My jewel cichlid is acting strangely
My jewel cichlid is acting strangely
He looks pretty rough. Temp's already at 32*c and I've added some salt. We're in Canada, so no antibiotics for us. Need some advice here.
Re: My jewel cichlid is acting strangely
Hello and welcome to the forum, I hope you find the help you need here.
Are the other fish bullying it, or is it just this one that's struggling?
I'd recommend treating the fish for worms and gill flukes. Praziquantel is a good option for tapeworm and gill flukes, and Levamisole can help with thread and round worms.
Before you start treatment, make sure to remove any carbon from your filters and increase the aeration and surface turbulence to get as much oxygen in the water as possible.
You'll need to treat the fish once a week for 3-4 weeks. The first treatment will take care of any worms in the fish, and the second and third treatments will get rid of any baby worms that hatch from eggs inside the fish.
After each treatment, do a 75% water change and give the gravel a good clean 24-48 hours later. Don't forget to clean the filter 24 hours after treatment too.
If you have multiple tanks in the house, it's a good idea to treat them all at the same time.
One important thing to note is that you shouldn't use Praziquantel and Levamisole together. If you want to treat for both, use Praziquantel on day one, then do a 75% water change and gravel clean on days 2 and 3. You can then use Levamisole on day 4, followed by another 75% water change and gravel clean on days 5, 6, and 7. After that, you can start the cycle again with Praziquantel on day 8.
The water changes will help remove most of the medication, so you don't overdose the fish. And the gravel cleaning will get rid of any worms and eggs that the fish have expelled. By repeating the treatment for 3-4 doses at weekly intervals, you should be able to get rid of any worms that hatch from eggs. And in the end, you should have healthier fish.
Are the other fish bullying it, or is it just this one that's struggling?
I'd recommend treating the fish for worms and gill flukes. Praziquantel is a good option for tapeworm and gill flukes, and Levamisole can help with thread and round worms.
Before you start treatment, make sure to remove any carbon from your filters and increase the aeration and surface turbulence to get as much oxygen in the water as possible.
You'll need to treat the fish once a week for 3-4 weeks. The first treatment will take care of any worms in the fish, and the second and third treatments will get rid of any baby worms that hatch from eggs inside the fish.
After each treatment, do a 75% water change and give the gravel a good clean 24-48 hours later. Don't forget to clean the filter 24 hours after treatment too.
If you have multiple tanks in the house, it's a good idea to treat them all at the same time.
One important thing to note is that you shouldn't use Praziquantel and Levamisole together. If you want to treat for both, use Praziquantel on day one, then do a 75% water change and gravel clean on days 2 and 3. You can then use Levamisole on day 4, followed by another 75% water change and gravel clean on days 5, 6, and 7. After that, you can start the cycle again with Praziquantel on day 8.
The water changes will help remove most of the medication, so you don't overdose the fish. And the gravel cleaning will get rid of any worms and eggs that the fish have expelled. By repeating the treatment for 3-4 doses at weekly intervals, you should be able to get rid of any worms that hatch from eggs. And in the end, you should have healthier fish.
Re: My jewel cichlid is acting strangely
Thanks for the info. I appreciate the detailed advice, but I've got a problem - in Canada, we don't have access to those medications. Not even Geneflake cure is available, so we're really limited. Are there any other options I could try?
Re: My jewel cichlid is acting strangely
Considering your location in Canada and the limited access to medications, I'd like to suggest an alternative. Flubendazole is a viable option for treating intestinal worms and might be available in Canada, given its availability in the US.
Another option for treating gill flukes is using flour. You can add rock salt, sea salt, or swimming pool salt to the aquarium at a dose rate of 2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres of water. However, if you have livebearers, goldfish, or rainbowfish in the tank, you can increase the dose to 4 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres.
It's essential to maintain this salt level for at least 2 weeks, but not longer than 4 weeks, as prolonged exposure can cause kidney damage. This is particularly concerning for fish from soft water, such as tetras, Corydoras, angelfish, gouramis, and loaches. On the other hand, livebearers, rainbowfish, and other salt-tolerant species are less likely to be affected.
The salt will not harm the beneficial filter bacteria, but the higher dose rate may impact some plants. The lower dose rate, however, is plant-friendly.
After treatment and recovery, I recommend a series of water changes. Start with a 10% water change each day for a week, followed by a 20% water change each day for another week. Once you've completed these, you can proceed with larger water changes.
Another option for treating gill flukes is using flour. You can add rock salt, sea salt, or swimming pool salt to the aquarium at a dose rate of 2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres of water. However, if you have livebearers, goldfish, or rainbowfish in the tank, you can increase the dose to 4 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres.
It's essential to maintain this salt level for at least 2 weeks, but not longer than 4 weeks, as prolonged exposure can cause kidney damage. This is particularly concerning for fish from soft water, such as tetras, Corydoras, angelfish, gouramis, and loaches. On the other hand, livebearers, rainbowfish, and other salt-tolerant species are less likely to be affected.
The salt will not harm the beneficial filter bacteria, but the higher dose rate may impact some plants. The lower dose rate, however, is plant-friendly.
After treatment and recovery, I recommend a series of water changes. Start with a 10% water change each day for a week, followed by a 20% water change each day for another week. Once you've completed these, you can proceed with larger water changes.