Cichlid Question     8/13/13
Hey guys!
I have a question after reading your FAQ page. I have one Jellybean Cichlid I've had for over 10 years. He is in a 75 gallon tank. Water quality is great, feeding pellet food, has been healthy. Last week stopped eating.
Swimming slower and hiding a bit more. Did a 25% water change (last water change was 2 weeks ago).  Filters working well.  Did another water change last night.  He started to look bloated and still wasn't eating so I removed the carbon and added Metron to the tank per the directions - that was last night.
Now he is upside down at the bottom of the tank, gasping for air, and he color is very deep orange.  What am I doing wrong?
HELP!
Brenda
<Hello Brenda. The short answer is that without seeing the fish and reviewing its aquarium, it's hard to be sure. But some factors are worth considering:
(1) Constipation can and does cause problems for fish, especially "deformed" varieties like fancy Goldfish and Blood Parrot (= Jellybean) cichlids. The problem for these fish is that their spines are deformed and their swim bladders displaced, and these factors make is difficult for them to balance properly. Constipation is, of course, a solid lump in the digestive tract, and if that causes the centre of mass to shift, it's possible for the fish to find it difficult to maintain its correct orientation. Some writers here at WWM refer to this as "floaty, bloaty goldfish" syndrome. Diet is often the key factor, a lack of fibre being what causes constipation, and both Goldfish and Blood Parrots (indeed, most cichlids) would be partly or primarily herbivorous in the wild, so given a processed diet based around flakes and meaty foods like bloodworms, they often end up constipated. It's easily fixed though; read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/gldfshmalnut.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/SaltUseFWArtNeale.htm
(2) Water quality is another issue. Your fish is fairly old, cichlids of this size and origins tending to live for around 10-12 years, sometimes more. A water quality "dip" that might have been shrugged off by a younger fish could be hard work, even fatal, to an older fish. Keeping up with water changes, and certainly ensuring 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite, will go a long way to putting this right. Provided no other symptoms (like Finrot) appear, there's no treatment necessary, just time and good water quality.
Do also ensure the water has moderate hardness to buffer against pH drops between water changes. Blood Parrots are hybrids of uncertain origins but likely from Central American cichlids, so you're aiming for 10-20 degrees dH, pH 7-8. Exact values don't matter, but water chemistry should be staple, and rapid pH drop in particular can make hard water cichlids go "loopy", spinning about as if they can't control themselves.
In short, monitor water quality, add some Epsom salt, and switch to a greens-based diet until the fish recovers. Nothing difficult or expensive!
Good luck, Neale.>
Re: Cichlid Question     8/13/13
Neale
Thank you for the advice.
<Welcome.>
Unfortunately he died last night.
<Sorry to hear this.>
He was the last parrot fish in my tank.. I used to have two of the same age. The last one passed away about 3 months ago under similar
circumstances.
<I see.>
 I do partial water changes every 2 to 3 weeks and change the filters at that time.  A day or two later I check the water quality... this time the nitrates and nitrites were both at 0.  the ammonia level was also 0, pH 8.5, but the alkalinity was high (>300) even after 3 partial water changes.
 These tests were done using test strips... should I lower the alkalinity and pH?  I was under the impression that parrot fish like a higher pH...
<They do; if water chemistry is stable and alkaline, I wouldn't worry too much about the precise values. In other words, if you've had success with Central American cichlids in this kind of water, and you have, stick with it. Of course, yes, this water is not ideal for, say, South American cichlids.>
Now I'm trying to decide if I should add new fish to the tank... I cleaned it today and will let it sit a day or two before checking the water again.
I'm worried that I'm missing something and I don't want to subject new fish to whatever's wrong.
Any further advice?  I already miss my fish:(
<If the tank is empty, keep adding pinches of fish flake every couple days to give the biological filter something to feed on, otherwise the bacteria will die back.>
Brenda
<Cheers, Neale.>