'm on my iPhone ,how can I do that for you and please let me know if you need any more info, thank you and you have no idea the difference your all making.
Sara
<I would have you do some reading first:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/SaltUseFWArtNeale.htm
How to use Epsom salt, which I'd do right now if you suspect slight bloating; also here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/dropsyfaqs.htm
If things get worse; and finally, here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/metranidazole.htm
This medication is a very useful treatment for all manner of mysterious cichlid ailments. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Blood Parrot Cichlid trouble     1/4/14
Thank you such much for all of the info you gave.
<Welcome.>
I did remove my carbon for all of the medicines.
<Good.>
I think I gave you the wrong filter information before.
<Indeed?>
I am unsure if it is right or not but I was under the impression that Fluval bought out aqua clear.
<Are both distributed by the same parent company, Hagen.>
I bought my filter an few years ago and it is actually called "AquaClear 110"
<This filter has a flow rate of 500 gallons/hour. Since your tank has a capacity of 75 gallons, that's 500/75 = 6.6 times the volume of the tank per hour. I'd suggest that is a bit low for a big, messy cichlid, though perfectly adequate for small fish like Neons and Guppies.>
but when I could no longer find the AquaClear inserts, or anything AquaClear for that matter, I assumed that they were bought out.
<Aquaclear filters are still available, and replacement media sold as well.
Took me no time at all to find on Amazon.com for example.>
Since I stopped seeing AquaClear everywhere I started buying Fluval the 110 carbon, ammonia, and all from Fluval.
<I would recommend getting filter media design for a specific filter.
Potentially, the wrong size/shape filter media allows water to flow through any empty spaces without going through the media itself. That means the bacteria don't clean that portion of the water flow. Obviously that diminishes the effectiveness of the filter. To be fair, with an unpressurised filter like a hang-on-the-back filter this effect is probably not that great because of the way water sluices into the top of the filter and down through the filter bed. But if you have a filter, you may as well aim to get the best from it.>
I can imagine this is what has been causing the issues in the tank.
<I disagree, and don't believe that this is the main problem.>
I do agree with you on getting a second filter, sounds like a good idea, but I was wondering if u know what brand inserts are equivalent to the AquaClear ones that i used to buy?
<See above.>
This way I can avoid having to buy two new filters.
<Not sure I understand. What you want is a second filter alongside the existing one. Even a simple internal canister such as the Eheim Powerline Internal Filter 2048 ($65 on Amazon) would actually be well worthwhile. I like the Eheim filters because they are extremely reliable and Eheim keep selling similar models for years, decades at a time! So spare filter inserts are easy to get (and in case, the sponges are good quality and last 10-20 years without problems). Fluval and Aquaclear are typical second-tier made-in-China brands when it comes to reliability, and while I'd happily use either if money was tight, the German brand is definitely better -- quieter and more reliable -- so well worth the premium price.>
Also I attached some photos just in case you see something I don't.
<Looks a nice tank to me, so nothing obviously amiss.>
I read up on those links you gave and it sounds like a Hexamita infection to me,
<Hexamita infections usually have a very obvious symptom: white, stringy faeces being extremely indicative of the gut parasites irritating the large intestine. Also lethargy, odd changes to the colouration, hiding, lack of interest in food, eventually fish become moribund, drifting about until they die.>
but I was wondering if you thought that a second filter would really bring her back?
<In and of itself, unlikely, but it would reduce ammonia and nitrite to zero. But my gut feeling is that there is some other stress factor here, perhaps long-term exposure to nitrate, cichlids being very sensitive to "skipped" water changes and the resulting old, nitrate-rich water.
Oxygenation is also important.>
If you thought that it would, I would go get a new one today, otherwise I would wait a week or two but it seems very time sensitive.
<Agreed, but I doubt waiting a few days for Amazon or whoever to deliver will make/break this tank.>
Also thanks for the link with the recipe for the rift valley salt mix, I will definitely mix some up today after a water change.
<Wise; low pH levels, anything below 7, will quickly stress Central American cichlids.>
I will look for better food as well I may be overfeeding them,
<For sure! This looks like a very fat cichlid. But it might also be Dropsy, in which case medication would be required. For what it's worth, I'd take a broad approach here and treat using Metronidazole plus an antibiotic (Nitrofuran or Kanamycin are often used with cichlids). The combination makes a good one-two punch, the first medication dealing with Hexamita, while the second deals with any systemic bacterial infections. It's a widely used approach with cichlids that are sick but for reasons difficult to pin down.>
how much should they eat?
<A good ball park estimate is a portion the size of the eye per meal. This is about right for pretty much every fish. Your sort of fish, a big cichlid, probably only needs a single meal per day. If given the right amount fish should look lean, and the belly should have only a very slight convex curve to it. If the fish looks like it's swallowed a ball, it's been overfed!>
The picture of the ammonia remover is the Fluval 110 that I am currently using, I'm guessing it's wrong
<It's fine but not particularly useful. If you have ammonia in the tank, it's better to use biological filtration to remove it. But short term, this may help over the next week or two. Do remember ammonia remover (zeolite) doesn't last long; refer to the instructions regarding replacement and/or recharging.>
so I'm trying to find a different brand but thought I'd attach it just in case. I am going to get a second filter today. Also I have had my filter for about 3 years now, could it be worn out?
<Unlikely but easy to tell. If the motorised pump is spinning and water is moving at the appropriate rate, it's probably fine. Some very cheap filters have short lives, 2-3 years, but Fluval and Aquaclear filters are reasonably good and should last 10 years if not longer, and usually what goes wrong isn't the pump but accessories such as hoses and taps that start leaking and need replacing.>
Thanks again for your time. Marie
<Most welcome. Neale.>

Sick Parrot Fish with big red bag hanging   12/25/13
Hi!
<Gina>
I had my parrot fish for 9 years and now she (could be a he too) Fifi, has a strange red bag like a cm long and 1/2 cm wide hanging out of her belly (mid body).
<Yes; most often termed a "prolapsed colon"; not too unusual in Cichlids>
 She is like 20 cm long.  She is also standing up side down close to the bottom in the tank.  I have a 60 gallon tank and two parrot fish.  The other, Fofo is much smaller than her even though they are nearly the same age.  He is 8.  I changed the water 2 weeks ago.
 Please help me!  I hate having fish, but that does not stop me from caring about them and loving them.  Lost one when Sandy hit (buried him in garden) and have only these two left.  Sending two pictures of her.
Gina
<Do simply search on WWM (the tool is on every page) with the string: "cichlid prolapsed colon"
and read the highlighted bits on the pages cited. More fiber in foods, perhaps the use of Epsom, less metabolite content in the water...
Bob Fenner>